Cute Christmas Popcorn Balls

Published on December 22, 2015

Christmas_Popcorn_BallsPopcorn balls can make their appearance at any time of the year when you want to make something fun, regardless of what you are celebrating. However, if you make these and add red and green candies, or similar Christmas decorations, you can make a sweet, sticky Christmas-themed snack which everyone will want to get their hands on!

We are using popcorn kernels to make the popcorn from scratch, along with butter, honey, molasses, vanilla and cinnamon for those festive flavors. Whether you make these for the kids, for the grownups or just to hang on the tree, that is up to you, but one batch of these won’t be enough because they tend to disappear very fast, so make sure you have plenty of popcorn kernels to rustle up some more.

This is something the kids might like to help with, so why not get them involved? They can shape the finished popcorn mixture into balls and then add the decorations on top. Older kids can help with the earlier stages of the recipe too. We like to use yellow popcorn kernels to make these. The white kernels are smaller and more tender, but since you’re going to be shaping these into balls and mixing them with other ingredients it’s easier to use the yellow ones for this particular recipe.

Cute Christmas Popcorn Balls
Author: Butte Creek Mill
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup Butte Creek Mill yellow popcorn kernels
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 stick salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 oz melted white chocolate (optional)
  • Festive candies, to decorate
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Heat the oil in a big pot over a medium-high heat but don’t let it smoke.
  4. Add the popcorn and cover the pot.
  5. Cook until the kernels have all popped, shaking the pot frequently.
  6. This should take 3 or 4 minutes.
  7. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool.
  8. Meanwhile, combine the honey, butter and molasses in a skillet over a medium heat.
  9. Bring this sweet mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  10. Gently simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
  11. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon.
  12. Pour the butter mixture over the popcorn.
  13. Stir well with a wooden spoon to ensure it is evenly coated.
  14. Spread the mixture into a greased baking sheet.
  15. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
  16. Remove it from the oven and let it cool until you are able to handle it.
  17. Using your hands, shape the popcorn mixture into 10 even-sized balls.
  18. Now you can add a red or green M&M candy or another festive decoration.
  19. You can also roll the popcorn balls in melted white chocolate (to look like snow!)
  20. Let the popcorn balls cool completely before you serve them.