I know that it is important to eat healthy when you can, but there are always occasions when it is okay to splurge as well!

Usually those occasions are holidays when the family gets together to have fun and eat great food. In particular, we love to get together with family on Memorial Day and the 4th of July for picnics and BBQs.

In addition to the meat, salads, and other great foods that we enjoy on those holiday, we always love to have great desserts too. When we can make desserts that have the same theme as the holiday it is even better!

That is why we decided to make these delicious red, white, and blue popcorn balls for the 4th of July this year! They are so easy to make and are very patriotic. I am definitely going to make this a regular for Memorial Day and the 4th of July going forward!

The great thing is that you can take the same basic recipe and just change the colors for other holidays – like Christmas or Halloween too!

How To Make 4th of July Popcorn Balls

To make these, you will start by making a delicious homemade marshmallow cream sauce that consists of marshmallows, butter, and sugar.

Once the marshmallow cream sauce is ready, you will add it to the already popped popcorn and stir before moving on to the next step.

You will want to let it cool a little bit before you grab the mix with your hands to form the balls, because it will be extremely hot at this point! Don’t let them cool too long though, because you still want to be able to form them.

Once they have cooled for maybe 5-10 minutes, you will want to put some oil or butter on your hand to keep them from sticking. Then carefully form the popcorn balls and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to continue cooling.

The final step in the process is to melt these colored red, white, and blue candy melts like these, and then put each color in a separate small plastic bag with a small opening cut in the bottom corner.

Carefully drizzle onto the popcorn balls and let cool completely before removing and putting on the serving plate to take to your event.

What is your favorite food for Memorial Day and the 4th of July?

Check Out These Great Snack Ideas

• Rice Krispie Treat Pops (Red, White, and Blue)
• How To Make Authentic Sweet Tamales (3 Different Varieties)
• The Best Churros Recipe with Sweet Piloncillo Dipping Sauce
• Honey Bunches of Oats® Marshmallow Bars
• White Chocolate Striped Peanut Butter Blossoms

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Red, White and Blue Popcorn Balls

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 1 Bag of Popcorn popped
• 6-10 Red Candy Melts
• 6-10 White Candy Melts
• 6-10 Blue Candy Melts
• 1 Bag of Jumbo Marshmallows
• 1 Stick of Butter
• 1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar

Instructions

• Start by melting the butter, together with the sugar of medium low heat, until completed melted and combined.
• Add the bag of marshmallows and continue to cook of medium low heat until the marshmallows are completed melted and you have a smooth marshmallow cream.
• Add the marshmallow cream to a large bowl with the popcorn and mix well.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Add some butter or oil to your hands and form the popcorn balls, placing each on the parchment paper.
• Melt the candy melts per package instructions and add each to a separate plastic bag, cutting a small hole in the corner.
• Drizzle the candy melts on each popcorn ball and let cool completely before serving.

The post Red, White and Blue Popcorn Balls appeared first on My Latina Table.

How Do You Make Rice Krispie Treats

Rice krispie treats are something that I never tried until I moved to the United States in 2010. Since then I have tried them quite a bit and now I really like them! They are a great, easy treat to make in a hurry. Also, they are versatile enough that you can make many different versions.

The basic recipe consists of butter, marshmallows, and rice krispie cereal. This recipe that one of my good friends gave me adds a few extra ingredients that really make them extra tasty!

Getting the quantities right is very important as well.

Most of the time you will see rice krispie treats served without and extra decoration and just as squares.

While that way is just fine and we do it like that all the time, sometimes I like to let my creativity run wild and try something new. One thing about rice krispie treats is that they can be pretty sticky.

That is why I decided to put a lollipop stick in one end of them to create these rice krispie treat pops!

With the 4th of July coming up, I decided to decorate them with some red, white, and blue colored chocolat. I am definitely planning on making these for all of our patriotic holidays going forward.

Awhile back, I had an activity with some of the teenage girls at our church, and I brought these as a refreshmen. Let me tell you – they were a hit! Everybody loved the rice krispie treat pops, and they did not last very long.

On that occasion, I actually didn’t make the “pops” version, because it was going to be a little bit difficult to take them there. That is why I did a variation, leaving them in the pan and decorating the top with red, white, and blue like the ones below.

If you are looking for a new twist on an old classic, make sure you check out the recipe below and let me know how they turn out!

Here are some other great snack ideas

• The Best Churros Recipe with Sweet Piloncillo Dipping Sauce
• How To Make Authentic Sweet Tamales (3 Different Varieties)
• Honey Bunches of Oats® Marshmallow Bars
• Red, White and Blue Popcorn Balls

Print

Rice Krispie Treat Pops (Red, White, and Blue)

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

• 10 Cups of rice krispie cereal
• 3 Sticks of Butter
• 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 Teaspoon of salt
• 3 bags of mini marshmallows
• Red White, and Blue melting chocolate
• Sucker Sticks

Instructions

• Cut the butter into pieces and add to the stove over low heat.
• Immediately add the marshmallows and cover, allowing the butter and marshmallows to slowly melt, stirring occasionally.
• When the marshmallows have melted completely, add the vanilla and the salt.
• Next add the rice krispie cereal, a few cups at a time and stir together.
• Coat the baking pan (and your hands) with butter and transfer the mixture to the baking pan.
• Press down into place and let cook until slightly hardened.
• Melt the chocolate according to the instructions on the package.
• Cut the rice krispie treats into squares and then dip the end of the sucker stick into some of the melted chocolate before inserting it into one end of the rice krispie treat. Let sit for a few minutes before dipping in the chocolate and decorating as desired.

The post Rice Krispie Treat Pops (Red, White, and Blue) appeared first on My Latina Table.