We have entered what I like to call the season of treats and candy. Beginning with Halloween when all the candy rolls in then moving on to Thanksgiving and Christmas when everyone is in a flurry of baking, making cookies and special treats for friends and neighbors. The next phase is when chocolate and candy hearts hit the stores for Valentine’s Day and ends with jelly beans and chocolate bunnies for Easter. This time of year is a candy lover’s dream and a heath nut’s worst nightmare.

Recently I made a treat for my son’s birthday party that is sweet and fun enough to please a crowd but not overly sweet to put you in diabetic shock: party popcorn. What I love about this is that it is super simple to make and very easy to adjust to any holiday. For the birthday party, I added rainbow sprinkles to make it festive. For Thanksgiving, I have sprinkles that are shaped like tiny little fall leaves (how cute will that be?).  For Christmas, just add red and green sprinkles and you are good to go. One word of warning: this treat is very addictive. Meaning you take one handful and before you know it you will have consumed half the bowl. It’s that good!

Ingredients

3-4 bags microwave popcorn (I like to use kettle-style popcorn to get the sweet and salty flavor combination. Do not use butter lovers popcorn. I love butter as much as the next gal but it doesn’t work for this treat)

1/2 package almond bark (found in the baking aisle)

Festive holiday sprinkles

Instructions

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Pop popcorn and spread out on the parchment paper.

Melt almond bark according to directions on package.

Drizzle melted almond bark over the popcorn then sprinkle the sprinkles. Allow to cool and the almond bark to harden. Store in an air tight container.

Find local party venues and party-planning services on our guide. For even more tips and tricks to pull off a memorable birthday party, click to learn more.