Description
These Christmas Popcorn Balls are a delightful and festive treat perfect for the holiday season. Made with crunchy popcorn coated in colorful red and green marshmallow syrup, and adorned with holiday sprinkles, these easy-to-make popcorn balls bring both fun and flavor to your celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn Base
- 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
Coloring and Decoration
- 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 it aside to be coated later.
- 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 to the melted marshmallow mixture, then remove the saucepan from the heat to prevent burning.
- Divide and Color the Mixture: Pour the melted marshmallow mixture into two separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl and green food coloring to the other, mixing each thoroughly until fully combined to create vibrant colors.
- Coat the Popcorn: Pour the red-colored mixture over half of the popcorn and the green-colored mixture over the other half. Stir each batch carefully so that the popcorn is evenly coated with the colored marshmallow syrup.
- Form Popcorn Balls: With greased hands to prevent sticking, shape the coated popcorn into balls about the size of a tennis ball. Place these popcorn balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet to hold their shape.
- Decorate: Sprinkle red and green sprinkles over the popcorn balls to add a festive and colorful holiday touch.
- Cool and Set: Allow the popcorn balls to cool completely and set so they become firm and easy to handle before serving or packaging.
Notes
- Greasing your hands or using cooking spray helps prevent the sticky marshmallow mixture from adhering to your fingers while shaping the popcorn balls.
- You can adjust the size of the popcorn balls to your preference, but tennis ball size is ideal for easy handling and portioning.
- Store the popcorn balls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to maintain freshness.
- For a gluten-free version, ensure the popcorn and sprinkles are certified gluten-free.
- Adding festive sprinkles is optional, but it enhances the holiday-themed appearance of the popcorn balls.
