These Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn Squares are like your favorite cereal bars, but with extra gooey marshmallow and popcorn instead of cereal.
I am a huge sucker for marshmallow cereal bars, which is evidenced by the fact that I have to date, 6 different recipes for them on my blog in all kinds of flavor variations. They're easy to make and delicious - what's not to love? But I recently started to think about making them with something other than cereal.
My family also loves popcorn, and coincidentally, I also have 6 different popcorn recipes on my blog, in both sweet and savory versions. I decided to merge two of my favorite things into one.
While I have known that popcorn balls (some made with marshmallow, some not) exist since I was a child, I had never seen them in the form of squares. Since I dislike handling sticky, marshmallow-bound mixtures with my bare hands because of the mess, I decided to try making Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn Squares, and I'm glad I did.
I used a similar butter/marshmallow ratio that I use for my Cornflake Squares, which requires more butter than is used in regular rice krispie squares and results in an extra buttery, gooey marshmallow binder.
The resulting squares are not as crunchy as regular cereal bars, because of the natural texture of popcorn. The bars are a bit softer and more chewy, which Mr. Dreamboat didn't like, but the rest of my family did. When I went to grab one for myself yesterday, I was disappointed to find that they were already gone. If you like popcorn, give these a try!
How to Make Marshmallow Popcorn Squares
Making these Marshmallow Popcorn Squares is just like making classic rice krispie squares, but with the extra step of popping some popcorn.
I use an air popper, but whichever method you prefer will be fine too. Just be sure to use plain, unflavored popcorn, and avoid any microwave popcorn that has butter/salt added to it. Though I haven't tried, I suspect that using storebought bagged kettle corn would work well too.
Once you've got your popcorn popped, measure it (you'll probably want to use the largest measuring cup you have). I needed about ½ cup of popcorn kernels to get the 16 cups of popcorn I used for these squares, but the popped volume of popcorn can vary.
While you're popping and measuring the popcorn, I highly recommend that you keep your eye out for any unpopped kernels and remove them, as you don't want to bite down on one of these in your squares.
Once you have your popcorn popped and measured, the rest of this recipe is the same as making rice krispie (or any other cereal) squares. I increased the butter to marshmallow ratio, which is similar to my cornflake squares. This makes the marshmallow part of the squares extra gooey and delicious.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl (to save on dishes, use a bowl big enough to accommodate all of the popcorn). Microwave it on high in 30-second intervals. Alternatively, melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop.
Add the salt and marshmallows and stir the marshmallows to coat them with butter. Melt in 30-second intervals again, stirring after each interval. Once the marshmallow is melted, stir the mixture vigorously until it's emulsified (note that if the mixture still looks greasy with visible pockets of butter, it's not mixed enough - keep stirring). Stir in the vanilla.
Add the popcorn and gently stir it into the marshmallow mixture until all of the popcorn is evenly coated. Pour the popcorn mixture into a greased 9x13" baking pan and gently press the popcorn into the pan. Let the pan set at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
Turn the slab of set popcorn squares onto a large cutting board (you might have to carefully pry it out of the pan with a spatula or butter knife) and cut into squares of your desired size. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container or zipper bag for up to 2 days.
A note on measurements for this recipe
Note that I scaled this recipe based on the package size of marshmallows that are commonly available in North America right now (400g in Canada or 14 ounces in the US).
If you are elsewhere in the world, package sizes might be different. Also, package sizes are subject to change (they recently decreased from 454g or 16 ounces), so make sure to check the size of the package you are using.
It is also important to know that the volume of popcorn that results from a certain amount of unpopped popcorn kernels can vary. Because of this, I recommend measuring your popcorn (by volume) after popping, not before.
Marshmallow Popcorn Squares Ingredients
- Marshmallows - I recommend using mini marshmallows for the easiest/fastest melting, but regular marshmallows will work too. Avoid jumbo marshmallows.
- Butter - or you can use a dairy-free butter alternative to make this recipe dairy-free
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt - or if you're using table salt, use half the amount (¼ teaspoon instead of ½ teaspoon)
- Plain popcorn - don't use butter-flavored microwave popcorn here. Pop it in an air popper or in a large pot on the stove.
Optional Mix-Ins
Although I opted not to add any mix-ins to my Marshmallow Popcorn Squares (this time), you totally could. I would suggest ½ to 1 cup, depending on what you're adding (for dense items like sprinkles, go for the lesser amount).
- Sprinkles or other small candies like chocolate chips M&M's, Canadian Smarties, Reese's Pieces, etc.
- Salty items (if you like sweet & salty) like plain potato chips, pretzels, etc.
Want more marshmallow square recipes?
Marshmallow Popcorn Squares Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one square if you cut the recipe into 24 pieces. If you cut your squares larger or smaller than this the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free as written. To make these Marshmallow Popcorn Squares dairy-free, simply replace the butter with a dairy-free butter alternative.
Note that as marshmallows contain gelatin (which is made from animal products), this recipe is not vegetarian or vegan.
Marshmallow Popcorn Squares
Equipment
- Popcorn Popper optional, or use a large pot
Ingredients
- 16 cups plain popcorn (you will need ½ to ⅔ cup popcorn kernels, or possibly up to 1 cup to make this)
- ½ cup butter or use a dairy-free butter alternative to make this recipe dairy-free
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 400 grams marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Get Recipe IngredientsInstructions
- Generously grease a 9x13" baking pan with butter or a neutral-flavored cooking oil. Set aside.
- Using an air popper or other popcorn popping method of your choice, pop approximately ½ cup of plain popcorn kernels. Measure out 16 cups of popcorn and set it aside (if you're short of 16 cups after ½ cup, pop a little more - many popcorn poppers can only accommodate ½ cup per batch). Pick out any unpopped kernels of popcorn that you see.
- Melt ½ cup (115 g) butter and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl in the microwave on high temperature in 30 second intervals (alternatively, you can do this in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop).
- Once the butter is mostly melted, stir in 400 grams (14 oz) marshmallows. Melt on high speed in 30 second intervals again until the marshmallows are melted. At this point, the butter and marshmallow will be separated, but stir it vigorously for at least 30-60 seconds, and the mixture will come together and emulsify. (Note that if the mixture still looks greasy with visible butter, it's not done - keep stirring). Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add the popcorn to the bowl, and stir carefully to avoid crushing the popcorn until the popcorn is evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture. Pour the popcorn mixture into the prepared baking pan and gently press it into the pan. Let the pan set at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Cut into squares of your desired size (remove the whole slab from the pan before cutting to avoid damaging your pan). Store the squares in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
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