Princess Birthday Success - Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn!

I don't like grocery-store cupcakes. That may sound snobby and maybe it is, but they're oily and the frosting is always way too sweet and overall flavorless. So, if I'm splurging on a cupcake, it better be a damn good one. That being said if you are ever close enough (or willing to pay shipping) do yourself a favor and check out Sift Cupcakes, they're divine and totally worth the calories.

But I digress... My cupcake rant was started from pretty girl's birthday request. She wanted the cute pink cupcakes from Safeway for her class birthday and I made a face, which she giggled at. I'm too stubborn to send her with the same hum-drum cupcakes her friends had, which was combined with my distaste for bad cupcakes I hoped would lead to a little creativity. As her birthday drew near, I felt stuck.

A friend recommended one of the great Snack Mixes posted by Little Baby Garvin, which was great but that meant another trip to the store, which in my post birthday party haze, I wasn't exactly prepared for. Instead I decided to improvise a bit with what I knew I could dig out of my cupboards: came up with popcorn, an assortment of chocolate chips, and sprinkles and here is what happened next:

Air popped popcorn (about 3 cups un-popped), with just a hint of salt. Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper:

Melt milk and white chocolate

Then drizzle, drizzle, sprinkle:

I put handfuls of the mix into sandwich bags for easy serving in class - what are some of your boring treat alternatives?