This was made by Golden Grace Kitchen This Christmas popcorn balls recipe is made with popcorn, butter, mini marshmallows, alcohol-free vanilla, red and green M&Ms, and red and green sprinkles. No baking is required for these popcorn balls; they are the perfect activity for kids, a great gift, and fantastic for holiday bake sales.
You can wrap these popcorn balls in cellophane baggies and tie them with a bow or ribbon or place them in a gift box to share with friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers. No matter what you decide to do with them, everyone will love this delicious Christmas popcorn balls recipe.
How to Make Christmas Popcorn Balls
You will only need a few ingredients to make these popcorn balls;
- Popcorn: We used gingerbread popcorn, but any flavor (or plain) will do. If you pop your popcorn, prepare it before you start doing the rest of the recipe.
- Butter: Use your choice of butter, preferably unsalted. Anything will work, including dairy-free.
- Marshmallows: You can also use mini or regular marshmallows, but we used mini in this recipe.
- Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor: Since this is a no-bake recipe, the vanilla flavor is recommended to avoid the taste of alcohol from an extract.
- M&Ms: Since these are festive Christmas popcorn balls, we used red and green M&Ms
- Sprinkles: Again, use red and green for these, but any color will work depending on your mood or the occasion.
Follow these steps to make the popcorn balls.
- Make popcorn: Prepare your popcorn using your method of choice (store-bought bag, air-popper, stovetop, microwave, etc.). Then, add popcorn to a large bowl and set aside.
- Melt butter: On the stovetop, melt butter using medium-low heat.
- Add marshmallows and vanilla: Pour the alcohol-free vanilla flavor and the marshmallows into the pan and continue to stir while everything melts.
- Pour over popcorn: Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it over the popcorn.
- Add candy and sprinkles: Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the M&Ms and sprinkles. Stir well using a rubber spatula
- Form the popcorn balls: Form the popcorn into balls. Add them to the bags when they have reached room temperature, and ENJOY!
Helpful Kitchen Supplies and Tools
The following items will help make this popcorn balls recipe even easier to make:
- Measuring cups for measuring all the ingredients.
- Large pot or frying pan to melt the butter and marshmallows.
- A rubber spatula will help mix the popcorn. Rubber will cause less sticking.
- Large mixing bowl.
- Air popcorn popper if you’re making your popcorn.
- Rubber gloves or olive oil: Use rubber gloves, or rub a bit of olive oil on your hands to avoid stickiness as you form the popcorn balls.
Storage
These Christmas popcorn balls will store for up to 5 days in an airtight container and kept at room temperature. They can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks if wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container. Thaw them, let them reach air temperature before removing the plastic wrap, and enjoy. We’d recommend not placing them in the refrigerator because they will get hard.
Tips
If your mixture is too hot, it won’t allow the popcorn to stick together. Similarly, if you let it cool too much, it won’t stick, too. So you will have to find that sweet spot to ensure the popcorn balls stick together.
This was made by Golden Grace Kitchen
Christmas Popcorn Balls
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Large pot or frying pan
- Rubber spatula
- mixing bowls
- Air popcorn popper (optional)
- Rubber gloves or olive oil (to keep mixture from sticking to your hands)
- Cellophane bags with ties or ribbons
Ingredients
- 8-9 cups popcorn (Popped/Not Kernels)
- ½ cup butter one stick (dairy-free will work)
- 1 bag mini-marshmallows or equal parts regular marshmallows
- ¾ tsp alcohol-free vanilla flavor
- 1 cup red and green M&Ms
- 1 cup red and green sprinkles
Instructions
- Make popcorn: Prepare your popcorn using your method of choice (store-bought bag, air-popper, stovetop, microwave, etc.). Then, add popcorn to a large bowl and set aside.8-9 cups popcorn
- Melt butter: On the stovetop, melt butter using medium-low heat.½ cup butter
- Add marshmallows and vanilla: Pour the alcohol-free vanilla flavor and the marshmallows into the pan and continue to stir while everything melts.1 bag mini-marshmallows, ¾ tsp alcohol-free vanilla flavor
- Pour over popcorn: Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it over the popcorn.
- Add candy and sprinkles: Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the M&Ms and sprinkles. Stir well using a rubber spatula.1 cup red and green M&Ms, 1 cup red and green sprinkles
- Form the popcorn balls: Form the popcorn into balls. Add them to the bags when they have reached room temperature, and ENJOY!
