Halloween Treats...Popcorn Balls with Peanut Butter M&Ms

Popcorn Balls

Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Yields 6-8

Ingredients 

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup (Karo)

1/4 c. water

1/2 stick butter

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 bag mini marshmallows (about 2-3 cups)
10-13 cups popped popcorn

Cooking Instructions

1. Line a large cookie sheet (18x13) with parchment paper.  

2. Pop your popcorn, either in the microwave, stove top, or air popper and lay it out on your large cookie sheet.

3. Find a large sauce pan and place it over medium heat.  To the sauce pan add sugar, brown sugar, karo syrup, water, butter, and cream of tarter.  Heat and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes

4. After you have boiled the sugar mixture it's time to add the baking soda.  WARNING...this will make the sugar mixture double in size so make sure your sauce pan is large enough it won't over flow.  If it starts to double in size too fast don't panic; just remove it from the heat and keep stirring while it reduces in size.  Sugar burns are the absolute worst so please please be careful!  Whisk the ingredients together for about an additional minute after you put in the baking soda. 

5. Now turn off your heat and add the marshmallows.  I promise they will all melt just keep stirring.    

6. Lets start building some popcorn balls...

7. I like to use a 1 cup measuring cup to help me drizzle the marshmallow mixture.  I pour 1 cup at a time over the popcorn and mix with a spatula.  It normally takes about 3 cups of marshmallow mixture to have the popcorn fully bind.  

8. Add the M&Ms to the gooey popcorn.  

***TIP: You can always change the candy in the popcorn balls, M&Ms are not the only thing to use.  Red hots, candy corns, pretzels, etc all work.  Make it your own.

9. Time to form the balls.  This is the best piece of advice I can give you....spray your hands with pam cooking spray before forming the balls.  If you do this then the ooey gooey marshmallow mess won't stick to your hands.  Pack them like a snow ball and lay out on a fresh piece of parchment paper.

10. Wrap them up for your favorite trick-or-treaters!

11. Enjoy!!!