Usually popcorn balls start off with a sugar syrup that you have to take to a certain temperature before adding the popcorn. We cheat in this recipe, inspired by a recipe from a Martha Stewart Living magazine, by using store-bought marshmallows. The result is a chewy, crunchy, yummy, dessert, similar to the comforting “Rice Krispies Treats”.

We need 12 cups of popped popcorn for this recipe, so we begin by popping the popcorn kernels in our air popper. The popper yields 12½ cups of popcorn (the ½ cup is for the four-year-old factor). We set the popcorn aside.

Over medium low heat, we melt the butter in our dutch oven. We then stir in the brown sugar. Finally, we add the marshmallows and stir until they dissolve completely. We remove the pot from the heat.

We add all of the popcorn to the marshmallow mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is well coated. The mixture is somewhat difficult to stir due to its thickness and our desire to keep the popcorn in tact, so we do the best that we can. Just before the popcorn is well-coated, we add the M&M’s, distributing them evenly so that little additional stirring is required to mix them well (to prevent breakage).

Using generously buttered hands, we fashion balls of the popcorn-marshmallow mixture. Each ball we make about 3 inches in diameter and place on a large piece of wax paper on the counter. When we are done, we have nine popcorn balls. After we wash up, we place each popcorn ball on a serving plate and cover with plastic wrap for serving later.

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