Maple Pumpkin Popcorn Bars

by Bri Healthyin Desserts, Talk Show Recipeson Posted on

My Maple Pumpkin Popcorn Bars recipe was featured in my October talk show, “Healthy Halloween!” Watch the video above to see me demonstrate the recipe, then make it for yourself using the full recipe below! There are only 776 calories in the entire recipe, which is also vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Enjoy and have a happy, healthy, and safe Halloween! P.S. you can totally make these at any time of year – not just in October!

Maple Pumpkin Popcorn Bars
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 6 cups popcorn, popped (healthy store-bought varieties work well, or pop your own)
  2. ¼ cup raw honey
  3. ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  4. 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée (I used a canned variety)
  5. ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  6. ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the popcorn bars
  1. Add popcorn to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add honey to a small saucepan and heat on a simmer for about a minute, until it becomes a very runny liquid. Whisk occasionally. As soon as the honey starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer it into the bowl of popcorn, tossing it with a spatula as you pour.
  3. Crush some of the popcorn a bit using your spatula as you toss the honey on it. Having some smaller, crushed popcorn pieces will help the bars to stick together better.
  4. Transfer the popcorn mixture into a rectangular glass baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick olive oil spray. Spread the popcorn evenly, then gently tap the popcorn down to press it and make it more compact. (Refer to the video above for a visual demonstration.)
  5. Refrigerate the popcorn bars overnight, or at least for an hour.
For the drizzle
  1. Combine the pure maple syrup, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
  2. Add the drizzle ingredients into a small saucepan and heat on a simmer. Slightly increase the temperature until it just barely starts to bubble. Whisk frequently. In this step you're reducing the liquid so that some of the water evaporates and it becomes thicker. After about 3-4 minutes, when you notice the liquid level has gone down just a bit, take it off the heat and immediately transfer to a pourable cup.
  3. Drizzle the mixture over the popcorn bars in a diagonal linear pattern, or in whichever pattern you'd prefer.
  4. Refrigerate the popcorn bars for a bit longer, until the drizzle has hardened (about 20 minutes to an hour).
  5. Enjoy straight out of the fridge! Keep refrigerated, because as they get warmer, they'll begin to fall apart more easily.
Notes
  1. Calories: 776 in the entire recipe. With 6 servings, each bar is about 130 calories.
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