These Halloween Popcorn Balls are SPOOK-TACULAR and perfect for serving at your Halloween party or passing out to trick or treaters. Made with crunchy popcorn in a candy coating and finished with candy eyes these cute little mummy popcorn balls will be the hit of your Halloween!
How fun are these cute popcorn balls? I think they are so cute. I also love that they are an easy no-bake treat! Just because you didn’t spend hours baking them doesn’t mean that aren’t delicious or that your friends won’t think they are just amazing. Some other no-bake treats that would be great for Halloween are my Chocolate Peanut Butter Haystacks and these Salted Peanut Roll Bars.
How to Make Halloween Popcorn Balls:
(Scroll Down For Full Recipe)
Ingredients:
- Popped Popcorn
- White Chocolate Chips
- Candy Eyes
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter
- Light Corn Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Water
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Equipment:
- Parchment Paper
- Disposable Gloves (optional)
- Piping Bag (optional)
Instructions:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl and set both aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the hot syrup over the popcorn. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix and coat the popcorn evenly with the syrup.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly but still warm to the touch. Grease your hands or disposable gloves with non-stick cooking spray.
- Then using about a cup of popcorn shape the popcorn into balls, They should be roughly about the size of a baseball. Place the popcorn balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place the white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second intervals stirring between each until melted and smooth.
- Use a piping bag with a small opening to drizzle the melted white chocolate in a crisscross pattern over each popcorn ball to resemble mummy bandages. See my notes below options other than a piping bag.
- Immediately place two candy eyes on each popcorn ball while the chocolate is still wet to create the mummy’s face.
- Allow the chocolate to set completely before serving. You can place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for quicker setting.
What kind of popcorn can I use?
I usually pop my own popcorn on the stovetop I think it has a fresher taste. You can however by a bag of popcorn, or use microwave popcorn If you are using either of these choices look for version with light butter if possible.
Where can I find the candy eyes?
You can find the candy eyes I used for this recipe in the baking aisle at your grocery store. At my store they were in the section with the sprinkles and birthday candles.
No Piping Bag? No problem!
Using a small plastic bag, such as a zip top bag, with a small cut along a bottom corner, This method will make drizzling the white chocolate much easier since there is more control. But a spoon will also work!
Substitutions and Variations:
Swap the Chocolate: You can use candy melts in place of the white chocolate chips. To do this simply measure the same amount of candy melts as chocolate chips and follow the directions on the package to melt.
Make it Colorful: Use candy melts of any color to make your mummy’s colorful.
Can I use other types of syrup instead of corn syrup? Corn syrup provides the necessary stickiness and helps hold the popcorn balls together. You can substitute with light or golden syrup as alternatives, but the flavor and texture may vary slightly.
Notes and Tips:
I recommend wearing disposable gloves sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to shape the popcorn balls, Not only will it be less messy but the popcorn and syrup will stick less to the gloves than to your bare hands.
Work quickly when shaping the popcorn balls as the syrup mixture will become harder to work with as it cools. Place the candy eyes on the popcorn balls while the white chocolate/candy melts are still wet so they stick securely.
Storage:
Room Temperature: There popcorn balls will stay fresh for up to five days kept in an air tight container or zip top bag.
Refrigerator: You could keep these in the fridge but there is no need to. If you do decide to keep them in the refrigerator you’ll need to keep them in a sealed container or zip top bag.
Happy Halloween Y’all!
Susanne
Still hungry? Follow New South Charm on Pinterest! for more recipe ideas!
Halloween Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
- 10 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
-
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl and set both aside.
-
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
-
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the hot syrup over the popcorn. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix and coat the popcorn evenly with the syrup.
-
Allow the mixture to cool slightly but still warm to the touch. Grease your hands or disposable gloves with non-stick cooking spray.
-
Then using about a cup of popcorn shape the popcorn into balls, They should be roughly about the size of a baseball. Place the popcorn balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
-
Place the white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second intervals stirring between each until melted and smooth.
-
Use a piping bag with a small opening to drizzle the melted white chocolate in a crisscross pattern over each popcorn ball to resemble mummy bandages. See my notes below options other than a piping bag.
-
Immediately place two candy eyes on each popcorn ball while the chocolate is still wet to create the mummy's face.
-
Allow the chocolate to set completely before serving. You can place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for quicker setting.
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t have piping bag you can use a small plastic bag, such as a zip top bag, with a small cut along a bottom corner. This method will make drizzling the white chocolate much easier since there is more control. But a spoon will also work!
- You can use candy melts in place of the white chocolate chips. To do this measure the same amount of melting candy and follow the directions on the package to melt. You can also use candy melts of any color to make your mummies more colorful.
- Nutritional information is estimated. Amounts will vary based on ingredient choices and serving sizes.
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