birthday, anyone?

'cause I'm looking for another excuse to make my new addiction favorite treat.  Eli's teachers do a really cool thing and celebrate the summer birthdays in their class throughout the school year.  Maybe you all are familiar with this, but we're new to the whole preschool scene and I just thought it was such a neat idea.  Anyway....E celebrated his birthday with his class this past Wednesday and we were asked to bring a treat to share.  After browsing Pinterest a bit, I discovered "birthday cake popcorn".  And let me tell you...it is so yummy...and so easy....and cheap...and well-liked by adults and kids alike...and something fun that you and your kids can do together...and....ok...I think I'm getting a little carried away ;-)  Thought I'd pass along my new favorite recipe...enjoy!

what you'll need...

from left to right, top to bottom...

1~  pop popcorn and spread out to get rid of un-popped kernels

2~  melt 8 oz. candy-coating (my recipe called for white chocolate, I used almond bark)

3~  mix in 4 heaping tablespoons of cake batter (recipe called for yellow mix, but I used the funfetti mix) until smooth.  Combine candy-coating and batter mixture with popcorn in a large bowl.

4~  add lots of colorful sprinkles (some recipes I found added mini m&ms, etc.)

5~  separate and form popcorn in desired shapes

The recipes I found showed the final product in clusters or balls for serving.  I wanted to do something a little more fun so I thought of using ice cream cones.  It takes a little bit of patience to get the popcorn piled nicely, but I think the finished product was worth it!  Then, we just used some fun cellophane bags for easy tote and to keep them fresh!