The Perfect Game Day...or Back-to-School...Treat: Touchdown Popcorn Toffee Bark #gamedaysnacks #popcorn #toffee #afterschoolsnack #kidapprovedfood

Although you can't tell it by the temperature outside, there are a couple of signs that Summer is winding down. First? Football is officially back with the start of pre-season games last weekend! Second, kids here in Texas are heading back to school. Both of these milestones require yummy grab-and-go snacks. Enter my addictive Touchdown Popcorn Toffee Bark. It's a snap to make...tastes delicious...and everyone loves it!

A crunchy graham cracker base is topped with popcorn and a few other tasty toppings. Before baking, a quick homemade  vanilla-cinnamon salted toffee is poured over the top. After a few minutes in the oven, the toffee is topped with a generous amount of semisweet and white chocolate chunks. After the bark cools, it's broken into pieces to serve. Trust me: this sweet-salty snack will be a huge hit, so consider making a double batch...because nobody can eat only one piece!

Touchdown Popcorn Toffee Bark

adapted from Bon Appetit 

Ingredients (serves 6-8 people):

• 4 cups popped popcorn
• 15 two-cracker sheets honey graham crackers
• 1 cup honey-nut oat cereal
• 1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  

For the salted toffee:

• 3 sticks salted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Line the baking sheet with the graham cracker sheets, breaking them as necessary to completely fill the pan. Top the graham crackers with the popcorn, then sprinkle evenly with the cereal and pecans. Set aside while you make the toffee.

Step 2: Make the toffee. Add the butter, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a large non-stick saucepan over Med-High heat. When the butter is melted and the contents begin to boil, stir once to combine. Lower the heat to Med-Low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, swirling the saucepan by hand -- but do not stir with a spoon -- every couple of minutes. The toffee should be golden-brown and syrupy after 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and give the toffee a second stir. 

Step 3: Carefully pour the hot toffee evenly over the prepared ingredients in the baking sheet, from edge to edge. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the toffee is bubbly and turns a deeper color. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Immediately top with the semisweet and white chocolate pieces. 

Step 4: Set the baking sheet aside until the bark is completely cool. To serve, break the cooled bark into pieces by hand and place them on a serving platter. This bark is quite decadent, so don't make the pieces too large -- 2-3 bites per piece is perfect!

[Tip: to accelerate the cooling process, place the rimmed baking sheet in the fridge for 1 hour.]

This salty-sweet treat kid-approved snack is insanely good! As in...you'll likely find yourself sneaking "one more bite" every time you pass the platter. The graham cracker base, popcorn, cereal, and nuts are held together by the cinnamon-infused salted toffee. The addition of TWO kinds of chocolate takes this treat right over the top. To emphasize the salty flavor component of this bark even more, feel free to use coarsely crushed pretzels for all or some of the cereal! This bark can be made up to 3 days ahead. Simply store the bark in an airtight container!