For spring here in Minnesota, we like to start celebrating early. Although it’s technically spring, it doesn’t feel like it yet — there’s still snow on the ground and the temperatures are chilly because winter is reluctant to let go. I love doing simple spring projects with my kids to chase away that spring fever. Last weekend we made an easy marshmallow popcorn and crafted DIY spring treat bags to remind us that warmer days are coming.
I’d seen marshmallow popcorn recipes across Pinterest and was inspired to try a version based on one I found on Cupcake Theory. It seemed like a fun, kid-friendly activity and turned out to be a delicious sweet-and-salty treat.
My four-year-old is my official kitchen helper for our Mini Chef Monday series, so he was eager to pitch in. We had fun measuring, stirring and adding sprinkles.
I’m the type who likes extra marshmallows in treats, so adding big marshmallows to popcorn felt right. The result is gooey, sweet and salty — perfect for sharing.
Easy Marshmallow Popcorn
Servings
13
cups
Ingredients
-
11
cups
premade bagged lightly salted popcorn -
2
cups
pretzels -
18
large marshmallows -
1
cup
brown sugar -
2
tablespoons
honey -
1/2
cup
butter -
sprinkles
optional
Instructions
-
Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat and set aside.
-
Add popcorn and pretzels to an extra-large bowl and set aside.
-
Melt marshmallows with the brown sugar, honey and butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring often until smooth.
-
Spray a large spoon with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
-
Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and pretzels.
-
Gently stir until the popcorn is evenly coated.
-
Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and allow to cool completely.
-
Store in an airtight container for freshness.
A sweet-and-salty snack like this pairs nicely with milk. We avoid soda, so the kids mostly have water, milk and the occasional juice. Milk was a perfect complement to the marshmallow popcorn.
We had DairyPure milk on hand, which is tested for antibiotics and is sold with a purity promise. For our spring craft, we made simple DIY spring treat bags from supplies I already had.
I laid out craft stickers, stamps, a glue stick and streamers. I suggested using streamers to create grass, the sun or other accents, and the kids ran with the idea.
If you cut streamers into small squares you can bunch them up and glue them onto the bags to create textured details — an easy alternative to tissue-paper crafts.
Offer a few color choices or a full rainbow to let the kids’ imaginations guide the designs. The stamps proved a bit tricky for little hands, so they focused on stickers and the streamer technique instead.
I love how the bags turned out — three little masterpieces with minimal help from me.
After crafting, the kids were thirsty, so I surprised them with their favorite drink: TruMoo chocolate milk. It’s a tasty way to keep kids happy and provide nutrition, and presenting it during cleanup helped minimize spills on the crafts.
The decorated bags held our marshmallow popcorn perfectly. While I don’t serve treats like this every day, an occasional sweet snack makes the day special.
DairyPure milk and TruMoo chocolate milk both come from local dairies and are made without artificial growth hormones. They pair well with kid-friendly snacks and make a nice complement to an afternoon activity.
Do you have a favorite milk and snack combination?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are my own.