Recipe courtesy of Harry Potter: Official Christmas Cookbook
Golden Snitch Popcorn Balls
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 74 Snitches
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 74 servings
- Calories
- 90
- Total Fat
- 3
- Saturated Fat
- 1
- Carbohydrates
- 17
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 12
- Protein
- 0
- Cholesterol
- 3
- Sodium
- 24
- Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Active: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
20 cups popped popcorn (about 3/4 cup of kernels)
1 tablespoon water
1 cup golden syrup
1 cup mini marshmallows
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing hands
2 cups gold sanding sugar
2 cups white chocolate chips
Gold luster dust, optional
Directions
Special equipment:
148 wooden toothpicks, plus more for breakage- Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Have extra softened butter standing by for greasing hands. Place the popped popcorn in a very large bowl.
- Add the water, golden syrup, marshmallows, powdered sugar, salt, and butter to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously, until all the marshmallows are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from the heat and pour over the popcorn, stirring quickly to combine. Make sure to incorporate all the syrup mixture, scraping it off the bottom of the bowl. Allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Using buttered hands, create the snitches by using about 2 tablespoons of the popcorn mixture and shaping it into a tight ball. Place on one of the baking sheets You will need to regrease your hands periodically.
- To decorate: Pour the sanding sugar into a shallow bowl and roll each snitch in the sugar to coat completely. Set aside (extra sugar can be reused).
- To make the wings for the snitches: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in 30 second bursts for a total of 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat work surface. Using a narrow carving knife, coat the top 3 inches of the knife on one side in a thick layer of chocolate. Press the tip of the knife against the parchment and draw the knife toward you smearing the chocolate like you would paint on a palette, creating a feather shape. Place a toothpick in the center of the feather leaving about 1/2 inch exposed. If needed, spread a bit more chocolate over the toothpick to cover. Use the tines of a fork to gently scrape the “feathers” into the chocolate, working from one side to the other, being careful not to go all the way through. Repeat the process, making sure to pull the fork the opposite direction to create a mirrored wing. Continue until you have enough sets of wings. Leave the wings to set for 5 minutes.
- Once the wings are set, carefully remove them from the parchment and hold with the toothpick. Gently brush both sides with gold luster dust. Insert the wings into the snitch popcorn balls just before serving, using the exposed toothpick end.
Cook’s Note
The chocolate wings are very fragile so you will want to make extra sets. If a sturdier set of wings is desired there are many premade paper ones available online. Just make sure to inform guests the wings are décor only and not edible. This can be made vegetarian by using vegetarian marshmallows.