Recipe Background
Troll Popcorn is a colorful, whimsical treat that turns any snow day into a celebration.
I first crafted what would become my signature Troll Popcorn during my first snow day as an adult. Back in grade school, snow days were a mix of endless fun and frantic rummaging through the kitchen for snacks to fuel our chilly adventures. This time, snow blanketed the city, and I stayed inside, relishing the excuse to be a kid again. I wanted to create something just as whimsical and colorful as the carefree snow days of my youth, so I raided my pantry like a treasure hunter. The popped popcorn was always a staple, and this day was no exception.
As I melted the salted sweet cream butter, the aroma pulled me into a trance, promising some kind of sweet alchemy. Stirring in mini marshmallows created a gooey dream, conjuring memories of toasted marshmallows over childhood campfires. The real fun, though, was in the colors. I grabbed blue, pink, and purple M&M's along with vibrant sprinkles in shades of teal and pink, letting them rain over the warm popcorn. A chef's trick is to add the toppings while the popcorn is still warm, ensuring they stick flawlessly. The result was a playful, whimsical treat that transformed an ordinary snow day into a colorful celebration.
Getting the texture just right was a matter of folding the marshmallow mixture into the popcorn slowly, savoring each melding movement. It's like stirring memories directly into the bowl. Once cooled and broken apart, the popcorn resembled a snowfall of its own kind, each piece a treasure trove of joy and nostalgia. It turns out that all grown-up snow days should come with a side of Troll Popcorn, delivering a perfect balance of sweet and salty cheer.
Ingredients
- 10 cups popcorn popped, unpopped kernels removed
- salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- blue pretzel M&M's® to taste, can substitute color of your choice
- pink purple, and teal M&M's, to taste, can substitute color of your choice
- pink purple, and teal sprinkles, to taste, can substitute color of your choice
Directions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a large bowl, add the popcorn and the salt and toss to coat.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, while stirring occasionally.
- Add the mini marshmallows to the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Cook and stir the marshmallow mixture just until all of the marshmallows are melted.
- Immediately transfer the saucepan from the heat.
- Slowly pour about 1/3 of the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and gently fold to combine.
- Continue to add the marshmallow mixture, a little at a time, to the popcorn and fold between the additions until all of the marshmallow mixture is incorporated into the popcorn.
- Pour the popcorn mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread it out evenly.
- Add the pretzel M&M's, the M&M's, and the sprinkles to the warm popcorn mixture.
- Allow the popcorn mixture to cool.
- Break the popcorn mixture into pieces and serve.
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