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A bowl of popcorn balls wrapped in tissue. Photo: Laura Fenton
Take a simple snack and make it into a perfect party favor. I wrapped popcorn balls up in tissue paper and ribbon to dress them up as a Halloween treat. I think a popcorn ball is a nice option for Halloween when everyone has overdosed on sugar -- it's sweet and seasonal but not too sugary. For the popcorn balls themselves I used a recipe from MarthaStewart.com because I liked the simple instructions and the surprising addition of dried cranberries to this particular recipe.
After the popcorn balls were made, I wrapped each ball in Saran wrap to keep it from getting stale. Next, I took a rectangle of tissue paper and wrapped it around each ball, securing each side with a small bow of ribbon. For added visual interest I did half the balls in orange paper with black bows and the other half in black paper with orange bows.
Orange tissue paper and black ribbon make a sweet, simple wrap. Photo: Laura Fenton
Recipe originally printed in Martha Stewart Living December/January 1999/2000.
Makes about 12 popcorn balls:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering hands
- 1 package miniature marshmallows (10 ounces)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3 quarts popped popcorn
- 1 cup dried cranberries, or English toffee bits, optional
Step 1: Melt butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and brown sugar and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
Step 2: Pour popcorn and cranberries, or English toffee bits if using, into pot; toss well. With buttered hands, shape into 2 1/2-inch balls. Set on parchment lined baking sheet to dry slightly. (Ed note: Instead of buttering my hands, I just used vegetable oil.)
