Until recently, we’d been avoiding popcorn-based confectionery ever since we grazed too hard on one of those tripartite barrels of popcorn at our last office gig. But Kingsbury Chocolates has proved that caramel glazed popcorn can aspire to more than just a supporting role to its orange and yellow dusted peers. They’ve taken the lowly popcorn ball and transformed it into very nearly the equal of their other higher brow sweets, such as their small bars of dark chocolate filled with cherry ganache or their ultra-soft fleur de sel caramels flavored with bourbon vanilla.

And though Kingsbury Chocolates has largely made its reputation on handmade truffles and velvety sugar cremes, the popcorn ball turns out to have played an equally crucial role in proprietor Robert Kingsbury’s life. According to one article, Kingsbury’s grandmother was apparently well known for her maple popcorn balls back in Vermont and would quip that the proceeds from their sale would fund his college education. So Kingsbury continues to offer his own variation as a tribute.

Each maple popcorn ball is bound together with a caramel-like mixture of Vermont maple syrup, molasses, butter, and toffee, then drizzled with dark chocolate and sprinkled with peanuts. As soon as we pried open the cellophane bag housing this treat, the intoxicating aroma of butter and toffee made it impossible to resist.