Caramel Marshmallow Party Popcorn!

After a week hiatus, I’m back with my own post and I’m so excited to share this recipe with all of you today!

Before I get to that, I’d like to give one more huge thank-you to Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere and Kelly from Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons for filling in for me this past week.  As many of you know, Jon and I took a short trip to NYC to celebrate our birthdays, so that didn’t leave much time for blogging.  In case you missed their posts, be sure to check them out – Sarah gave us a recipe for Homemade Lightened-Up Eggnog and Kelly shared an adorable and heartfelt kid-friendly DIY project!

So are you wondering what “Party Popcorn” is yet?  Well, it’s sweet, salty, crunchy, addicting, perfect-for-gifting and doesn’t require any baking!

Earlier this month, my best friend, Lauren, and her two fabulous roommates hosted their annual ‘Holidate’ party (aka holiday date party).  As an invitee, I knew I wanted to bring a dish to pass and honestly, I feel like dessert is my trusty go-to option.  With that decided, it was time to scour Pinterest.  Within a few short minutes, I came upon a pin for ‘Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn.’  Naturally, I thought that sounded delicious and after checking out the actual recipe, I was armed with some modifications and ready to give it a try!

This recipe is so quick and easy – it requires basically no skill in the kitchen so don’t tell me you can’t cook! 😉

Gather your ingredients.  In the picture below you’ll notice that I didn’t include pretzels or peanuts even though I used them in this recipe.  The ingredients shown are the base ingredients and then you can add any kind of mix-ins that you like!

In a (very) large bowl, add your popped popcorn, broken pretzels, and peanuts (and/or any other mix-ins).

Tip:  I used 2 single serving popcorn bags by Orville Redenbacher – Kettle Corn 94% Fat Free.  I think plain healthy popcorn is the best option for this recipe since we’ll be adding so much sweetness to it by the end.

Heat a medium sauce pan over low-medium heat and add your butter.  Once it’s completely melted, add your brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and marshmallows.  The mixture should be smooth and have a nice caramel color.

Tip:  If the mixture starts bubbling too much, lower the heat.  Make sure to keep stirring so the mixture doesn’t burn.

Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over your popcorn and combine with a large spoon until the popcorn is evenly coated.  At this point, you could form popcorn balls or spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet like I did.  I spread it out because I didn’t want the popcorn to harden into one huge ball.

Let the mixture cool and harden then break into bite-size pieces.  Make sure to store the popcorn in an airtight container because it will go stale fast.

Caramel Marshmallow Party Popcorn!

Inspired by Chef in Training

Makes roughly 8-10 cups

Ingredients

• 2 single serve microwave popcorn packages, popped (such as Orville Redenbacher’s Kettle Corn 94% Fat-Free)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15 large marshmallows
• 1 cup skinny pretzel sticks, roughly broken
• 1 cup unsalted/unroasted peanuts

What to Do

1. In a (very) large bowl, add your popped popcorn, broken pretzels, and peanuts.
2. Heat a medium sauce pan over low-medium heat and add your butter.
3. Once it’s completely melted, add your brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and marshmallows.  The mixture should be smooth and have a nice caramel color.
4. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over your popcorn and combine with a large spoon until the popcorn is evenly coated.
5.  Spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet to cool.
6.  Once hardened, break into bite-size pieces.  Make sure to store the popcorn in an airtight container.

You May Also Like:

• Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
• Reeses PB Cup Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

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Tags: brown sugar, caramel, Christmas Present, dessert, dish to pass, easy, from Pinterest, gift, great for gifting, honey, kettle corn, marshmallows, no bake, party food, peanuts, popcorn, popped popcorn, pretzel, quick, recipe, stove top, unsalted peanuts

• December 14, 2012
• Desserts, Recipes
• 28 Comments