Tiramisu Popcorn! Chocolate, coffee and lady finger cookie bits infuse this popcorn treat with flavors of the classic, Italian dessert in snackable form!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Barlean’s, as a part of my ongoing partnership as part of their Blogger Team. As always, all opinions here are my own.
Once upon a time, all moms did this thing. This magical thing called... sleep.
When we had the time to do it {childhood, adolescence, college} we didn't do it for fear of missing something. Playtime. Socializing. Partying.
Now, in our late 20's and 30's we wish for it. Crave it. I'd say dream about it, but in order to dream you'd have to, well... sleep!
I have so many mom friends who are currently going through that taxing season of life where sleep is a but a fleeting idea, a distant memory of a time where they'd wake naturally to sunlight and the sounds of birds chirping outside the window. A time when they'd sleepily walk into the kitchen, make coffee and sip it in a leisurely fashion while gently easing into the day.
But once those little ones come along, those days are gone. {For a while, anyway.} More often than not, you wake to the light of the moon, the sound of hungry cries and/or bored pleas for rescue from their crib, and the requests for... just about everything.
Like a shining beacon, there is one glimmer of a life past that remains: Coffee.
Ah, coffee! The nectar of the gods. Or, at the very least, of the goddesses with under eye bags that could fit luggage for a family of 4.
I have always loved coffee. The taste, the smell, the routine of making and drinking it. So, it's no wonder at all that when I was thinking of a fun flavor combo for this month's Barlean's Blogger Challenge: Popcorn Edition, I immediately thought, "Something with coffee!"
I was pretty excited about this challenge when I discovered that, not only would we be getting to use my favorite Barlean's product {Butter Flavored Coconut Oil}, but that we'd also be partnering with Lékué who makes this fantastic popcorn-making contraption and using some JollyTime Organic Popcorn for our creations. We love popcorn in our household, but no one loves it more than my son, who often wakes up asking for "pah-coahn" {he says it a bit like a New Yorker.} His love for popcorn rivals mine for coffee. The kid has got it bad.
Anyway, this popcorn maker is collapsible and easy to clean, so it is totally "mom approved." It also contains popping popcorn much better than our other popcorn-making method {brown paper bag}, which occasionally explodes and leaves a microwave full of kernels and such. I see myself making a lot of healthy popcorn with coconut oil in the near future for Cole's snack.
But for my own... I'm taking it up a notch with this Tiramisu Popcorn. Yes, it's on the decadent side, but with Mother's Day happening this weekend I figure I can justify a few bites of this treat! Chocolate, coffee {both instant granule AND chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans!} and lady finger cookie bits infuse this easy-to-make popcorn with the flavors of one of my favorite classic, Italian desserts.
As a side note, "tiramisu" actually means "pick me up", and who better to make this for than for moms who spend their day "picking up" babies, toys, crumbs... you name it! This is such a fun recipe to make and give as a gift -- particularly to new moms who are struggling to keep their eyes open throughout the day. I know they say, "Nap when the baby naps," but I think staying up a few extra minutes to enjoy this indulgent snack may just be worth it. 😉
And speaking of naps, I think it's about time to put my little one down for a rest... This popcorn is for mom only!
Tiramisu Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons + ½ teaspoon Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil {divided}
- ¼ cup JollyTime Organic Popcorn Kernels
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract*
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup chocolate covered espresso beans chopped
- 5 lady finger cookies chopped
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Pop pocorn in popcorn maker as directed using 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Pour popped popcorn onto prepared baking pan and remove any unpopped kernels.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat white chocolate chips, ½ teaspoon coconut oil and vanilla for 30 seconds at a time, stopping to stir until completely smooth.
- Pour melted chocolate over the popcorn and toss carefully with hands until popcorn is coated.
- Immediately sprinkle instant coffee granules, chopped espresso beans and chopped cookies over popcorn and toss to adhere. Allow popcorn to set {you can put it in the refrigerator to set it quickly if needed}.
- Drizzle or pipe melted semi-sweet chocolate chips over popcorn. Allow to set completely before serving or packaging.