Snow Day! And Marshmallow Popcorn Balls

After nearly a week of rain, it got cold enough last night to turn to snow.  This is what it looked like before we went to bed last night.

And this is our backyard this morning.  More snow would have stuck if the ground hadn't been so wet and warm but this is still a treat for our North Carolina winter.  The kids are nearly vibrating with excitement this morning. 

 

 

Last night, in hopes that we'd make the snow gods happy, we made popcorn balls.  It must have worked since we're out of school and we have a beautiful, white world out there.

 

These are super easy popcorn balls.  They use the same marshmallow goop that rice krispy bars use.  You start with a huge bowl of popcorn.  Jon got an air popper for Christmas.  It really came in handy.  We actually should have filled the bowl up all the way.  The marshmallow goop goes a long way.

I melted a bag of mini marshmallows, 1/4 cup butter (or Earth Balance), a tsp. vanilla, and a big pinch of salt (since we had unsalted popcorn) in a sauce pan.  When it was just melted, I poured it over the popcorn and started the sticky job of stirring and stirring until the popcorn was all coated with goop. 

Spray a cookie sheet and your hands with cooking spray. 

Start squeezing the popcorn into balls.

It's a messy sticky job but it's worth it.  Squeeze the balls tightly so they'll stick together better.

Evan had a little trouble but finally got the hang of it.

They were so delicious.  I think I like these popcorn balls better then rice krispy treats.  Be careful of the unpopped kernels that get mixed into the balls.  Chew carefully. 


The kids are getting bundled up to go outside even though it's not even 8am.  The thing about North Carolina snow is that it melts fast so you have to go out early. 
Happy Snow Day!