A Fun and Easy Valentine’s Day Treat
I am always looking for new holiday rituals to engage in with my kids. I love the idea of traditions that my kids will remember. I have typically shied away from baking because I felt too busy with work and after school activities. However, there are simple activities that can be done in the kitchen that do not take a lot of time or skill. This year we made cookies and chocolates for Christmas. We also love easy kid-friendly king cakes for Mardi Gras!
Valentine’s Day is a fun time to incorporate crafts, baking and creativity. I wanted to do something fun this year besides buying a box of cards. We decided to make popcorn for our Valentine’s Day treats.
The mixture is oh-so-simple. It’s popcorn mixed with pink chocolate, sprinkles and m&m’s. This is a sweet and salty treat that can be customizable for any holiday by changing the colors that you use! The other fabulous aspect of this holiday treat is that it’s one children can truly help with. It does not take too much time, there are several steps where their little hands can get involved, and they will take a sense of pride in the final creation. Plus, added bonus … the family can enjoy the leftovers as a treat! This also makes a great family-friendly activity before movie night. Not that anyone is watching Encanto on repeat these days, right?!
What you will need for this Valentine’s Treat ::
- Popcorn
- Candy Melts – We bought these from Michael’s and used pink. If you want to use more than one color, go for it!
- Red Sprinkles or Valentine’s sprinkles
- m&m’s – I used white cheesecake m&m’s
- You can add small pretzels for an added crunch, if desired
- Valentine’s zip locks from Michael’s if you want to give out to classmates or family members
Directions to make this Valentine’s Treat ::
- Pop the popcorn and let it cool in a big pan
- Take the candy melts, pour them into a microwave-safe bowl and melt them in the microwave. Follow the melting directions on the back of the bag.
- Once the melted chocolate is smooth, pour it into a small ziplock bag and cut a small hole at the end of the bag to make your own “icing bag” of sorts. Be careful not to make the hole too big.
- Next, use the zip lock bag to squeeze the melted chocolate over the popcorn.
- Next, let the chocolate completely harden. This takes about ten minutes.
- Once the chocolate has hardened, throw sprinkles on the popcorn.
- Lastly, add the m&m’s to the mixture. Stuff the popcorn into Valentine’s zip lock bags for classmates and friends.