Holiday Popcorn Cake Stars
If you like to make something sweet to enjoy for the holidays or to give as a delicious edible gift or take to a holiday party besides Christmas cookies or fruitcake, consider this easy to make Popcorn Cake recipe. I assure you it will be a big hit with both young and old.
In the past I have made Popcorn Cake for Easter using pastel M&M candies.
Everyone in my family loves them so much so I decided to make them as Christmas treats using red and green M&M’s and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut them instead of simply cutting them into squares.
If you have ever made Rice Krispy Treats, making the Popcorn Cakes is pretty much the same, but you use popped popcorn instead of cereal.
There is no baking needed. Once you stir the ingredients together, you press it into a baking pan and let it cool.
Once cool, instead of cutting them into squares, I used a star cookie cutter to make them more festive for the holidays.
Popcorn cake can be sticky as you cut and take them out, if needed use a fork or spatula to help.
Then place them on a pretty plate for all to enjoy. If you want to layer them on a plate or cookie tin, place a piece of waxed or parchment paper between the layers. Here is how I like to wrap them to give as an edible gift.
Popcorn Cake Recipe
Popcorn Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 25 cups popped popcorn – 20 to 25 cups or use store bought bag of popped popcorn – see photo in steps below
- 1-1/2 cups salted peanuts
- 1- 1/2 cups M & M candies in holiday colors
- 1 stick margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 16 ounces mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Mix together in a large bowl: popped popcorn, peanuts and M & M's. Set aside.
- Mix together and boil for 2 minutes: margarine or butter, vegetable oil and mini-marshmallows until melted. Stir constantly so mixture doesn't burn.
- Pour melted mixture over popcorn mix and mix well, making sure M&M's are mixed evenly throughout mix.
- While mixture is still warm make one of these variations:If making into balls: Rub vegetable oil over hands before forming popcorn cake mixture into any shape so the mixture will not stick to your hands.– Shape into balls and place in cupcake liners.– Shape into balls and then on a sheet of wax paper, flatten with palm of hand to make lollipops – push a lollipop stick into each, let cool. – Press into baking pan and cut as you would cut a brownie.
- When taking them on a plate or container, use wax paper in-between the layers to lessen each cut piece of the popcorn cake from sticking to the others.
- Using a spatula, press mixture into a large baking pan and let cool. Once cool, press a star cookie cutter down into the mix. Then using a fork, pull the shape out and place on plate.
- Repeat process until you have cut as many as you can from the pan. For the leftover popcorn mix in the pan, use your hands to form into balls as described below.
- Enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
More Christmas Edible Treats to Make
- Clever Christmas Cookie Garnishing Idea
- Garlic Pretzels Recipe
- How to Make an Edible Christmas Cookie Tree
- Old-Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake Recipe That Is Better Than Grandma’s
Make the Popcorn Treats For Other Holidays
Popcorn Cakes also works well for Easter using pastel colored candy and form them into little spring nests.
You can even make the Popcorn cakes into lolli-“pops” by sticking a lollipop stick into each one after rolling it and pressing it flat with the palm of your hand. Making them this way will look very festive in Easter baskets.
How to Make Popcorn Cake Step-By-Step
- Melt the marshmallows, margarine, and oil in a pot.
2. Let boil for 2 minutes
3. Mix popped corn, peanuts, and M&M’s together in a large bowl.
4. When marshmallow mixture is melted, pour over pop corn mixture.
and mix well.
5. Rub vegetable oil over your hands, then shape the mixture into balls. If you don’t do this the mixture will stick to your hands and you won’t be able to mold into balls. I made mine a bit smaller than a tennis ball. Place on foil, wax or parchment paper.
6. Place each ball in a cupcake liner.
For more tasty recipe ideas head over to my Favorite Recipe Gallery.
You May Also Like:
Would you like to save this post?
Enter your email below and I’ll send it to you!
A follow up comment:
This recipe is so delicious and so forgiving!
