[DIY Sweet Treats] Valentine's Day Pink Popcorn Pops

When my son's teacher announced that the kids are going to be giving each other Valentine's Day cards or candy, of course my brain switched on to craft mode and I started to think of ideas on projects that would make a really cool, yummy gift. Something different, you know? Of course, we did buy some cartoon card box sets at Target for Josiah to pick out as well. Yet, I could not help but want to make Pink Popcorn Pops!! 

If you have been hiding under a rock and never heard of this amazing 'Pop-Queen' is what I call her, then head over to this site, Bakerella. Just a warning though, be prepared to be blown away by some of the most cutest, most yummiest, most artistic, sweet treats known to grace this earth, in my honest opinion. She totally ROCKS with her genius ideas and inspiration! 

My first discovery about her was a few years ago when I made these to-die-for Oreo Truffles, which has become a family favorite for the holidays (which I will post about when I can). BUT OH, THEY ARE INSANELY GOOD! Not sure if she has made anything with popcorn, but this creation of mine was inspired by her idea of 'bite-size' treats. I'm sure if she did, hers would be a hundred times better :) Thank you, Bakerella!!!

PINK POPCORN POPS

You will need:

• Popcorn Balls (see recipe below)
• Lollipop Sticks
• Lollipop Treat Bags w/ribbon
• Red Felt or Cardstock - Cut out of a heart
• Gift tags - I cut up my own tags with decorative edged scissors
• Hole Puncher

Pink Popcorn Recipe (my revised version inspired by this recipe at food.com)

• 2-3 Bags of microwaveable popcorn. I used Newman's Own - Natural flavor 
• 6 T Butter
• 3 Cups Mini-Marshmallows
• 4 T Strawberry Jello 

Directions:

I followed the recipe, but doubled all the ingredients except the Jello because 4 T is actually a lot and even with doubling the popcorn and marshmallow mixture, it was just perfect for my taste. But, maybe some of you might want to add more of it who like it a little bit tangy and tart. 

NOTE: I regret that I didn't take pictures of actually making the Pink Popcorn balls, so I will try my best to explain the process. 

After popping all the popcorn, I poured it all out into a large aluminum roasting pan, but you can use a really big mixing bowl or baking dish. It's a lot of popcorn to mix so that is why I chose to use whatever was big enough to hold all the popcorn. In a medium pan, melt the butter over med-low heat. Add in the marshmallows until completely melted. Then mix in the strawberry gelatin until blended into a creamy mixture. Turn off heat. Drizzle the mixture all over the popcorn and then with a rubber spatula or spoon, mix it all up to coat the popcorn as evenly as possible. Don't worry if every single popcorn isn't completely covered. Once that is done, form the balls using your hands and because it does get a little sticky and messy, I like to use latex gloves while doing this part.  I also try to make sure that before I form them, I look out for popcorn seeds and be sure I pick them out. No one wants to bite down on hard bits of corn :)

PROJECT TUTORIAL:

 1. Here is a layout of everything that I used to create each one.

2. A yummy close up of the pink popcorn ball.

3. Used decorative scissors to trim the piece of paper and wrote my love note on it.

4. Then I carefully pushed a lollipop stick halfway through the center.

5.  Punch a hole through the top center of the heart where you will be threading a ribbon through.

6. Punch a hole through the tag or strip of paper.

7. Place the popcorn pop into the lollipop treat bag, which already came prepunched with holes and a ribbon. Thread the ribbon through the felt heart and tag, then tie it into a bow.

VOILA!

Here are some optional ideas that I had thought about after making these:

• Dip popcorn balls into dark or white chocolate, caramel, or cinnamon & sugar
• Experiment other Jello flavors/colors
• Combine popcorn w/nuts, chocolate chips, or M&M's

The day that I brought these to my son's class, a lot of the parents were excited to find these in their children's stash and it brought back childhood memories for some. I liked how these turned out, but I feel that I still haven't found that perfect pink popcorn recipe that does remind me of the ones I used to eat growing up as a child. If you or anyone you know, has a recipe for it, I'd love for you to share!!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this little craft tutorial! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments!

I have more good stuff to share in a few days, so I hope you'll be back to visit my blog soon!