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Christmas Popcorn – Candy Claus Popcorn

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Last Updated on December 10, 2023 by Alaina

Santa-approved and utterly scrumptious – my Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn is here to sleigh your holiday snacking game. Sweet, salty, and downright delightful, this quick and easy holiday popcorn recipe is the perfect treat for your holiday festivities.

A red tin filled with Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn - marshmallow-covered popcorn with red and green candies and sprinkles

If you’re looking for a fun and festive Christmas treat that’s quick and easy to make, then look no further than this Christmas Popcorn recipe! This merry and munchable snack is the perfect blend of salty, sweet, and crunchy, guaranteed to spread joy at every Christmas party or holiday gathering.

Salty popcorn coated with sweet marshmallows and sprinkled with M&M candies and holiday sprinkles creates an irresistible snack mix that even Santa will love.

So if you are ready for one of the merriest kitchen adventures of the season, then grab your apron, unleash your holiday spirit, and let’s get ready to create a snack that’ll bring joy to every munch!

Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn – An Easy Christmas Treat!

This Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn is everything you could ever want in a sweet treat and more. Crunchy salty popcorn covered in sweet melted marshmallows then generously sprinkled with festive sprinkles creates an irresistible snack mix that even Santa will love!

This perfect holiday snack is a breeze to make, which with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s nice to have a tasty treat that comes together in a snap!

It’s also perfect for a cozy Christmas movie night, festive holiday parties, and even gifting! Put some out for a unique snack for Santa instead of the typical Christmas cookies and milk.

Holiday popcorn with red and green sprinkles and M&Ms served in Santa pails

How to Make Christmas Popcorn

Time to transform your kitchen into a festive flavor factory and whip up your own batch of Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn!

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links for products or services I think you’ll like. This means if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend items I use and love.

Kitchen Tools You May Need

Get ready to sprinkle some holiday magic in the kitchen with these festive tools:

Close up image of finished Christmas popcorn in a Santa pail with a bowl full of the same popcorn in the background

Christmas Popcorn Recipe Ingredients

To whip up this festive holiday snack, all you will need are the five simple ingredients listed below. Find the complete recipe including quantities and instructions listed in the printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

Popcorn: salted, but not buttered. The foundation of this festive easy treat.

Mini marshmallows: once melted they bind the ingredients together, ensuring every bite is a heavenly delight

Butter: a key ingredient in our melted marshmallow magic, adding a layer of indulgence that transforms this popcorn into a tasty treat worth savoring.

Christmas Sprinkles: I used Christmas tree sprinkles, candy cane sprinkles, and Christmas Confetti Sprinkles – to transform our popcorn into a red and green visual spectacle.

Christmas M&Ms: this green and red M&M mix infuses our Christmas Popcorn with vibrant hues and delicious chocolatey goodness.

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Pro Tip

Use a bag of already-popped popcorn to make crafting this Christmas treat even faster!

overhead image of Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn recipe ingredients separated into clear glass bowls

Christmas Popcorn Recipe Instructions

Crafting this irresistible Christmas popcorn snack mix with a sweet marshmallow coating takes less than 15 minutes! The lengthiest step is the melting of marshmallows and butter.

Step One: Prepping

Cover your baking sheet with a Silpat mat, parchment paper, or foil, to make the cleanup of our Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn masterpiece a lot easier!

Step Two: Popcorn Time

If you opted to make popcorn from scratch, it’s time to pop, pop, pop! Then add the freshly popped (or already-popped) popcorn to a large bowl. Be sure you remove all those sneaky and annoying unpopped kernels (see tips below).

Then sprinkle the popcorn liberally with salt.

Step Three: Make the Marshmallow Magic

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Then slowly mix in the mini marshmallows, stirring until they transform into ooey-gooey goodness.

A bowl of popcorn coated with melted marshmallow in the first part of making holiday popcorn

Step Four: Combine the Popcorn and Melted Marshmallows

Pour about ¾ of the melted marshmallow deliciousness over the popcorn, gently folding the popcorn with a spatula or spoon until most of the kernels are covered in the sweet and sticky mixture. Place the remaining ¼ marshmallow magic aside for a moment.

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Pro Tip

Smear a small amount of butter or cooking oil on the spatula to prevent sticking.

Step Five: Spread

Using a spatula, gently spread the marshmallow-popcorn fusion onto the prepared baking sheet, creating an even layer.

spreading the marshmallow-covered popcorn on a cookie sheet into a single layer

Step Six: Drizzle Remaining Marshmallow

Now drizzle the remaining melted marshmallow evenly over the layer of popcorn.

Step Seven: Add Candies and Sprinkles

Sprinkle the chocolate candies evenly over the popcorn. Then immediately follow with all of the sprinkles.

Add red and green chocolate candies to the popcorn spread out on a baking sheet

Step Eight: Cool

Allow this candied popcorn masterpiece to cool. Then, once it has cooled and the marshmallow has set, break it apart into individual servings.

Voila – a festive treat ready to steal the holiday spotlight and your tastebuds!

Adding Christmas colored sprinkles to the layer of popcorn on the cookie sheet.