I started making it before your reply and update (thanks!) and it still didn’t let me down. I worked with what I had, which was (pretty much halved)…a stick of butter, a 10.5 bag of mini marshmallows, a bag of Christmas m&ms, 3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts. I cooked my own popcorn (all I had!) Which is 2T coconut oil and 1/4 cups of organic popping corn and made three batches to accommodate for the gooey deliciousness. *Tip…add the m&ms last or they melt and will discolor the mix.
The test batch lasted less than 24 hours. So. Thank you, D!
Hi M – So happy to read that you dove right in and enjoyed the popcorn cake. I love how you made it with what you had on hand and it came out just fine. It is one of those recipes that you can add or swap out ingredients. Great tip you add the M&M’s last. I will add that to the post. Thanks. :-)
What a delicious idea! How much is a gallon of popcorn though? About how many cups? Thank you…~m
Hi – I need to change that on the recipe card. I wrote the recipe directly from my very worn recipe card. Whoever gave it to me used a gallon. I fill a large mixing bowl with popcorn. It is about 20 – 25 cups. The amount doesn’t have to be precise. A little more popcorn will be a less gooey mix. I have made it with more and less and it all gets eaten.
I love your recipe archive (gonna try the strawberry pie). May I suggest that you should add your hot buttered rum recipe!!!
Hi Marianne – It was cold, rainy and chilly over the Easter weekend. Hot Buttered Rums would have been perfect to serve. It is delish. I hope you had a sweet Easter.
I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, I just made this recipe but had an issue with the butter, oil, and marshmallow mixture. The directions say boil for 2 minutes, until melted. The mixture doesn’t actually mix together to become a smooth mixture like your photo. Can you please clarify how you make you mixture? I’ve never used oil in Rice Krispies… thanks, Ashley
Hi Ashley – When you add the butter, oil and marshmallows in the pot to melt, are you stirring the mix as it heats to a boil? On a medium to high heat setting, it should take about 2 minutes for the ingredients to melt. If it is not melting together and you are stirring, then maybe up the heat and keep stirring while it melts. It may look lumpy where a few of the mini marshmallows didn’t melt all the way. This is OK
I tried this with mini eggs and they melted when I poured the marshmallow mix. How did you get the m&ms to not melt?
Hi Jessica –
I used M & M’s – they don’t melt. If you want to use the eggs – try mixing the eggs in last after you have mixed the melted butter/oil/marshmallows in to the popcorn. This way it will be a bit cooler and won’t melt the eggs. Happy Easter.
How much popcorn is one gallon??
Hi Sarah – I always bought a pre-popped bag in the snack aisle at the grocery store and measured out 16 cups. You can use more or less depending on how gooey you want the cake to be.
how much is one stick of butter?
Hi Shawna – One stick of butter is one half-cup of butter. :)
My favorite is mini cadbury eggs!!! They are so good, I just ate a handful actually :)
Kaysi
[email protected]
I am SO making this for the kids on Sunday!
Oh…my favorite Easter candy is either the Reese Peanut Butter Eggs or our local candy factory’s Peanut Butter Melt-a-Way Egg!
Wow- I have never heard of these. They look AMAZING. I wish I could make them tonight… so many of my favorite things. I’ll be linking in my next Crafty Food Roundup.
Oh, these look divine! My daughter..who just so happens to Lu-UV m&m’s and popcorn will have fits over these.
And I will be the best mom ever. Well, for a little while anyway.
Those are adorable, festive and look so yummy~! thanks so much for the recipe..
Sonny
http://sonnydaydreams.blogspot.com
My favorite Easter candy is Dove Dark Chocolate eggs. Just thinking about them makes me a little light-headed…
I have never tried Peeps frozen, but that sounds delicious way to enjoy them and they would never get stale. Nancy – If it is made of dark chocolate I LOVE it. I am going to have to try one. I like my Reeses chopped up in ice cream, yummm
My favorite Easter candy is Peeps…frozen!
~Rebekah
Yummy, the girls and I will have to try this, give me anything with M&M’s and happy. Hope you had a great weekend.
Cha CHa
My favorite Easter candy is anything Reeses, and now they have dark chocolate Reeses…pure heaven!