Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Corn

When we head over to visit with my husband's family when they come into Minnesota for a few days I love to stock them up on sweet treats... This year there was a lot of grab and go goodness which included the orange scones that I posted about yesterday, puppy chow, a variety of cookies and this delicious popcorn. It is super addicting, especially to someone that LOVES the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I tried to stay away from it as much as I could, but I definitely found my hand wandering into the container more often than not! :)

Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Corn
(Recipe found at sweetpeaskitchen.com via Pinterest)

20 cups popped popcorn (about 2 bags of popcorn or 1/2 cup kernels)
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
2 cups peanut butter chips
1/2 tablespoon vegetable shortening
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Spray two large shallow baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Transfer coated popcorn in the prepared baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely then break into pieces. Stir in peanuts. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the peanut butter chips and vegetable shortening and heat for 2-2 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle over the popcorn and toss to combine. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips until just melted and smooth (about 1-1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds). Transfer to a Ziploc bag and cut a small corner of the bag and drizzle over the popcorn. Place the two pans in the refrigerator until chocolate has hardened. Break into small pieces and serve.