Halloween Popcorn Balls
Colorful, fun, and whimsical, these Halloween Popcorn Balls are the perfect Halloween treat! Follow my easy step-by-step instructions and you'll be munching on your own gaggle of witches in no time. This is a great recipe to get your kids involved in cooking with you!
Servings: 8 popcorn balls
Calories: 396kcal
Ingredients
Popcorn Balls
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernals
- 6 tbsp butter regular or dairy-free
- 5 cups mini marshmallows
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or salted caramel extract
Witches Hats
- 8 oreos optional, gluten-free or regular
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted
- 8 regular marshmallows
- 8 hershey's kisses
- 2-3 tbsp Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
Popcorn Balls
- Begin by popping the popcorn. Heat the olive oil in a small pot, add 3 popcorn kernels, and cover the pot with a lid.
- Once all 3 kernels have popped, add the rest of the kernels and quickly close the lid. When the popping had reduced, turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, grease a baking tray will non-stick spray, or prepare a large piece of parchment paper.
- Add the butter, mini marshmallows, and vanilla extract to a large saucepan and cook until the marshmallows have melted.
- If you're making 2 different colors of popcorn balls, move half of the melted marshmallows to a large bowl. For purple add 2 drops of red to 1 drop of blue food coloring. From green, it's 2 drops of yellow to one drop of blue food coloring.
- Divide the popped popcorn between the two colors and mix well with a wooden spoon. They will look a little like large krispy treats.
- Form 4 3-inch balls of each color by wetting your hands with water and then scooping up the popcorn mixture. Wetting your hands prevents them from getting into a sticky mess. Once you have the ball shape formed, press it firmly together and place it on a piece of parchment paper or greased baking tray
Witches Hats
- Decide whether you want to make the hats on top of an oreo or in a mini cupcake paper liner (see post for pictures).
- Meanwhile, add chocolate chips to a bowl and place it over a pot of water, over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has all melted. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring as you go.
- If you're using the oreos, dip one flat side into the melted chocolate and place it on a large baking sheet or parchment paper, melted chocolate side up.
- If you're skipping the oreos, add a little melted chocolate to a flattened mini cupcake liner, and make a circle shape as best you can.
- Add the marshmallow to a toothpick (pierce the smaller side first) and dip it into the melted chocolate, covering it completely, and shaking off any excess.
- Dip the rim of the bottom of the marshmallow in Halloween sprinkles, turning it as you go. Place the marshmallow on top of the oreo or cupcake liner.
- Dip the flat side of the Hershey's kiss in the chocolate and add it on top of the marshmallow.
- Allow the hats to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes - an hour.
Assemble
- I like to look at the popcorn ball and find a piece of popcorn that sticks out around where a nose would be. I then add the 2 eyes and mouth around it.
- Next, make sure your hands are clean and very dry, and gently pull some of the cotton candy from the container and add it to the top of the head. It should just stick onto the marshmallow.
- Add the hat directly on top, or add a little melted chocolate to make it stick if desired.
Notes
- Popcorn: Use 6 cups of popped popcorn or kettle corn instead of making your own if desired.
- Chocolate: If you find the melted chocolate is too thick, add 1-2 teaspoons of refined coconut oil to thin it out a little. It'll still set perfectly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.2g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 22.8g | Saturated Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 224mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 34.7g