Let’s say you have some marshmallows and popcorn from those Halloween movies you might have been going through, and with these ingredients, you are already on your way to making these delicious and crispy popcorn balls.
We know the purple people eater is something of a niche in the movie world, and some kids might not know the creature, but we can guarantee these treats have a particular character about them, which is going to make them a solid talking point at your next gathering.
However, who said you needed to wait until Halloween to make these extra gooey popcorn balls?
In this article, we’ll provide you with the full recipe, a step-by-step guide so you can make these at home, and some tips to make your process more fun and easier.
Read on if you want to spruce up that spread at your next gathering.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Popcorn
Marshmallows (Ideally Small ones)
Vegetable Oil
Butter
Purple food coloring
Candy eyes (Any size you want)
White Icing
Candy Corn
Instructions To Make Purple People Eater Popcorn Balls
Step 1
To start, get out a pan and add vegetable oil on high heat until hot, then you want to add in your popcorn and cover it with a lid.
Then you can shake the pan until the kernels are popped, and as soon as they’ve finished, take them off the heat and add them to a large bowl, where you can add salt to bring more taste to them.
Step 2
Now you want to melt your butter in a pot over low heat, stir in your marshmallows and continue to stir until your marshmallows are melted.
Now, add your purple food coloring and keep stirring until you get the desired color and consistency.
Once you get this, you want to pour this over your popcorn and then mix it with some cooking oil until the popcorn is completely covered.
Step 3
With this result, you can mold your popcorn balls to be the size you require, or as a guide, you can make them the size of the palms of your hands.
Now you can get fun with adding the candy eyes and using candy corn for the horn of the head.
From here, you want to leave these on some parchment paper or a tray for 20 minutes to set, and they should be fine to consume for up to a week after you make them.
Some Tips To Make Your Process Better
With this recipe comes a simple recipe that can give you something to smile about when you present them to guests or children, as you can never be too old to have a treat that looks as great as these popcorn balls.
But you might be thinking about how you could make changes in your process to make this recipe more unique to you, as you might want to make these less Halloween-themed and want a simple treat.
Below are some tips to save you some time and effort and perhaps give you some inspiration for things you could do with this recipe.
Add A Little Crisp To This Recipe
If you find your popcorn balls don’t have the crunch you’re looking for, you could try rice popcorn instead, which will give you more crunch to your recipe, and you could even try colored or caramel corn to improve the look or flavor.
Another suggestion if you find the popcorn you use tastes bland is to salt your popcorn before you mix in the melted marshmallows, which can balance out the taste by being both sweet and savory.
You could go one step further and invest in a popcorn maker that can offer more of a delicious oil taste that you might not get from a stove or microwave popcorn and perhaps might be an excellent staple of your movie nights going forward.
Be careful of using types like toffee popcorn, as the marshmallows give you a good consistency that the toffee might affect, making them harder to chew and can harden if you intend on freezing or refrigerating them.
If you’re insistent on using this type of popcorn, perhaps break it down into smaller pieces so they don’t clump together, and you can still get a nice chewy but crunchy consistency that everyone will love.
Freeze Some For Another Time
If you’re making these for a later time or occasion, you can freeze these balls by first wrapping each one in plastic and then placing them in a freezer bag, so you can avoid the issue of them sticking together.
When you take them out, make sure they are completely thawed out and consider putting them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to make sure they retain their look and texture, and this makes it easier for you to make large batches of them.
This will also give you the opportunity to touch them up a bit, like adding more candy or adding more color to make them look just as fresh and nice looking.
Mix Up The Recipe A Little Bit
Go bold with your recipe by changing the food coloring you use, or perhaps add other features to make something truly unique to you, and you can even leave out the coloring and decorations altogether if you want something more simple.
You can get creative with the accessories and design each popcorn ball to look different, which is a great idea to add excitement if you’re looking for something for a child’s birthday party.
This is as you might not be a fan of the people purple eater and want to make these look more like ghosts or little pumpkins, so it’s up to you how you design them.
Get The Family Involved
There’s nothing more exciting than making these popcorn balls, which your children would be more than happy to get involved in, as they can make their own treats how they want, and it is something that can keep them occupied as a fun activity for you all.
There’s not a better feeling than getting a result that you made, and this could lead to many fun cooking activities in the future, but just make sure they don’t eat up all of the marshmallows you have.
Conclusion
We’ve shown you how this recipe can be easy to make and can take you less than an hour to make and prepare, as these can be served as soon as they are set to ensure a nice fresh-tasting treat that everyone will enjoy.
With so many options at your disposal, there are ways you can incorporate the Halloween spirit, and you can use icing to make some really unique creations that work as a simple snack or for any occasion.
You can also modify the recipe to make them vegan-friendly and for those with specific intolerances or allergies, so these treats can go even further to make those occasions more special.
There’s nothing better than sitting down after a long, stressful day with a good craft or hobby - right?
Hi, my name is Helena Forsite and I am a self-proclaimed crafter. I love everything to do with DIYs, baking, crafting, and more!
When I was younger, fresh out of college, I developed a pretty strong anxiety disorder. I found it difficult to go to work, socialize with friends, or even get out of the house at all.
