Description
These Halloween Popcorn Balls are a fun and festive treat perfect for parties or seasonal celebrations. Made with melted marshmallows, butter, neon green food coloring, and Halloween-themed candy mix-ins, these popcorn balls are visually striking and deliciously sweet with a colorful twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn Mixture
- 2 envelopes of microwave popcorn (popped, approximately 18 cups popped popcorn)
- 8 cups miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup butter
- Neon Green Food Coloring Gel (2-3 drops, adjust as needed)
Mix-ins and Decorations
- 1½ cups M&M’s – Halloween colors
- Halloween sprinkles (for mixing and rolling)
Instructions
- Pop the Popcorn: Pop the microwave popcorn according to package directions. Remove any unpopped kernels by pouring the popcorn over a cooling rack so they fall through. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare Popcorn Base: Spray an extra-large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, then add the prepared popcorn to this bowl.
- Melt Marshmallows and Butter: In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the miniature marshmallows and butter, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Add Food Coloring: Stir in 2-3 drops of neon green food coloring gel into the melted marshmallow mixture. Add more drops as necessary to achieve a vibrant green color and stir thoroughly to evenly distribute the color.
- Combine Mixtures: Pour the melted, colored marshmallow mixture over the popcorn in the mixing bowl. Stir using a rubber spatula until the popcorn is completely coated with the sticky mixture.
- Add Candy Mix-ins: Add the Halloween-colored M&M’s and sprinkles to the popcorn mixture. Stir gently to distribute the candies evenly throughout.
- Form Popcorn Balls: Spray your hands lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Shape the coated popcorn mixture into balls of your desired size, respraying hands with cooking spray as needed to manage stickiness.
- Decorate and Set: Once formed, roll each popcorn ball in additional Halloween sprinkles to coat the exterior. Place the popcorn balls on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Let them cool and set completely. You may need to reshape them a few times during cooling until they hold their shape firmly.
Notes
- Using a cooling rack to remove unpopped kernels is a simple trick to avoid biting into hard kernels accidentally.
- Spraying your hands with cooking spray helps to handle the sticky marshmallow mixture easily without it sticking to your skin.
- Customize the colors and candy mix-ins to fit different holidays or themes for versatile fun treats.
- Store popcorn balls in an airtight container to keep them fresh and chewy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 popcorn ball
- Calories: 307
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 175 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
