Chocolate Chip Popcorn Cookies

This post was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are our own. Are you an oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip kind of cookie person? It’s a debate that has extremely passionate people on either side, we know. Here’s a jazzed up cookie that takes the best of both (and chucks the raisins because, come on!). These salty-sweet chocolate chip popcorn cookies feature caramel corn made with a glaze of maple syrup, then mixed into oatmeal cookies with a bit of chocolate chunks thrown in for good measure. Of course, feel free to customize it with any mix-ins you’d like — just no raisins, okay? Keep reading for this delicious chocolate chip popcorn cookies recipe.

Making these popcorn cookies

This popcorn cookies recipe was a chance for us to experiment with gluten-free cookie baking! It can be made gluten-free using GF oats and 1-to-1 gluten-free flour. We’re personally not gluten-free, but have several close family members and friends who are, so gluten-free recipes are “universal” in that they work for all diets. The texture when made with gluten-free 1-to-1 flour is a bit drier and more crumbly, but either way these popcorn cookies are incredibly satisfying. Because with popcorn and chocolate, how could they not be? The addition of oats for nutrient density and the relatively small serving size also makes them a good “healthy-ish” cookie option. PS For the record I actually like oatmeal raisin cookies, I just find chocolate chip to be superior. But that’s just me.

How to make caramel corn with maple syrup

In these popcorn cookies, we’ve made a “natural” type of caramel corn using maple syrup. We make this popcorn using our standard stovetop popcorn method, and then make a caramel syrup using maple. Here’s how to make caramel corn with maple syrup:

First, pop the popcorn on the stove. Use a large saucepan to heat the oil. To test when it’s hot enough, add one kernel of popcorn. When it pops, add the rest of the kernels and heat, shaking constantly, until all the popping has stopped, about 2 minutes total. Make the maple syrup glaze. Heat maple and butter in the same pan and boil it for 3 minutes until it become darker and caramel in color. Add the popcorn and top with salt. Add the popcorn to the syrup mixture. Top with sea salt and stir to coat. Dry the popcorn. To quickly dry the caramel corn, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Aside from these popcorn cookies, here are a few of our favorite cookie recipes:

Chocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake CookiesSkillet Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Cookies“Bliss Bites” Healthy No-Bake CookiesHow to Make Shortbread CookiesGingersnap Sandwich CookiesChai Spice Almond Snowball CookiesSoft Gingerbread CookiesVegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Peanut Butter BuckeyesChewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies