This 4th of July Patriotic Popcorn is a quick and simple holiday treat to enjoy with family!
I love making a quick and festive snack to enjoy with the family for the 4th of July. With only a few simple ingredients, this Patriotic Popcorn is a festive treat that's so simple, the kids can help with ease. The addition of chocolate candies to a buttery popcorn coated in a red, white, and blue vanilla coating and topped with festive sprinkles makes it the perfect sweet and salty treat! It's perfect for holiday movie nights, parties, and when divided up and packaged, it even makes a great gift or party favor to share!
This Patriotic Popcorn couldn't be easier to make! Along with your favorite popcorn, you will also need some red, white, and blue M&Ms, candy melts, and patriotic sprinkles.
Pop your favorite popcorn, follow package directions for popping, whether that's in a popcorn maker, stovetop, or in the microwave. Pour the popped popcorn onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and look carefully to remove any un-popped kernels.
Melt the red, white, and blue candy melts in separate microwave-safe bowls. Microwave each bowl for 1 minute, stir, and continue microwaving in 30-second intervals until fully melted. Transfer each color to a separate small piping bag or a zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off for drizzling.
Drizzle the three colors of candy melts over the popcorn, having each color cover 1/3 of the popcorn.
Sprinkle the mixture generously with patriotic sprinkles. Let the popcorn cool completely, and then break it into smaller pieces and stir it all together with red, white, and blue M&Ms!
4th of July Patriotic Popcorn
Servings: 6-8 cups
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Ingredients:
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- ¼ cup red candy melts
- ¼ cup white candy melts
- ¼ cup blue candy melts
- ¼ cup Peanut M&Ms (red, white, and blue)
- 1 Tbsp patriotic sprinkles
Directions:
- Pour the popped popcorn onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure to remove any un-popped kernels.
- Melt the red, white, and blue candy melts in separate microwave-safe bowls on 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stir each one well after each interval until they are completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the candy melts into separate small piping bags (or a zip-top bags with a corner snipped off) for drizzling.
- Drizzle each of the the candy melts over the popcorn mixture evenly.
- While the candy melt is still hot, immediately add the sprinkles to the popcorn mixture.
- Allow to cool completely (about 15-20 minutes). For faster cooling, place the popcorn mixture into the microwave. The popcorn mixture will harden as it cools, so gently break it into clusters.
- Stir in the M&Ms and combine them evenly.
- Serve in a large bowl or into separate serving bags for party favors.
Tips:
- Storage: store popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Popcorn may absorb some of the candy coating and become chewy over time.
- You can use any kind of popcorn, whether it's homemade in a popcorn maker or in a paper bag, microwave popcorn, or pre-packaged popped popcorn.
- Change things up with different flavors of M&Ms (regular, peanut butter, etc).
- Any holiday sprinkles will work - jimmies, nonpareils, sugar crystals, or a mix (like I did).
- Can also add in nuts: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, etc.
I'm so excited to whip up many more batches of 4th of July Patriotic Popcorn to enjoy on the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or for a patriotic movie night, and hope you try them for yourself! Not only is it fun and simple for kids to make, but it's so delicious!! If you decide to give this recipe a try, I'd love to hear all about it! Please share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest!
Looking for more 4th of July inspiration?
Check out this collection of OVER 100 creative 4th of July crafts and recipes!!
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