Chai spices give Chai Caramel Corn robust flavor that goes well with white or dark chocolate (or both). Chai Caramel Corn is a great snack for family gatherings and it makes your house smell wonderful.

When I first started teaching at a university, an international student invited me over for dinner. She made the Pakistani version of chai and it was divine. Now, I drink chai every morning for breakfast. The combination of spices, tea and milk is a great way to wake up.

My daughter is having friends over for New Years Eve and I wanted to make a few snacks. Nothing like a group of hungry college kids to clean out your cupboards.

We’ll have plenty of chips, dip and finger foods but a party’s not a party without caramel corn too. When I took a cooking class recently, the chef mentioned that tea is a great basis for caramel recipes. You just substitute the kind of tea you like for water in the caramel.

I decided to try caramel corn with chai. However, I like my chai on the spicy side and caramel is quite sweet so I added chai spices as well. The additional spices really make this Chai Caramel Corn flavorful.

Ideally, air popped popcorn is best for this recipe. I used to have a hot air popper but got rid of it and hadn’t seen any until very recently. My kids bought me a microwave popcorn popper for Christmas so I went with that. It worked perfectly and collapses to fit in our small kitchen.

Chai Caramel corn is low fat. A little additional chocolate doesn’t up the fat too much and chocolate pairs well with chai. I drizzled white and dark chocolate on mine.

To make drizzling and cleanup easier, I put my chocolate disks in a plastic sandwich bag and set that in a bowl to microwave. You have to be careful to not let the chocolate get too hot so I took mine out every 15 seconds and moved the disks around in the bag by rubbing the outside.

When the chocolate started to melt, I cut my time down to 10 second intervals. It took the white chocolate about 1 minute to melt and the dark chocolate took about 90 seconds.

Once the chocolate was melted, I cut a small hole in the corner of the ziplock back and drizzled on my cooled Chai Caramel Corn. I turned my corn over when I’d used about half the bag so I got both sides.

Yield: 7 cups

Chai Caramel Corn

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup strong chai tea
• ⅓ cup Corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamon
• small pinch ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 7 cups popped corn
• ½ cup pecans (optional)
• ½ cup white or dark chocolate, melted (optional, I used Santa Barbara Chocolate Organic Dark 60% Chocolate and Santa Barbara Chocolate Belgian White Chocolate)

Instructions

1. Mix dry spices and baking soda together and set aside.
2. Combine sugar, tea, and corn syrup in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook to hard crack stage (310°F). There is no need to stir during the boiling process.
3. Remove from heat. Working quickly, add vanilla and spice mixture. Stir until combined. Then add popcorn and nuts if desired.
4. Turn out onto a silpat or a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Let cool and break into chunks.
5. If desired, drizzle popcorn with melted chocolate. (I put mine in a ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner to drizzle)
6. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 35gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information is provided as a guide only. Please consult a dietician for specific dietary needs.