Fun and oh-so delicious, these Pumpkin Popcorn Balls are made with marshmallows for the ultimate soft and chewy treat! Perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving!
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I have been wanting to share these adorable Pumpkin Popcorn Balls since I started blogging three years ago. And now you have an idea of how badly I procrastinate 😉
Popcorn balls are in my blood. I’ve been making them since I was a toddler. My Grandma is to blame. She got all of her grand kids addicted to these things and I’m passing that along to my boys. Of course, who can resist these soft and chewy popcorn balls? And pumpkins??? Get outta here! These things are too cute for words!
My Grandma made her popcorn balls with marshmallows and it’s my favorite way to make them too. The popcorn balls are super chewy and soft – two important components of a perfect popcorn ball. The other component? No popcorn kernels! People! Check and then double check your popped popcorn! Breaking a tooth while eating a popcorn ball is seriously no bueno.
So the stems here are really the attraction for these balls. You could use a lot of different things but I did a mix of tootsie rolls and broken pretzel rods. The leaves are green laffy taffy and green tootsie rolls. Hey! I use what I have on hand you guys!
I smushed the green candies until they were the thickness I wanted and then used scissors to cut out a leaf shape. Is it a pumpkin leaf shape? Nope. Didn’t care to spend that much time on these 🙂 You wanna get all realistic with the leaves…be my guest!
These little treats would be perfect for a Halloween party or served up on your Thanksgiving table.
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- 8 cups + 1 cup plain popped popcorn
- 1 lb marshmallows
- ½ cup Challenge butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- orange food coloring (optional)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
- green laffy taffy, green tootsie rolls, green starburst - leaves
- pretzel rods broken into pieces and/or tootsie rolls - stems
- butter and/or cooking spray for hands
- Melt the butter and marshmallows together in a large pot.
- Once the marshmallows are fully melted, turn off the heat and add in the vanilla and food coloring. I start with a couple of drops and then add more as needed.
- Add 8 cups of popcorn to the marshmallow mixture and stir until popcorn is covered. If there appears to be a lot of extra marshmallow mixture stir in the additional one cup of popcorn now.
- Butter or grease hands.
- Grab a handful of popcorn and start forming it into a ball.
- Place the pretzel rod or tootsie roll in the top of the ball and squeeze firmly to make sure the popcorn ball sticks together. The popcorn balls can be any size you choose.
- After all the pumpkins have been made, smush the green candies and cut into leaf shapes using scissors.
More pumpkin awesomeness:
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Maple Glaze
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Disclaimer: As an Ambassador for Challenge, I was provided product and compensation for this post by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are, as always 100% my own. I LOVE Challenge Butter!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
These little pumpkin balls are definitely so perfect for halloween and definitely a recipe I will be recreating. Pinned!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Thaila!
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen says
Trish, these are adorable! I have a fondness for popcorn balls too. My mom made them every Halloween, wrapped them in wax paper and that’s what we handed out to the trick-or-treaters. This was back in the olden days when you could get away with handing out homemade treats 🙂 Takes me back!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oh man! So many good memories Valerie! I love sharing traditions like that with my boys 🙂
heather @french press says
dang girl, you are mighty crafty with your food!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
LOL! Thanks Heather!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These are seriously the cutest!! I have never made popcorn balls and totally want to now. So glad you shared them with us now – they were totally worth the wait! Pinning 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Kelly! You need to make popcorn balls like…today! They are so good and make the BEST snacks! Feel free to flavor them however you like too. Thanks for the pin girl!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
You’re right – these are too cute for words! This is one of the most creative Halloween food ideas I’ve seen yet! I’m a huge fan of popcorn balls – I like to keep rice crispies on hand for emergency treats, but I discovered the joys of popcorn balls when I found myself in a pickle without any rice crispies and now it’s my go-to midnight snack (don’t judge;)
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
No judgement here Sarah 😉 Popcorn balls seem to call me name no matter the hour! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking says
So freakin’ adorable!! These wouldn’t last two seconds in our house. My guy only likes rice krispie treats (well, and gingersnaps and anything lemon), and since these are close enough with their oodles of popcorn and lots of candy… He’d eat the whole batch. No joke. 😉 Pinned!