My Grandma Niederhauser loved sweets, and made what she called “Jell-o Popcorn” for every holiday. She didn’t do fancy things with it, but it was easy to grab a chunk to eat from a large pile of it that often sat on a nice serving tray. Jell-o Popcorn can be made in any flavor, and I have found that I can even make black bats by using black food coloring in any flavor of Jell-O (check your lips and teeth after eating!).

I’ve taken her Jell-o popcorn one step further and form it into shapes which are then decorated to look festive for different holidays. For Halloween, I like to make Jell-O Popcorn pumpkins and bats. Not only do they look cute on a Halloween BOO-ffet, they make a lower-in-fat-than-all-of-the-Halloween-Candy snack. Don't get me wrong; there is nothing nutritious about this Jell-O popcorn! Kids love it though, and a little won't hurt them as long as they brush their teeth after eating.

These Halloween popcorn shapes are quick, easy, and cheap! In fact, my 10 year old Granddaughter, Isabella, and her friend Destiny shaped and decorated the pictured pumpkin and bat by themselves.

Orange Popcorn Pumpkins

Makes 1 large or about 18 small pumpkins

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 3 oz. package orange Jell-O gelatin
9 cups plain popcorn
Orange food coloring

Black Decorating Icing
Yellow Decorating Icing
Green Decorating Icing, or green fruit roll-ups

1. Bring the sugar and syrup to a boil.


2. Remove from heat and add Jell-O and a few drops of orange food coloring, stirring until dissolved.


3. Pour the mixture over the popcorn.


4. Mix well and with buttered hands; form the warm mixture into either one large pumpkin shape or several small pumpkin shaped balls.


5. Outline the eyes, nose, and mouth with black icing, then fill in with yellow for a jack-o-lantern face; add green icing for leaves and stems, or, you can use fruit roll-ups cut into eyes, nose, mouth, stem, and leaves.

Black Popcorn Bats

Makes 1 large or about 18 small bats

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 3 oz. package of your favorite Jell-O gelatin
9 cups plain popcorn
Black paste or powdered food coloring

Colored Gumdrops, rolled thin and cut into eyes and mouth
slivered almonds for fangs

1. Bring the sugar and syrup to a boil.


2. Remove from heat and add Jell-o and a few drops of black food coloring, stirring until dissolved.


3. Pour the mixture over the popcorn.


4. Mix well, and with buttered hands, form the warm mixture into either one large bat shape or several small bats.


5. Use gumdrops and/or frosting to make the bat face.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 189 Calories from Fat 31
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 17% Protein 2% Carb. 82%

Nutrient Amount per
Serving
Total Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 61 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 1 g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 4%