Circus Animal Cookie Popcorn Balls
These Circus Animal Cookie Popcorn Balls are a fun and colorful treat made with popcorn, marshmallows, and the iconic Circus Animal Cookies. An easy treat for kids’ birthday parties and school events.
Tackle 2026 dinners with our gorgeous Ultimate Meal Planner - just $4.50 this week with coupon code NEWYEARS50. Get it here.
WANT TO SAVE THIS FOR LATER?
We'll email it to you - along with our free printable party planner!
They’re especially great for summer gatherings, sleepovers, or holiday celebrations. You can make this recipe with your kids.
If you are making this for a party, serve them with Rice Krispies treats or fruit kabobs for a complete treat table.
How to Make Circus Animal Cookie Popcorn Balls
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Heat the sugar and water over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes a clear syrup. Add the food coloring and stir until the color is fully blended.
2. Pour the syrup over the popcorn in a large bowl and toss until all the popcorn is evenly coated.
3. Mix in the broken pieces of Circus Animal Cookies.
4. In a separate pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and cook, stirring continuously, until they’re fully melted.
5. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and cookies. Stir everything together thoroughly, then, with gloves on, shape the mixture into 12 popcorn balls.
Serve & Enjoy!
Important Recipe Notes
- Once the marshmallow mixture is ready, you’ll want to mix and shape the popcorn balls quickly before it cools and hardens.
- Use Gloves or Buttered Hands: The mixture will be sticky. Wearing gloves or lightly buttering your hands makes shaping the popcorn balls much easier.
- Make sure your popcorn is fully popped and free of unpopped kernels. Hard kernels can hurt little teeth and make shaping difficult.
- When adding the broken Circus Animal Cookies, fold gently so they don’t crush too much but still stick to the popcorn.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Don’t refrigerate, or the marshmallow may harden too much.
- Only a drop of red food coloring is needed, but you can adjust slightly if you want a brighter color.
Circus Animal Cookie Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 1 drop Red food coloring
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10.5 oz bag marshmallows
- 9 cups popped popcorn
- 2 cups Circus Animal Cookies ,broken into pieces
Instructions
- Heat the sugar and water over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes a clear syrup. Add the food coloring and stir until the color is fully blended.
- Pour the syrup over the popcorn in a large bowl and toss until all the popcorn is evenly coated.
- Mix in the broken pieces of Circus Animal Cookies.
- In a separate pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and cook, stirring continuously, until they’re fully melted.
- Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and cookies. Stir everything together thoroughly, then, with gloves on, shape the mixture into 12 popcorn balls.
