Marshmallow popcorn, also called marshmallow creme popcorn, is usually a sweet snack made from popped corn and marshmallow fluff. This food can be made at home or purchased at grocery stores and snack shops. It is also a flavor of microwave popcorn. Homemade marshmallow popcorn is made by heating a mixture of popped corn and marshmallows or marshmallow fluff, then cooling it. Some marshmallow popcorn is served as loose individual kernels or in small chunks, while other types are cut or formed into shapes like balls or rectangles. Popcorn shapes made with marshmallow tend to have a chewier texture than the popcorn balls that are given out around Halloween, though some traditional popcorn ball recipes also include marshmallows.
This sweet snack can be crispy, with a marshmallow flavor to the popcorn and a texture similar to kettle corn, or it can be stretchy and gooey, somewhat like homemade marshmallow treats made with puffed rice cereal. This type of popcorn can be made by stirring the ingredients together in a warm pot, or by pouring the mixture into a pan and baking it. The baked variety is often cut into rectangles, while Sometimes, marshmallow popcorn rectangles are topped with sweet adornments, like chocolate sprinkles, which are added during the last few minutes of baking to allow them to slightly melt into the marshmallow squares.
Most marshmallow popcorn recipes call for marshmallow fluff rather than real marshmallows. Marshmallow fluff is white in color and has either a stretchy or thick liquid texture. It can be bought in stores or made at home. This ingredient is also common in homemade fudge and frosting.
Marshmallow fluff recipes can vary, but it is generally made with a mixture of corn syrup, sugar and salt with evaporated milk, egg whites and vanilla extract. The mixture is whipped until it takes on the desired texture. When marshmallow fluff is heated, it takes on a stretchier consistency, like saltwater taffy.
When making marshmallow popcorn at home, it is particularly important to ensure that no unpopped kernels make it into the mixture. The cooked marshmallow fluff can mask the presence of the hard unpopped kernels, making them a potential eating hazard. A reasonably reliable way to avoid getting unpopped kernels in a batch of marshmallow popcorn is to put the popped kernels in by hand rather than scooping or pouring them into the mixture. Biting down on a hard popcorn kernel within the soft marshmallow popcorn is an unpleasant surprise that can crack a tooth.