Popcorn Balls are the quintessential fall or Halloween treat. This is a fun treat to make with kids too! Whether you add candy to the popcorn balls or not, they are a gooey, delicious snack, full of sweet marshmallow! Putting them together is fun and tasty!
I have such fond memories of experiencing Halloween as a kid. There is something so special about enjoying holidays as a child. And I find it crazy how the little things that I enjoyed thirty years ago still give me butterflies. Like popcorn balls! Every time I see a popcorn ball, I think of those Halloweens where my mother would make me the most elaborate costumes and where trick-or-treating was safe and tons of fun and where I would load up on candy and devour it until cavities formed before my eyes.
MAKE SOME POPCORNS BALLS WITH THE HELP OF THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL!
Enjoy the step-by-step video tutorial we have created for this recipe! Our goal is to make your time in the kitchen as easy as possible and to ensure that your version of this recipe is a success. See our full collection of cooking and baking videos on YouTube!
Popcorn balls are the best fall or Halloween snack because they are filled with delicious marshmallows that are ooey-gooey. They are easy to make and you can involve the kiddos in the process! While you’re at it, throw in some of that extra Halloween candy that is hanging out in your kitchen. Why not put it to good use?!
HOW TO MAKE POPCORN BALLS
Popcorn balls don’t take much time to make and that’s part of the reason I love them so much. Follow these simple steps for a childhood memory to come to life!
Place popped popcorn in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, butter, confectioners’ sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, coating each kernel. Stir in candy pieces, if desired. You can’t wait to let the popcorn mixture cool until its easy to handle or you lose your window to get them created.
Grease hands with shortening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before the mixture cools; you want it malleable enough to mix into balls mixed with the treats you chose. Think the size of a large apple. Once the soft ball is formed, set it onto a piece of waxed paper to cool.
Wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
COOKING TIPS
You can grab enough popcorn to make them about 3-4 inches in diameter, which is a good sized treat per kid. Or you can make them more bite sized with just a few bites per ball and even put a popsicle stick in the middle to reduce the amount of gooeyness that each child gets (in theory anyway).
If you want to skip the candy in the balls but still want to jazz up your popcorn balls, mix in a healthy amount of colored sprinkles. It’ll look fun!
Chopped dried fruit or chocolate and chopped nuts are another great idea to mix into your popcorn balls.
You can use orange food coloring to color your popcorn and use a small piece of black licorice or a individual rolo to the top of the ball to make them look like pumpkins.
To add coloring, you can add 3-5 drops of food coloring to the mixture in step 2 before adding the popcorn. To get more of a tye-dye effect, add a single drop of several colors apart from each other in the mixture and take a knife to swirl it around, then add your popcorn and mix it in.
CAN YOU MAKE POPCORN BALLS WITH MICROWAVE POPCORN?
You can either pop the popcorn on the stove or in the microwave, but whichever route you go be sure the popcorn is unflavored and un-buttered.
FALL TREATS TO MAKE FOR THE FAMILY
Popcorn balls are not the only Halloween treats I love! There are so many goodies to make and eat and share this time of year.
Easy Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
- 12 cups plain popped popcorn 1/3 cup unpopped
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup marshmallows
- 2 cups candy pieces optional
Instructions
- Place popped popcorn in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, butter, confectioners’ sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, coating each kernel. Stir in candy pieces, if desired.
- Grease hands with shortening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before the mixture cools. Wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
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