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1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
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2. Have your popcorn popped and ready, with any un-popped kernels removed. Have it in a bowl or pot that's large enough to hold all the popcorn with room to stir it around.
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3. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, and light corn syrup. Cook over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
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4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract.
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5. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix well to coat all the popcorn.
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6. Pour the caramel covered popcorn over 2 rimmed sheet pans that have been coated in cooking spray.
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7. Bake the popcorn for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
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8. Then remove the pans from the oven and allow the popcorn to cool completely.
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9. Once the popcorn has cooled gently stir it with a spatula to separate it.
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10. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, or in the microwave. If you heat it in the microwave, make sure that you only heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each additional heating. Stop once it's smooth.
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11. Drizzle the chocolate over the pans of popcorn using a spoon or a spatula.
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12. Put the pans into the refrigerator to set the chocolate.
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13. Once the chocolate has set, use a spatula to again gently break up the popcorn, then portion it into bags or containers. Store in a cool location.
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*Note: If you prefer milk chocolate, then use bars. Milk chocolate chips may clump when melted.
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** For 6 cups of popped corn it took about 3/4 cup of un-popped kernels, and I had to pop 1/4 cup of kernels at a time in my popper.
