Popcorn balls! Now that you all have that song stuck in your minds (if you don't know what song, I am referring to "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree"), I thought I would share the easiest, tastiest, chewiest recipe for popcorn balls ever.
The really fun thing about these popcorn balls is that you can change up the candy you use to fit a theme. For instance, you can use red and green plain M&M's and give out the popcorn balls as Christmas gifts. Or, you can add jelly beans to them for your kids' Easter baskets. Or candy corn for a Halloween or Thanksgiving treat. Or gummy hearts or cinnamon bears for Valentine's Day. Perhaps some red, white, and blue candies for a patriotic holiday? Green candies for St. Patrick's Day. Colorful sprinkles for a birthday party favor. Get creative and have fun!
Mom's Popcorn Balls
Ingredients:
Approximately 12 cups of popped popcorn (plain--no butter or salt added)
1 stick margarine or butter
2 pkgs. (10 1/2 oz) mini marshmallows
Candy, optional (some great choices are plain M&M's, Reese's Pieces, candy corn, gummy bears, jelly beans, etc.)
Directions:
Melt together margarine/butter and marshmallows. Melt over low heat. Stir constantly. Pour over popcorn. Wet your hands (to avoid getting popcorn and marshmallow stuck to you) and mix the marshmallows and popcorn until it is all evenly coated. Add candy of choice and mix until the candy is evenly distributed. Form into 16 balls. Wrap in plastic wrap.
Source: This is a recipe my mom has been making for years. I'm not sure where she got it from.
Notes: I find it easiest to mix together the popcorn and marshmallows prior to adding the candy. This is especially important if you are using chocolate candy because the warm marshmallow can melt the candy if it is added too soon. So, if you are adding something like M&M's, mix the marshmallow and popcorn together and let it cool a little before adding the M&M's. Then you can mix those in and form your popcorn balls.
It's fun to get creative on the types of candy you use for these popcorn balls. But these popcorn balls are also fantastic without any candy added in. So, do what works for you! I personally like to use chewier candy--rather than using, say, peanut M&M's because chewy candy matches the texture of the popcorn balls. But maybe you like to mix up your textures and have a little crunch with your chewy popcorn. It's up to you!
Mavis Steadman...ward cookbook. My best memory was one Halloween when Emily returned from trick or treating, sat down on the stairs, and instantly pulled out the popcorn ball made by Mavis and had it devoured in 3 minutes; and she was only 4 years old. I knew they had to be good. And they are!
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