Caramel coconut popcorn balls

While I was running errands over the weekend I was stunned to find Halloween merchandise had invaded the stores already.  So on a whim I purchased my kids Halloween costumes and I have had the spooky Holiday on my mind ever since.  So this week I decided to hop, skip and jump right on over to Halloween blogging.   I wanted to do something that was simple and yummy and doesn't take too much time since I still have a long list of Fall treats to get back too.  It is however, apple and bonfire season and I have pies to bake, apple cookies to decorate and acorn bites to assemble.  But for now these caramel coconut popcorn balls are the star of the show.  If you can make rice crispy treats...then you have these in the bag.   They're so easy and mmm, mmm good.

You start with freshly popped popcorn.  Not the buttery kind.  Then melt half a stick of butter with a bag of caramels.  You could stop there but I added a cup of sweeteed shredded coconut to the mixture once it was melted.

I'm cool like that.

Poor it over top and mix with a wooden spoon.  A little messy, but super easy.

Once cool enough to handle, butter your hands slightly and shape into a ball.  Pack it down as firm as you can until you are happy with the shape. 

That's pretty much it.  Just put 'em in a bowl and serve at your dessert table for a Halloween party or bag 'em up and tie it with a bow for take home treats.   You can even pop a stick in the middle and dress it up with a homemade tag greeting or dip 'em in chocolate and sprinkles. 

There are so many ways to get creative with these.  Here are just a few ideas I came up with on the fly.  This was quickly done, nothing fancy but oh so cute.

Happy "early" Halloween! I'll be back soon for more Fall Fun.

Caramel coconut popcorn balls

YIELD Makes 10 to 12 balls

INGREDIENTS
16 cups plain popped popcorn (do not use buttered popcorn)
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
1/4 cup butter
Pinch of salt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Halloween sprinkles and decorations (optional)


PREPARATION:

1.Place popcorn in large bowl.


2.Place caramels and butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until caramels and butter are melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and coconut. Remove caramel mixture from heat; pour over popcorn. With large wooden spoon, mix until popcorn is evenly coated. Let cool slightly.


3.Place chocolate chips in microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute; stir. Microwave on HIGH for additional 30-second intervals until chips are completely melted, stirring after each 30-second interval. Stir until smooth.


4.When popcorn mixture is cool enough to handle, grease hands with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Shape popcorn mixture into baseball-sized balls; place 1 lollipop stick in each ball. Dip each popcorn ball into melted chocolate and roll in Halloween decorations, if desired. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is set.