Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn Balls for Valentine's Day
It’s National Popcorn Day!!! This recipe for popcorn balls is one of my favorites. I wanted to make them extra special for Valentine’s Day by drizzling them with chocolate and adding some colorful sprinkles. These are so easy!
The secret to these popcorn balls is the brown sugar that gets melted in with the marshmallows. It add a lovely caramel flavor which makes them taste very gourmet. I also love adding a little sprinkle of sea salt on the top! It adds a nice crunch as well as balances out all the sweet flavors.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
10 ounces marshmallows
12 heaping cups of popcorn (aka 3 quarts)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sea salt; optional
chocolate; optional
sprinkles; optional
How to make Popcorn Balls From Scratch
1. In a large heavy pot, melt the butter over medium to low heat.
2. Stir in the brown sugar and marshmallows.
3. Stir until the mixture is almost completely melted.
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Stir in the popcorn and mix until well coated.
7. Allow the mixture to cool enough so that it can be handled.
Note: make sure to coat your hands with butter or cooking spray when you are shaping them.
8. Scoop out the desired size of the popcorn ball and use your hands to shape the mixture into a ball.
9. Place the popcorn balls on a baking sheet lined with wax paper to cool.
10. Before they cool, sprinkle the tops of the popcorn balls with a small sprinkle of sea salt.
Note: if you want to add a chocolate drizzle, simply melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the popcorn balls before you add the sprinkles and salt.
