DIY Popcorn Ball Decorating
Homemade popcorn balls are a delicious and festive addition to holiday decorating. The recipe to make them is simple and decorating them is a fun project for kids and adults alike. Learn how to use different ingredients and materials to decorate homemade popcorn balls. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 10 cups popped popcorn
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic spatula
- 1 pound miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper
- Clear plastic sandwich bags
- Black licorice
- Red-hot candies
- Needle and thread
- Hot glue gun
- Foam ball
- Ribbon
- Craft berries
- Edible glitter
- Small bowl
Instructions
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Make the Popcorn Balls
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1
Combine a pound of miniature marshmallows, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the ingredients are fully blended.
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2
Increase the heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. After one minute remove from heat.
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3
Pour the hot mixture over 10 cups of popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Use caution when pouring the hot ingredients. Fold the heated marshmallow mixture over the popcorn using a spatula. Make sure to cover all of the popcorn with the marshmallow mixture.
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4
Shape the popcorn mixture into balls using your hands. Place the popcorn balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper; this keeps the popcorn balls from sticking to the cookie sheet.
Decorating Edible Popcorn Balls
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5
Pour a small amount of edible glitter in a small bowl. Roll the popcorn balls in the glitter until they are completely covered.
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6
Place the decorated popcorn balls in a bowl to be used as an edible centerpiece for the holiday. To give as gifts place the decorated popcorn balls in plastic sandwich bags and secure the bags with decorative holiday ribbon.
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7
Make popcorn ball spiders for Halloween. While the popcorn balls are still warm, flatten the balls a little to resemble a spider. Press two red-hot candies into the balls to create eyes. Attach eight small pieces of black licorice to the bottoms of the popcorn balls to create the legs.
Decorating Non-Edible Popcorn Balls
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8
Use a hot glue gun and attach single pieces of plain popped popcorn to a foam ball. Gently hold each piece of popcorn to the foam ball for several seconds to ensure it sticks without falling off.
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9
Leave a small space at the top of the foam ball. Using the hot glue gun, attach a holiday ribbon to the ball. Use a ribbon about 10 inches in length and tie the knot so you can use the ribbon as a hanger for this ornament.
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10
Attach decorative berries around the ribbon hanger to embellish the ornament. The decorative pieces can be found at craft stores.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Add food coloring to the marshmallow mixture after boiling to create colorful holiday balls.
Add chocolate chips to the hot marshmallow mixture for the Halloween spider balls to make them into realistic-looking brown spiders.
References
- Photo Credit popcorn image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
