Caramel popcorn balls dipped in chocolate and covered with sprinkles are such a fun and easy homemade treat. These popcorn balls are totally holiday-worthy and great for customizing depending on the season!
If you’re looking for a similar delicious homemade treat, try my marshmallow popcorn balls, next! I also love gifting these popcorn balls with a jar of spiced nuts as a festive, easy food gift.Â
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These chocolate caramel popcorn balls have always been a hit with the whole family. My father? Big fan. He always said that these caramel popcorn balls reminded him of his youth. Meanwhile, my daughter always had the most fun dipping the chocolate-covered popcorn balls into the sprinkles! They’re truly a family affair (and a delicious one at that). I make these popcorn balls every year around the holidays and we make an afternoon out of it, complete with hot chocolate and a Mariah Carey soundtrack.
Why You’ll Love These Caramel Popcorn Balls
- Easy to make. Making popcorn balls always feels a bit like arts and crafts in the best way. It’s very easy, and my version uses caramel candies for extra convenience. There’s no need to boil your own sugar to make caramel from scratch unless you want to.
- Get the kids involved! These chocolate caramel popcorn balls are a great way to rope little ones into Christmas “baking”! There’s not actually any baking involved, and it’s loads of fun to shape and dip the popcorn balls into chocolate and then pile on the sprinkles.Â
- Adaptable. Popcorn balls aren’t just for Christmastime, and there are plenty of ways to change up the sprinkles, etc. to suit just about any occasion.
- Great for gifting. I love giving chocolate caramel popcorn balls out as party favors and last-minute gifts! Wrap them up and tie them with a ribbon, easy peasy.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need popcorn, of course, and a few extra ingredients that are most likely hanging out in the pantry already. In addition to the ingredients I cover below, you’ll also need popsicle sticks! Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the complete list with amounts and recipe details.
- Popcorn – This recipe calls for 14 cups of plain, popped popcorn. This sounds like a lot, but really, 14 cups of popped popcorn = 1 cup of kernels, which is enough to make 10 popcorn balls.Â
- Caramel Candies – I always have a package (or five) of Brach’s Milk Maid Caramel Candy in my cupboard this time of the year. Any chewy caramel candy will work in this recipe. In most cases, you’ll need to unwrap them individually.
- Butter – This can be salted or unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
- Chocolate Chips – Semisweet or dark chocolate chips, melted in a double boiler or the microwave. You can also use chopped chocolate, which melts even smoother.
- Sprinkles – I use red and green Christmas sprinkles, but the beauty of this popcorn balls recipe is that you can customize the decorations for any holiday. Use red, white, and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July or orange sprinkles for Halloween popcorn balls!
How to Make Popcorn Balls
Confession time: The first time I made these chocolate caramel popcorn balls, I burnt the caramel. I looked away for what felt like a second and bam! Burnt. It happened SO FAST. So, let this be a warning that melting caramel on the stovetop requires your full attention. Overall though, the steps are super easy:
- Prepare the caramel popcorn. Pop your plain popcorn, either air-popped or in the microwave. Next, melt the unwrapped caramel candies in a saucepan with softened butter. Afterward, pour that over the popcorn, and toss to coat. Let that cool a little while you prepare the chocolate for dipping.
- Melt the chocolate. Heat the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between until they’re melted and smooth. You can also melt the chocolate over a double boiler on the stovetop.
- Shape the popcorn balls. Now, it’s time to get a little messy! Make sure that the caramel-covered popcorn is cool enough to handle. Then, grease your hands with butter, and shape the popcorn into balls. I usually make mine about the size of a softball, but you can make them smaller, it’s up to you.
- Dip in chocolate. Press a popsicle stick into each popcorn ball. One at a time, dip the balls into the melted chocolate and then immediately into the sprinkles. Set the dipped caramel popcorn balls aside on wax paper while you finish the rest.Â
Recipe Tips
- Don’t let the caramel corn cool for too long. The caramel really needs only a minute or two to cool off before you can start shaping your popcorn balls. If you wait too long, the caramel will start to harden.
- Work quickly. On that note, once the caramel popcorn is cool enough to touch, work quickly when shaping the balls while the caramel is still nice and malleable.
- Grease your hands. Make sure your hands are buttered or greased with a bit of cooking spray before you shape your popcorn. I keep a dish with butter close by so I can freshly grease my hands before shaping each ball.
Easy Variations
- Different chocolate. Dip the popcorn balls in white chocolate, melted peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips. You can also use colored candy melts!
Leave them undipped. Of course, if you’d prefer to skip the chocolate, that’s fine, too! After shaping the caramel popcorn balls, coat them in sprinkles while the caramel is still warm. - Peppermint. Instead of sprinkles, dip the chocolate-covered popcorn balls into crushed candy canes or peppermint candy for another holiday version.
- Colors. Add a few drops of food coloring to the caramel to dye these popcorn balls any color that fits your party theme.
- Mix-ins. Stir mix-ins like M&Ms or mini marshmallows into the popcorn before shaping. Be careful not to overdo it, though, as too many add-ins can prevent the popcorn from sticking.
- Halloween. Make Halloween popcorn balls with orange sprinkles, and you can even fold candy corn or Reese’s Pieces into the caramel popcorn.
- More holidays and occasions. Roll the chocolate caramel popcorn balls in red, white, and blue sprinkles for Memorial Day and July 4th, pink or blue sprinkles for baby showers, or any colors you’d like depending on the occasion.
How to Store
These chocolate caramel popcorn balls taste the best on the day they’re made, but you can wrap them in plastic wrap or parchment paper and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Pop the popcorn. Pop the popcorn according to the directions on the package. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl. Set aside.
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Melt the caramel. Put the unwrapped caramel candies and butter in a medium-sized saucepan; cook over medium-low heat and stir until melted and smooth.
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Combine. Remove the caramel from the heat and pour it over the popcorn. Mix until all the popcorn is well coated. Let stand for a couple of minutes to cool.
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Melt the chocolate. In the meantime, prepare your chocolate chips by melting them either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Melt them until smooth.
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Shape the popcorn balls. Grease your hands with butter and shape the popcorn into the size of a softball.
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Dip! Stick a popsicle stick in each popcorn ball and dip each popcorn ball into melted chocolate, then roll in sprinkles. Place on waxed paper until the chocolate is set. Serve.
Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.