Vegan Caramel Popcorn Bites

Now I've said in previous posts how I try to avoid double cream where possible, as it doesn't agree with me (and I've never been a fan of the taste, to be honest). So, when I had a spare can of coconut in my pantry, I wondered whether I could make a nice-tasting caramel using the cream from the can. To separate the cream from the water in the can, place the can in the fridge for around 12 hours. You can then scoop out the cream. Or, if the weather is chilly, the cream may well settle on top in your pantry (mine do in winter).

The coconut cream made a lovely caramel sauce, which had the perfect pouring consistency. If you don't like the taste of coconut, I wouldn't recommend this, but otherwise, it really is worth giving a go.

To make the caramel really sing, I used it to make popcorn bites - which are really simple to make and a tasty biscuit jar treat :)

These can easily be made completely dairy-free/vegan by using a dairy-free chocolate :)

Makes 24 popcorn bites

Ingredients:

• Cream from one tin of full-fat coconut milk (chill the can for 12 hours and the cream will rise to the top of the tin) - around 1 cup/240ml
• 150g (3/4 cup) light soft brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 85g (1/3 cup) popcorn kernels
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 90g (1/2 cup) milk chocolate (dairy free if you're making these vegan-friendly)

Method:

1. To make the caramel sauce, pour the brown sugar into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

2. Heat the sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has all melted.

3. Add the coconut cream and salt, and whisk in until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and heat for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture has thickened (and coats the back of a spoon).

4. Place the teaspoon of coconut oil in a large pan, and place on a medium heat. Once the oil has melted, pour in the kernels, and cover the pan.

5. Keep the pan on the heat until the popping sound of popcorn stops. At this point, take the pan off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool down.

6. Carefully transfer the cooled popcorn into a fresh bowl, throwing away any unpopped kernels.

7. Lightly grease and line a 20cm square silicon tray with greaseproof paper.

8. Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn - if the caramel sauce has become too thick, heat for few seconds in the microwave to loosen. Stir well to evenly coat the popcorn with the caramel.

9. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

10. Melt the chocolate by breaking into chunks and placing in a heatproof mixing bowl. Place in a microwave and heat on full power for 30-second bursts, stirring well after each burst, until all of the chocolate has melted.

11. Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag and snip off the end.

12. Drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn caramel. Place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.

13. Cut into squares.

14. Enjoy!