For more than 4,000 years, popcorn has been a beloved snack. Early cultures such as Native Americans enjoyed popcorn so much it became a staple in many diets. Back then, people made popcorn by heating sand in a fire and adding the popcorn kernels to it causing them to pop. Today, making popcorn is easy and economical thanks to the invention of the popcorn machine.

A Popcorn Pop Basket

One of the best treats you can create with popcorn machines is a popcorn pop basket. This is popcorn shaped in a ball with a stick in the middle to look like a lollipop. For each cup of popcorn made, cook a half cup of water, a half cup of corn syrup, and a cup and a quarter of white sugar together with three tablespoons of butter and a pinch of salt.

Once the sticky coating is finished (makes strings when the spoon is lifted out of the pot), mix the popcorn and coating together and form balls about the size of a baseball onto food-safe wooden sticks. To save time, make the popcorn in a popcorn machine while the coating is cooking. Several different flavors of popcorn can be made to add more variety.

A large wicker basket is great for holding the pops; just add foam covered in fabric or colored cellophane to the bottom of the basket. Then, push the popcorn pops into the foam to hold them into place securely. To dress up the 'pops', wrap the popcorn in colored plastic wrap and tie ribbon bows halfway down the stick. Covering the entire basket with colored cellophane is a great way to complete each one.

Festive Popcorn Balls

Instead of using your popcorn machine to make plain old popcorn balls, make colorful popcorn towers. Once the popcorn has cooled, add various candies to it such as miniature marshmallows, smarties, and gummie bears. Then, make the coating as described above, and once it is finished, mix the coating into the popcorn mix. While it is still hot, place a small amount onto wax paper and roll the popcorn mix into round lengths. Finally, wrap colored plastic around the towers to preserve them. A small wooden box makes a great holder for the popcorn towers.

Rainbow Popcorn Bowls

You can make colorful and popcorn treats with your popcorn machine simply by adding different colors of popcorn into a decorative container. To hold the popcorn, use attractive bowls, tins, or even little wooden crates lined with food-grade plastic and parchment paper. Adding the various colors of popcorn can be a bit tricky. Hold a piece of plastic down into the container to hold the popcorn to one side and pour in the first color. Then, add the next color in beside the first and continue until the container is full.

When you are done, slowly pull out the plastic. You can also cut wax paper to fit in the container that can be hidden by adding extra popcorn on top, or you can mix all of the different colors together and simply poor them into the bowl.

Using a popcorn machine to make delightful treats is a great way to sell popcorn. Best of all, these treats are quick and easy to make. Whether you are holding a fundraiser or using the popcorn machine to supplement your business, getting creative will have the popcorn flying off the shelf.