Description
Delightfully festive Christmas Popcorn Balls made with buttery melted marshmallows, colorful red and green M&M candies, and cheerful sprinkles. These sweet, chewy treats are perfect for holiday gatherings and easy to prepare with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Popcorn
- ½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Marshmallow Mixture
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 10 ounce bag miniature marshmallows
Add-ins
- 1 cup red and green M&M candies
- ⅓ cup festive sprinkles
Instructions
- Pop Popcorn: Pop the ½ cup of unpopped popcorn kernels using your preferred method, such as stovetop or popcorn maker. Remove any unpopped kernels and set aside the popped popcorn.
- Melt Butter and Marshmallows: In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt ½ cup unsalted butter. Once fully melted, add 10 ounces of miniature marshmallows. Stir often and continue heating until the marshmallows are completely melted and smooth.
- Combine with Popcorn: Remove the pot from heat and immediately pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popped popcorn. Gently stir to evenly coat all the popcorn pieces with the marshmallow mixture.
- Add Candies and Sprinkles: Let the mixture cool slightly, then use a rubber spatula to fold in 1 cup of red and green M&M candies and ⅓ cup of festive sprinkles evenly throughout the popcorn mixture.
- Form Popcorn Balls: Spray your hands lightly with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Scoop about one cup of the coated popcorn mixture and gently press it together with your hands to form into balls. Repeat until all mixture is formed into balls. Re-spray your hands as needed during shaping.
- Set and Cool: Place the formed popcorn balls on a flat surface and allow them to cool completely at room temperature until set and firm.
Notes
- Store popcorn balls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to keep freshness.
- To avoid M&M candies melting into the marshmallows from warmth, you can press extra candies onto the outside of popcorn balls after shaping.
- Yield varies with size; using 1 cup mixture per ball yields about 15 balls approximately 3 inches in size.
- Use non-stick cooking spray or lightly wet hands to shape to prevent sticking and make handling easier.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 popcorn ball (approx. 3 inches)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
