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
- In a (very) large bowl, add your popped popcorn, broken pretzels, and peanuts.
- 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.
- Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over your popcorn and combine with a large spoon until the popcorn is evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet to cool.
- 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
Looks super delicious and perfect for a party!! So glad to have you back and hope you had a fabulous time in NYC!!!
Thanks, Erika. It’s crazy how behind I feel on everyone’s blogs!
I walked by Momofuku in NYC but we didn’t eat there because it was absolutely packed. Maybe next time. 🙂
Oooh sadness! But yes, perfect reason to go back!
YUM!!! This is the second sweet and salty popcorn I’ve drooled over this morning. LOOOOVE!
Hope you had a great time in NYC celebrating!
Thank you!! It was a great whirlwind of a trip.
What other popcorn recipe were you drooling over? I think I need to make some more – it would be a perfect little gift! I’m always up for new inspiration. 🙂
Oooh, delightful, Leah! Not usually a fan of the sweet, but this looks salty-sweet delicious! Thanks for sharing =)
Thanks for stopping by Christina. 🙂 Not a fan of the sweet?? You must be a lot more disciplined than me. 😉
This looks so yummy!! All of my favorite things 🙂
Kenley
Thanks Kenley. I agree! Next time I think I’m going to try some different mix-ins – maybe M&M’s, dried cranberries, and sea salt!
Yum! Great timing on party popcorn!
Thanks! I figured I’d throw this out there in case people are looking for last minute gift ideas and/or need to bring a dish to a holiday party!
Mmm…love all the sweet and salty combinations you are coming up with! What a great dish to bring to a party. Glad you guys had such a nice trip!!
You & I may like it… But my waistline doesn’t. ;). This was definitely a great party dish though!
Thank you! NYC was a blast but it’s always nice to come home. Glad to hear your travels were safe and fun too!
Oh my Leah; Yummy!! How long did it take to cool and become harder? I am really thinking about making this for hostess gifts!
This would make for great hostess gifts! It only took about 15-20 min to harden and it would be even quicker if you popped the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes. Good luck! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
mmm this looks so good! If I were at that party, I would have been all over this popcorn 😛
Hope you had a great weekend in NYC!!
Haha, thank you! There were definitely a lot of repeat nimblers on this little treat. 😉
Thank you! It’s always fun to do some traveling!
Hallo,
I’ve nominate you for The Very Inspirer Award. You can see it here, http://summer4soul.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/blog-nominations-its-like-giving-a-christmas-present/
Congratulations!
Sweet greetings, Summer
Thank you, Summer! This is incredibly kind of you. 🙂
Sounds super tasty. Perfect for a Christmas movie marathon!
Thanks, Jessi. Great suggestion – I’ve been so busy thinking of it as a party dish and/or gift that I hadn’t even considered just enjoying it around the house!
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I did this yesterday!!! I love,love,love it hahahahahah 100%. thank you!
Awesome – I love when people come back to tell me they’ve tried a recipe! I’m so happy to hear that you loved it so much. This treat is definitely addicting. 😉
Oh! great idea! I might make this on the 24th for my dad, he loves to watch movies and eat his popcorn and I can prepare this in advance 🙂 Hope you had a nice time in NYC , so lucky! 🙂 glad to have you back! 🙂
Thank you! If your dad has a sweet tooth, I bet he’ll love it. It’s perfect for a lazy movie day.
NYC was great – so much to see and do! Thanks for welcoming me back. I missed all of you. I’ll catch up on your blog posts soon! 🙂
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