The Ultimate Peanut Butter Popcorn Mix

Now that i'm older and I have a family of my own, I realize how important it is to create memories and traditions with your children. I love the memories I have of my life, growing up with my parents and when I look back on some of my favorite ones, a lot of the time it's nothing crazy... It's those nights when we would just watch a movie together and have a snack or when my mom and I would paint together, or my dad and I would drive up to the mountains for the day. Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest impact on our kids. Not that a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese or Disneyland isn't memorable (it totally is.) but, I find that my kids love tradition. One of their favorite things to do is have a 'Family Movie Night.' Simple, right? We get a pizza, we make popcorn, we have candy and we pick a family movie that everyone will enjoy. We also bring all of our pillows and blankets out into the living room and make a big, cozy area to lounge while we enjoy our snacks.These are the things they will remember because we have turned it into a tradition in our home.

For our last 'Family Movie Night,' I decided to step it up a notch and instead of our normal M&M's in the popcorn bowl, I thought we could combine them, throw in some extras and make something a little more special. And from that, the Ultimate Peanut Butter Popcorn was born.

All you'll need to make this fun treat are a couple bags of popcorn, some peanut butter chips, pretzels, peanuts and sprinkles, of course. You could also customize with Holiday M&M's and sprinkles if you want to serve it at your kids' school for a class party or at a Holiday party!

The first step is to pop 2 bags of popcorn. Or, if you're feeling extra fancy, you can use your popcorn maker and make fresh popcorn.

Next, you'll melt all of your peanut butter chips in a microwave-safe bowl and place it in a ziptop bag with the end snipped off. Now, swirl it and squeeze it all over the place.

This last step is probably the most fun of all the steps... You get to spread your broken pretzels, peanuts, M&M's and your sprinkles all over the top and make a glorious, colorful masterpiece. And that's it. 3 steps. Could it be any easier? I'm thinking that's a no.

After it cools, your can break it apart and serve it in little cups or bags. It's got that whole sweet/salty thing going on... You're probably going to have a hard time not eating it all. It's perfect for munching on during a movie and it is guaranteed to make any adult feel like a kid again! 

Plus, kids can easily help you make this (or older ones could make it all by themselves!) It just adds a little something special to an already special night! 

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Popcorn Mix:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 bags microwave popcorn
• 1-1/2 cups peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup broken-up pretzel sticks
• 1/2 cup M&M's
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

Pop popcorn in microwave according to package directions. Place popcorn on a baking sheet lined with wax (or parchment) paper. Heat peanut butter chips in microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each. Once melted, place into a ziptop bag, seal and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. Squeeze melted peanut butter all over the top of the popcorn and cover with peanuts, pretzels, M&M's and sprinkles.

Allow it to cool, then break apart into small pieces. Serve popcorn in cute little cups or bags.