Halloween Treats: Orange and Purple Marshmallow Pops for Kids (and Adults!)

I cannot thank my friend Virginia enough for turning me onto these marshmallow pops. They are so easy to do, and present so beautifully on a food table and are the runaway hit of every single party I've made them for. Kids go nuts for them, and parents do to. The options are literally endless once you've gotten the basic technique down, which is extremely simple. Even better? These are cheap to make and can make a lot.

Candy melts come flavored with a hint of vanilla. You can get or combine virtually any color you like!

Start off with a bag of jet-puffed marshmallows. Don't bother complicating things with homemade marshmallows; they will be far too soft for this project. Then get your candy melts in whatever color you like. I use Wilton brand you can find at any Michael's store or order online. For the party since it's a kid's themed one this year and Little Girl forbade me from doing anything remotely scary or gross, we did an orange and purple theme with hints of black and yellow. You'll also need lollipop sticks, also found at Michael's or can order online, colored sprinkles of your choosing, wax paper for them the dry on, and a couple of pairs of eager little hands to help you out.

bright orange and purple crystal sprinkles are hard to resist for any trick or treater!

Here are the ingredients for what I used exactly for this project:

Orange and Purple Marshmallow Pops

1 bag jet-puffed marshmallows

about 36 lollipop sticks

1/2 bag orange candy melts -- recommend Wilton brand

1/2 bag purple candy melts -- recommend Wilton brand

1/2 cup orange crystal sprinkles

1/2 cup purple crystal sprinkles

wax paper

Here's the step by step to make them:

1. Stick a marshmallow on a stick. Repeat with all the marshmallows and sticks. Each bag will give you about 34-36 marshmallows. 

2. Melt the candy melts. Place the candy melt chips in a microwave safe bowl. A glass bowl works best. Then on 50% power (or on the defrost setting), microwave for 1 minute, then at 30 second intervals until melted. Using a spatula, stir to combine and smooth out. You're now ready to dip.

3.  Dip the marshmallow stick into the melted candy and swirl it around to coat. You can coat as much or as little of the marshmallow as you like. I personally like the marshmallow part to be visible so people know what it is they are eating, but if you want the whole thing covered then go for it!

 4.  Tap off excess candy melt from the marshmallow. It helps if you gently tap the stick on the side of the bowl as you slowly rotate the stick between your fingers. You want enough coating so the sprinkles will set on top, but if you have too much of the candy part it will drip down and make a bizarre shape when it dries. Use your judgement.  

5.  Roll the dipped marshmallow in the sprinkles. I've found using a combination of gently tapping the marshmallow as you roll it in the sprinkles works best. You can cover as much or as little of the marshmallow as you like; for this I liked having the entire candy melt part covered with the shiny sprinkles, but I also like when some of the candy melt peeks out on its own as well. Up to you.



6.  Lay out a layer of wax paper on a sheet pan or counter top, then place dipped marshmallows on top to set. Using wax paper lets you remove them extremely easily after they're set and the candy melt is hardened. You can use parchment paper, but wax paper really is the best for this kind of thing. Once you've set them down, don't touch them until they're completely hardened or else you'll ruin the shape. It'll take about 2 hours for them to completely dry and be ready to be stored.



Chances are you'll have the candy melts that you melted left over. Don't throw it away! Simply lay out another layer of wax paper and pour out the melted candy like this. Let it set up again (about 2 hours), then crack it into pieces and store in a Ziploc bag for future melting projects!

You can make these up to a whole week in advance. You can keep them in the refrigerator uncovered! (if you cover them and put them in the fridge, the condensation from the moisture in the fridge will soften your sprinkles and make them soggy) or place in gallon-sized Ziploc bags and store at room temperature in a dark place away from heat or the sun.  

You can serve them in cups, canisters, out on platters, bundled up into plastic candy bags and sealed with a pretty ribbon and given away as treats, however you like! These are perfect to give away at kids' school Halloween parties, after church, to the neighborhood kids on Halloween, or put out for a party at home like I'll do this weekend. Again, you can use any color combination or sprinkle you desire -- the technique remains exactly the same. In fact, Wilton puts out seasonal colors and for Halloween right now you can get jet black for a super spooky treat or a creepy slimy neon green color. Love that green with some tiny bone sprinkles! Use your imagination and have fun with it.

And this makes a really fun and easy project to do with kids too. Mine loved dipping and twirling and sprinkling the marshmallows. It's a fun project to teach the kids at school too if you're a teacher. It's fun, it's cheap, and makes tons of treats.

Happy Halloween!!!