Description
These Halloween Popcorn Balls are a festive and fun treat perfect for parties and trick-or-treaters. They combine crispy popcorn coated in a sweet marshmallow mixture tinted neon green, then studded with colorful Halloween M&M’s and festive sprinkles. Easy to make and perfect for shaping into fun-sized handheld treats, they bring a spooky yet delicious flair to any Halloween celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn
- 2 envelopes microwave popcorn, popped (~18 cups popped popcorn)
Marshmallow Coating
- 8 cups miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup butter
- Neon Green Food Coloring Gel (2-3 drops or more as desired)
Toppings & Decorations
- 1½ cups M&M’s – Halloween colors
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the Popcorn: Pop the popcorn according to package instructions. Pour it over a cooling rack positioned above a rimmed baking sheet to catch and remove any unpopped kernels. Discard the kernels and transfer the popcorn to a large mixing bowl sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt Marshmallow Mixture: In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the marshmallows, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and fully melted.
- Add Color: Add 2-3 drops of neon green food coloring gel to the melted marshmallow mixture and stir thoroughly. Add more drops if you want a brighter green color.
- Coat Popcorn: Pour the colored marshmallow mixture over the popcorn in the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir and coat every piece of popcorn evenly.
- Add M&Ms and Sprinkles: Mix in the Halloween-colored M&M’s and sprinkles evenly throughout the coated popcorn.
- Shape into Balls: Spray your hands with cooking spray and shape the coated popcorn mixture into balls of your desired size. Respray your hands as needed to prevent sticking. If the popcorn balls start to lose shape, reshape them periodically until they set.
- Decorate and Set: Roll the formed popcorn balls in additional sprinkles for extra festive effect. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheets and allow them to cool and harden completely before serving.
Notes
- To easily remove unpopped kernels, pour popcorn over a cooling rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Kernels will fall through, leaving crisp popcorn behind.
- When shaping popcorn balls, you may need to repeatedly press and reshape them as the marshmallow coating cools and sets to achieve firm, well-formed balls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 popcorn ball (approximately)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
