Fill up your beach pail with crunchy peanut butter popcorn that's coated in sandy-looking cookie crumbs and speckled with homemade chocolate sea shells. This Beach Party Popcorn will make a festive treat for your pool party or beach-themed events.
If you are having a beach-themed party or a pool party, then this peanut butter popcorn recipe is a must. The Beach Party Popcorn looks great served in a plastic pail, but could simply be served on a flat tray or in a big bowl too.
I made this fun Peanut Butter Popcorn speckled with chocolate shells for my nephew's beach-themed graduation party and it was one of his favorite treats on the dessert table.
To make this popcorn you start by adding creamy peanut butter to white chocolate popcorn. Then, you sprinkle cookie crumbs over top to give the popcorn a sandy texture. Add candy seashells and serve it in a beach pail.
Video
Watch the video tutorial to see how to make this Beach Party Peanut Butter Popcorn.
This was a great dessert to serve at our party but it would also make a wonderful gift too.
It would even be fun to display the sandy-looking cookie crumb-coated popcorn around a beach-themed cake or under a stack of beach cookies.
One of the best things about this recipe is its simplicity.
So, let's make some popcorn!
Ingredients
white chocolate or white candy melts - If you use pure white chocolate, you must temper it (heat and cool to exact temperatures) in order for it to harden properly. If you use candy melts (or any compound chocolate like Ghirardelli Melting Chocolate, Nestle Premier White Morsels, CandiQuik, almond bark, or Merckens Confectionery Coating), you can simply melt it and it hardens beautifully.
You can find detailed information about melting these two types of white chocolate on my Chocolate Making Tips page.
creamy peanut butter - Use your favorite brand. I like using Jif.
salt - This will enhance the peanut butter flavor if you use air popped popcorn which is what I recommend. Skip it if you use salted popcorn.
popped popcorn - Air popped popcorn works the best. Don't use popcorn that has a lot of butter on it. The white chocolate won't stick well.
cookie crumbs - I crushed up some store-bought butter cookies to sprinkle over my popcorn, but any tan colored cookie, peanut butter cookie, or graham cracker will work fine to create the look of sand.
chocolate shells - Make homemade shells or purchase candy shells to sprinkle over the popcorn.
Supplies
extra large mixing bowl
silicone spatula
baking sheet lined with parchment paper
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Instructions
- Melt and temper pure white chocolate or simply melt white confectionery coating.
- Once you've melted the white chocolate, you'll stir in creamy peanut butter and a pinch of salt.
- You'll need to reserve a small amount of the peanut butter "chocolate" for later, so scoop 2 tablespoons into a small bowl.
- Then pour the rest over the popped popcorn, and quickly, but gently, toss to coat.
- Just mix until the popcorn is evenly coated. If you mix too much the white chocolate will start to harden making it difficult to spread out onto the pan.
- Pour the popcorn out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread it into an even layer.
- Immediately, while the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle cookie crumbs all over the popcorn.
- Pop the pan in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until the candy coating hardens. Remove it and break the popcorn into chunks.
- Use the reserved peanut butter "chocolate" to attach either homemade chocolate sea shells and starfish or store bought candy shells to the popcorn. You may need to reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds if it has hardened.
Tips
You may wonder why I didn't just attach the chocolate shells to the peanut butter popcorn while the white chocolate was still wet. There are a few reasons...
- I'm not that quick. The white chocolate coating will begin to harden quite quickly and I couldn't get all the shells attached and sprinkle on the cookie crumbs while the chocolate was still wet.
- I wanted to break the peanut butter popcorn up into small pieces before attaching the shells so the shells wouldn't pop off as I broke up the popcorn.
- I realize it takes time to attach each individual shell, but I think you'll like the look if you do.
- You can even pile the peanut butter popcorn in your pail before attaching the shells if you want to really arrange them perfectly.
Storage
You can fill a beach pail with your popcorn to serve for dessert or to give as a gift. It will stay fresh for a few days. I highly recommend storing your popcorn in a metal popcorn tin. It will keep fresh for up to 2 months.
Related Recipes
If you are hosting a beach-themed party or pool party, you might also like to make these other Summer Fun Recipes.
Sugar Coated Sea Horse Cookies • Chocolate Beach Pails • Butterscotch Crunch Starfish
Sandcastle Lollipops • Caramel Rice Krispie Turtles • Beach Party Popcorn
Under the Sea Popcorn • Beach Ball Cheesecakes • Under the Sea Gumdrops
Caramel Rice Krispie Treat Starfish • Chocolate Sea Shells • Rice Kripie Treat Dolphins
Sugar Coated Sea Horse Cookies • Sugar Coated Sea Horse Cookies • Palm Tree Cookies
Recipe
This post was originally published on July 5, 2016. Update with a video tutorial on July 7, 2018.
Creamy peanut butter white chocolate coated popcorn sprinkled with cookie crumbs makes a fun sandy beach on which to attach chocolate sea shells. This yummy treat is perfect for a beach or pool party!
- 8 cups popped popcorn
- 14 ounces melted and tempered white chocolate or melted white candy melts (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 pinch of salt (skip if using salted popcorn)
- ⅓ cup tan colored cookie crumbs
- 30-40 small chocolate sea shells
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Pour the popped popcorn into a large mixing bowl.
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Stir in creamy peanut butter and a pinch of salt into the white chocolate.
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Reserve 2 tablespoons of peanut butter chocolate mixture for later use.
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Pour the remaining chocolate over the popcorn.
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Toss to coat.
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Spread into an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
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Sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
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Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
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Remove and break popcorn into chunks.
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Reheat the reserved peanut butter chocolate then use it as glue to attach chocolate shells to the popcorn.
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Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Melting White Chocolate
If using candy melts, heat them in a microwave-safe bowl on high power for 30 second increments, stirring after each until melted. See tempering instructions for pure white chocolate on Hungry Happenings' Chocolate Making Tips Page.
Popped Popcorn
I recommend using air popped popcorn but you can use any un-buttered popcorn. Buttered popcorn is too greasy for the white chocolate to stick well.
Storage
Store your popcorn in a metal popcorn tin at room temperature for up to 2 months. If stored in a beach pail wrapped in tin toil or plastic wrap, it will stay fresh for a few days.
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Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
I love anything beachy and your popcorn is perfect! Your video tutorial is great and I love the way you painted inside the bag to mimic the look of a real shell! I can see why this was your nephew's favorite!
Beth says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. Painting in the pastry bag is a clean and easy way to swirl the colors. I hope you give it a try!
Allison says
One question: the recipe above says 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, but the directions say to "reserve 2 Tablespoons." How much pb do you stir into the white chocolate?
Beth says
Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the white chocolate then reserve 2 tablespoons of the peanut butter white chocolate mixture to use later. Enjoy!
The Partiologist says
What a FUN idea, I love the look of the popcorn, not to mention the fact it's peanut butter. I just made a bag of sugar cookie sand for a project and now I know what to do with the leftovers!
Beth says
Thanks! This is my new favorite popcorn recipe. I hope you give it a try.
Michelle says
Wow! This turned out amazing, love it! The cookie crumbs are such a great touch.
Beth says
Thanks so much. The cookie crumbs not only add the sandy look to the popcorn, but they add a nice flavor too.