Description
Celebrate the holidays with these festive Christmas Popcorn Balls, a delightful and colorful treat made from sweet marshmallow-coated popcorn infused with holiday colors and topped with cheerful sprinkles. Perfect for gifting or sharing at holiday parties, these popcorn balls are quick to make and fun for all ages.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn
- 10 cups popped popcorn
Marshmallow Mixture
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallows
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Colorings and Decorations
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
- Red and green sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the Popcorn: Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl and set aside, making sure to remove any unpopped kernels.
- Melt Butter and Marshmallows: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Add the mini marshmallows and stir continuously until they are completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Add Corn Syrup and Vanilla: Stir in the light corn syrup and vanilla extract into the melted marshmallow mixture. Remove the saucepan from the heat to prevent burning.
- Color the Mixture: Divide the marshmallow mixture evenly into two separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl and green food coloring to the other. Mix thoroughly until each is uniformly colored.
- Coat the Popcorn: Pour the red marshmallow mixture over half of the popcorn and stir until evenly coated. Repeat with the green marshmallow mixture and the remaining popcorn.
- Form Popcorn Balls: Grease your hands lightly and shape each coated popcorn batch into balls approximately the size of a tennis ball. Place the formed balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Decorate: Sprinkle red and green sprinkles over the popcorn balls for a festive holiday touch.
- Set and Cool: Allow the popcorn balls to cool and harden completely before serving or packaging.
Notes
- Using greased hands helps prevent the sticky marshmallow mixture from adhering to your skin when shaping the popcorn balls.
- If you prefer, add a pinch of salt to the marshmallow mixture to balance the sweetness.
- The popcorn balls are best consumed within 2-3 days but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- For a nutty twist, consider adding chopped nuts or candy pieces into the popcorn before coating.
- Adjust the amount of food coloring to achieve your desired shade of red and green.
