Holiday Popcorn Balls
Usually popcorn balls start off with a sugar syrup that you have to take to a certain temperature before adding the popcorn. We cheat in this recipe, inspired by a recipe from a Martha Stewart Living magazine, by using store-bought marshmallows. The result is a chewy, crunchy, yummy, dessert, similar to the comforting "Rice Krispies Treats". Originally served as part of: Christmas Eve 2002.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons yellow, unpopped popcorn
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed firmly)
- 1 bag miniature, 10-ounce bag marshmallows
- 1 cup holiday chocolate candies (M & M's)
- for hands butter
Instructions
We need 12 cups of popped popcorn for this recipe, so we begin by popping the popcorn kernels in our air popper. The popper yields 12½ cups of popcorn (the ½ cup is for the four-year-old factor). We set the popcorn aside.
Over medium low heat, we melt the butter in our dutch oven. We then stir in the brown sugar. Finally, we add the marshmallows and stir until they dissolve completely. We remove the pot from the heat.
We add all of the popcorn to the marshmallow mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is well coated. The mixture is somewhat difficult to stir due to its thickness and our desire to keep the popcorn in tact, so we do the best that we can. Just before the popcorn is well-coated, we add the M&M's, distributing them evenly so that little additional stirring is required to mix them well (to prevent breakage).
Using generously buttered hands, we fashion balls of the popcorn-marshmallow mixture. Each ball we make about 3 inches in diameter and place on a large piece of wax paper on the counter. When we are done, we have nine popcorn balls. After we wash up, we place each popcorn ball on a serving plate and cover with plastic wrap for serving later.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp unpopped yellow popcorn
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 bag mini marshmallows (10 oz)
- 1 cup holiday chocolate candies (M&M's)
- butter (for your hands)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Kid job
Pop the corn in an air popper. You need 12 cups; we get 12½ (the extra half cup is for the four-year-old).
Grown-up
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, then the marshmallows, until completely melted. Take the pot off the heat.
Stir in the popcorn with a wooden spoon, gently so it doesn’t break. When it’s nearly coated, scatter in the candies and stir just enough to mix them in.
With well-buttered hands, shape 3-inch balls and set them on wax paper. Makes 9. Wrap each on a plate in plastic wrap until serving.