Like movie candy only they're made with protein-rich whey and collagen and no unhealthy sugar or sweeteners. Chew along with your favorite flick.
I have a secret. Movies, popcorn and Milk Duds played heavily in my pre-Plant Paradox life. Oscar season meant binging, sometimes double and triple features, on all the nominated films. Viewing every flick in contention typically went hand-in-hand with fistfuls of my favorite movie treat – Corn and Duds. I'd order a refillable bucket of freshly popped corn with butter layered throughout and a box of Milk Duds. At the snack counter, I'd immediately open the yellow movie candy box and dump the chocolate-covered caramels into the warm popcorn. Then, as I'd view the show, I'd dip my hand in the bucket and randomly pull out whatever I could grab and toss it in my mouth. The result was a melty, chocolatey, caramel popcorn surprise in every bite.
It's nice to know that taste sensation isn't gone with the wind. We can still get it, just with healthier ingredients, like popped sorghum, grassfed ghee, 72% dark chocolate and caramel made with healthy fats, and protein-rich grassfed whey and collagen by Marigold. Are you excited? Read on for the recipe
For me, popcorn and Milk Duds go together like kids and puppy dogs. One is salty, one is sweet. And when doing "research" for the upcoming Oscar party, you need to set the mood. While I've been known to smuggle my own snacks into the theater in a giant purse, streaming movies at home means legally enjoying your own healthy movie snacks.
In the ingredients list, you'll notice two products from Marigold. Grassfed Whey and Collagen are both key ingredients. I mix them together with water to make a cream to replace the "milk" in Milk Duds. You can score FREE SHIPPING on your first order. Click here and enter code LFGOURMET at checkout.
Next, we need to discuss the syrup. The best syrup for this recipe is isomalto oligosaccharide made from tapioca. It's a prebiotic sweetener that acts a lot like corn syrup when you use it to make candy. It's less sweet than sugar for those of us who've trained our taste buds to say, "too sweet!". I noticed my favorite Fiber Yum is available again on Amazon. If you can get it, I recommend Fiber Yum for the recipe. A close second is non-GMO allulose syrup. Wholesome is a brand that I see often in stores.
A word of caution before we dive into the recipe. Please don't touch the caramel when it's hot. It will cause serious burns. Okay, let's make these classic cinematic caramels.
LFG Salted Caramel Duds
1 Scoop Marigold Grassfed Vanilla Whey
1 Scoop Marigold Collagen Unflavored
1-2 Tbsp Water
1/4 Cup French Butter or Grassfed Ghee
1/4 Cup Brown Swerve
1/4 Cup Fiber Yum IMO Syrup or Allulose Liquid Sweetener
2 tsp Raw Local Honey
1/8 tsp Salt
2 oz 72% Cacao Chocolate
Coarse Sea Salt (for decorating)
Step 1: Make Whey/Collagen "Cream"
In a small bowl, whisk whey and collagen together with just enough water dissolve the powder and create a thick cream. This will replace the "milk" in Milk Duds. Set aside.
Step 2: Make Caramel
Prepare a shallow bowl of ice water and set aside. In a small, deep saucepan, add ghee, Swerve, syrup, and honey. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until dissolved. Once bubbling, turn down heat to low. Slowly whisk in the "cream" and continue simmering until the mixture turns a light caramel brown. The boil should take only about five minutes. Test if the caramel is ready by dropping a small bit into the ice water. If it forms a soft ball, fish it out and taste it. If it's chewy like caramel, and you can bite through it with your front choppers, you're done cooking. If it just dissolves in your mouth, keep cooking a bit longer until you achieve this "soft ball" stage. Remove from heat and whisk in salt. Pour caramel onto parchment paper on cool countertop. Let cool 30 minutes before handling.
Step 3: Roll Caramel Balls
Cut caramel into 1/2 inch squares. Lift up a square and roll into a ball with palms. Place back onto them onto parchment lined plate. Once you have all the caramel rolled into balls, place in fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Coat Caramel Balls in Chocolate
Create a double boiler by placing a saucepan filled 1/3 of the way with water. Bring to boil and place a medium metal bowl on top. Place chocolate in bowl. When it begins to melt, whisk until creamy and all there are not more chocolate chunks. Turn off heat. The hot water will keep the chocolate melted. Remove caramels from fridge. Drop into the melted chocolate two or three at a time and coat with chocolate. Using two spoons will assist in managing this. Lift coated caramels out and place on wax paper lined plate. Sprinkle coated caramels with coarse sea salt for a finishing touch.
Place plate in fridge to harden the chocolate faster. Once chilled, place a few of the
salted caramel duds onto the top of a bowl of Nature Nate's popped sorghum. They have popping sorghum you can pop yourself. Or you can buy it in bags already popped and in a variety of flavors. I like the coconut oil and sea salt flavor as I think it tastes most like movie theater popcorn.
Get 33% off Nature Nates at bit.ly/LFGpop and use code: LFG33
ENJOY your movie snacks and the movies!