Autumn Popcorn Balls

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When I was little my grandmother made popcorn balls at the holidays. Sticky, sweet deliciousness! I set out to create a “healthy” version of the recipe that could be a festive autumn treat. The girls and I made ours to look like pumpkins and used dried blueberries for jack-o-lantern faces. The result was a cute and tasty snack. Be prepared for your kids to get a little messy with this recipe, but it’s worth it I promise. The girls had so much fun making these that I couldn’t even snap any pictures of them making the pumpkins (we were all too sticky). Sometimes living in the moment is better than photos.

Autumn Poporn Balls

Ingredients:

4 cups Popcorn (air popped, low salt is ideal)

1/2 cup Sunflower Butter (Peanut or Almond Butter work too)

2/3 cup Brown Rice Syrup

2 tbsp Apple or Pumpkin Butter

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Pretzels

Dried Blueberries

Add the sunflower butter, rice syrup, apple or pumpkin butter and nutmeg to a glass bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds and whisk ingredients together. Gently stir into popcorn until most of the popcorn is coated. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Using your hands (the kids LOVE this part) form palm sized pumpkins and place on a parchment lined tray. They will still be pretty sticky but will set in about 15 minutes. Place the pretzels in the top for stems and use the blueberries for a face, if desired! Makes a great snack or treat for a school party – it’s nut free if you use sunflower butter.

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Tara
Tara is mom to two energetic daughters Bianca and Iyla. Passionate about inspiring others to cook healthy, delicious and allergy-friendly food, she owns Yummy Sprout, which provides healthy culinary adventures through classes and more. Check out yummysprout.com. Tara has been featured in the Wisconsin State Journal and on Channel 3 WISC-TV on topics including “making your own baby food”, “cooking with kids” and “packing healthy school lunches”. She adores living in Madison and all it has to offer family life. Her favorite ways to spend time include messing up her kitchen while recipe testing, running, yoga, writing, painting, traveling and reading books with her girls.

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