Doesn’t this marshmallow-coated delight just scream holiday happiness? 🎄

Tips for Making and Storing Christmas Popcorn

Here are some handy tips on making and storing this Christmas Popcorn. If you have any questions I haven’t answered, leave them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

  • Want to save even more time making this holiday popcorn? Use a bag of already-popped popcorn!
  • While this recipe calls for adding all the melted marshmallows to the mixture, how much you add is up to you.
  • To make it easier to mix the popcorn and melted marshmallow, first, add a little butter or cooking spray to your spatula.
  • Re-butter the spatula before using it to spread the marshmallow-coated popcorn onto the baking sheet.
A close up picture of the Christmas popcorn in a Santa pail

How Do I Remove Unpopped Kernels?

A simple way to remove those pesky un-popped kernels of popcorn is to place a cooling rack over the bowl of freshly popped popcorn, then invert and shake. All of the unpopped kernels will fall through the holes, leaving a bowl full of fluffy popcorn!

How to Store Christmas Popcorn

This Christmas Popcorn recipe is so good it’s hard to imagine that there will be any leftovers. However, this recipe does make a lot. Luckily you can keep it for a few days by storing it in an airtight container at room temperature.

Just note, that the longer the popcorn is kept, the chewier it will become as it absorbs some of the moisture from the marshmallow mixture. However, it still tastes great!

Christmas popcorn served in Santa pails and in front of a bowl of the same popcorn

Sweet Holiday Gift Idea

Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn makes a perfect Christmas or holiday gift! If you’re planning to give Christmas Popcorn as a gift, make sure you put it in an airtight container that can be resealed. Some cute ideas would be to put it in holiday popcorn tins or reusable popcorn bowls covered tightly with plastic wrap and a ribbon.

Be sure to include a little note about how to store it.

Variations

Add a twist to your creation by incorporating some of these festive variations:

  • Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
  • Add a dash of peppermint extract to the melted marshmallow for that extra Christmassy kick.
  • Drizzle with Christmas-colored vanilla candy melts (or Hanukkah-colored candy melts) for an extra dash of color.
  • Use your own favorite holiday-themed sprinkles.
  • Drizzle with melted Andes Chocolates.
  • Change the colors of the candy and sprinkles to blue and white for Hanukkah.
A Santa pail filled with marshmallow-coated popcorn that has been sprinkled with red and green M&Ms and Christmas-themed sprinkles

More Easy Holiday Treats for Christmas

If you liked this easy holiday treat recipe, then you will love these other sweet treats for the holiday season. These Christmas treats are quick and easy to make and can easily be altered to fit Hanukkah or any other celebration at any time of the year!

White Chocolate Peppermint Dipped Marshmallows in a row on a white plate

White Chocolate Peppermint Dipped Marshmallows

White Chocolate Covered Pretzels for Christmas on a red plate

Christmas White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Eggnog Gooey Butter Cookies on a Christmas-colored plate and placemat

Eggnog Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe

I hope you enjoy this holiday recipe as much as I enjoyed making it!

Like It? Love It? Share It!

Did you make this Christmas Popcorn recipe? If so, I’d love to see how they turned out! I adore seeing your own take on my recipes.

Tag me on Instagram @bullocksbuzz or using #bullocksbuzz and share a photo of your tasty creations!

Be sure to save this post either by clicking on that little heart over there to your right or by pinning it on Pinterest. Then share with your friends and family by clicking the share buttons above the post title, too!

And, if you really liked this holiday recipe, comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating on the printable recipe card below!

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Have you made this recipe? Did you like it? Share with us in the comments below!

Christmas Popcorn Printable Recipe

Here are the complete recipe ingredients and instructions in a handy printable format! Enjoy!

Yield: 10 servings

Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn

Christmas popcorn served in Santa pails

Salty and sweet popcorn sprinkled with a festive mix of M&Ms and Christmas sprinkles, this delicious Candy Claus Christmas Popcorn is fun and festive treat that's quick and easy-to-make!

Prep Time 6 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Decorating Time 3 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 cups popcorn, popped
  • 3 tbsp butter, salted
  • 3 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup M&M Candies, red and green
  • 3 tbsp Christmas Confetti Sprinkles
  • 3 tbsp Candy Cane Sprinkles
  • 3 tbsp Christmas Tree Sprinkles
  • salt

Instructions

  1. Pop 10 cups of popcorn, salt liberally, and place in a large bowl.
  2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan.
  3. Once the butter is melted, add in 3 cups of mini marshmallows stirring until they are completely melted. Be sure to turn off the heat as soon as the last marshmallow has melted.
  4. Slowly pour around ¾ of the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn in the bowl and gently fold it into the popcorn with a spatula or spoon until most of the popcorn is covered.
  5. Pour the marshmallow popcorn onto a prepared cookie sheet, spreading it into a single layer with the spatula.
  6. Drizzle the remaining marshmallow mixture over the popcorn.
  7. Quickly sprinkle the candy and sprinkles over the popcorn while the marshmallow coating is still warm.
  8. Allow the popcorn to cool before breaking into pieces and serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 173mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.

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