Page 4A
East Oregonian
EASTERN OREGON MARKETPLACE
Tuesday, November, 28, 2017
FAMILY FEATURES
’T
is the season to pop up
some holiday fun by creating a
scenic winter wonderland that
tastes as great as it looks.
Gather the kids and make a
hands-on family holiday tradition
out of crafting festive, edible
decorations. Popcorn is the perfect
choice to pop up and eat while
trimming your popcorn tree and
decking out your creations. At
30 calories a cup, whole-grain,
freshly popped popcorn offers a
nutritious alternative to traditional
holiday party nibbles. Popcorn is
naturally low in fat and calories,
non-GMO, gluten-free, has no
artificial additives or preservatives
and is sugar-free.
These clever recipes can help
you make edible decor or gifts
to give to friends, family and
co-workers. Find more creative
holiday recipes
at popcorn.org.
Festive Popcorn Trees
Yield: 10 trees
10 cups air-popped popcorn
1 bag (10 ounces)
miniature
marshmallows
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
nonstick cooking spray
green decorating sugar
blue decorating sugar
1 tube white frosting with
decorating tip
small, colorful candies
(such
as sprinkles and
miniature
silver dragees)
Place popcorn in large bowl.
Place marshmallows and
butter in medium saucepan over
medium-low heat. Stir until
marshmallows are melted and
mixture is smooth. Remove from
heat.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Pour mixture over popcorn in
bowl. Toss well to coat popcorn
evenly.
Line baking sheet with foil.
Spray hands with nonstick
cooking spray then scoop up about
1 cup popcorn mixture.
Shape mixture into cone,
keeping base flat to form tree.
Sprinkle tree with decorating
sugars; place tree on baking sheet.
Make nine additional trees.
Pipe frosting on trees to make
garland then decorate with
sprinkles and silver dragees, as
desired.
Serving suggestion: Place each
tree on sugar cookie and decorate
serving tray with shredded
coconut to resemble snow.
Notes: For best flavor and
color, start recipe with unflavored
white popcorn. You can make your
own colored sugar by adding food
coloring to sugar then stirring in
bowl or shaking vigorously in
sealed container. Add additional
food coloring for more intense
tones.
Edible, handmade holiday decor perfect for gifting
Chocolate Popcorn Reindeer
Holiday Popcorn Snowman
Yield: 8 reindeer
8 cups unsalted, unbuttered popped popcorn
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or light olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 pretzel sticks
16 eyeball candies
8 red candy-coated chocolate candies
Place popcorn in large mixing bowl.
In saucepan set over medium heat, heat marshmallows, chocolate, butter and salt,
stirring often until smooth. Toss marshmallow mixture with popcorn until well combined.
Scoop 3/4 cup popcorn mixture into ball. Repeat with remaining mixture to make eight
balls total. Place each ball in paper muffin cup liner.
Insert pretzel stick on each side of ball to resemble antlers, attach two eyeball candies
for eyes and red candy for nose. Let cool completely.
Tip: Eyeball candies can typically be found in baking aisles of supermarkets or bulk
food stores.
Yield: 5 snowmen
1 package (1 pound) large marshmallows
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine,
plus additional
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 cups popped popcorn
sprinkles (optional)
licorice (optional)
gum drops (optional)
cinnamon candies (optional)
In large saucepan, melt marshmallows and 1/4 cup butter.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Pour over popcorn and stir mixture.
Butter hands well and form into balls.
Decorate with sprinkles, licorice, gum drops and
cinnamon candies, as desired.
Holiday Wreath Popcorn Treats
Yield: 8 wreaths
Nonstick cooking spray
3 quarts popped popcorn
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or
margarine
3 cups miniature marshmallows
3 tablespoons lime gelatin dessert mix
small red candies
jellybeans
red fruit leather
Lightly spray large mixing bowl with nonstick
cooking spray and place popcorn inside.
In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter.
Stir in marshmallows and gelatin dessert mix until
marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
Pour over popcorn and mix until coated.
Spray hands with cooking spray and press firmly
to form into 9-inch logs then bend to form wreaths.
Place wreaths on wax paper. Press candies and
jellybeans into wreaths as decorations; cut fruit
leather to make ribbon and add.
Serve immediately or wrap individually in
plastic wrap for storage. Add ribbon tie to plastic
wrap as decorative closure.
Tip: Soak saucepan before cleaning.