Did you know that Americans consume 16 billion quarts of popcorn? That comes out to be 51 quarts per man, woman and child! What it boils down to, is a lot of popcorn!

I'm not surprised that so many people love and enjoy this crunchy corn treat... and fall is the peak season for popcorn sales and home consumption! We love popcorn at out house. I find it makes a nice tide-me-over in the afternoon, when I haven't had any lunch. It's a great snack- for adults and kids of all ages, too. My 23-month-old has just discovered popcorn, and I am pretty certain he's in love with the stuff.

We were lucky enough to receive three boxes of popcorn to review from Jolly Time Popcorn a couple of weeks ago. The timing was pretty perfect, too. Summer is winding down, and we've been in need of some healthier snack options around the house.

Based in Iowa, Jolly Time Popcorn has been around since 1914, and includes four generations of the Smith family- making great popcorn! Jolly Time really cares about the importance of family and family time... and they absolutely love their popcorn! Check out their vision statement!

We were sent three varieties of Jolly Time Popcorn:

Healthy Pop

Kettle Corn 100 Calories

Blast O Butter

Each box contained several mini bags of popcorn, which were the perfect size for personal snacking!

Our Jolly Time Popcorn boxes...

We couldn't wait to dive right into this awesome trio of popcorn! We decided to try the kettle corn popcorn first. I had to pop two bags. I'm not used to the mini size of these bags, and I completely scorched the first bag in the microwave. I found that adjusting the power setting just a little bit helped the second time around. Kettle Corn is my all-time favorite type of popcorn. I love the sweetness! The kettle corn box was the first to be completely devoured! Each bag was 100 calories of sweet, popped goodness!

Balian, discovering that he loves popcorn. Thanks, Jolly Time!

We tried the Blast O Butter next, which Balian and my hubby both seemed to love. It's not my favorite, but it definitely wasn't stomach-churning (like movie theatre popcorn is). The boys gobbled it right up, deeming it the perfect evening time snack.

I loved the Healthy Pop, because it was flavorful, and light. This would definitely be my go-to popcorn after the kettle corn flavor.

Besides the great tasting popcorn, I had a lot of fun looking around on the Jolly Time website. Now, I love to pour mix-in's into my popcorn. Snowcaps, M & M's, Reese's Pieces- yum! I was pleasantly surprised to find a wide variety of popcorn recipes on the Jolly Time website! There are tons of seasonal recipes, and since my favorite holiday- Halloween, is just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share the Jolly Time recipes for a fun Halloween treat!

From the Jolly Time Popcorn website

Ghoulishly Fun Popcorn Balls

Easy to make and a fun family project

3 quarts popped JOLLY TIME^® Blast O Butter^® or Butter•Licious^® Microwave Pop Corn
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 bag (10 oz.) marshmallows
Vegetable food coloring (optional)
Frost and decorate accordingly

Here’s How:

Put the popped popcorn in large bowl or pan; set aside. In heavy saucepan, heat butter and marshmallows on low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. If you wish, add food coloring to the melted marshmallow mix and stir until the color is blended. Pour mixture over popcorn and mix carefully until popcorn is well coated. Press into balls using the JOLLY TIME® Pop Corn Ball Maker, or butter your hands to protect them from the heat and shape as you wish.

Microwave Magic: 

Put popped popcorn in large pan or bowl; set aside. In large microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter on HIGH until butter is melted, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add marshmallows. Microwave on HIGH until marshmallows look puffy, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Stir to completely melt marshmallows (CAREFUL — the mixture will be HOT!). Now pour melted marshmallows over the popcorn and mix carefully until the popcorn is coated.

Yield: about 12 popcorn balls

I can't wait to make these... I think Balian will get a huge kick out of these spooky little popcorn balls. Be sure to check out the entire recipe section on the Jolly Time website for more fun ideas!

Want It? Buy It!

Head to the Jolly Time Popcorn website to see where you can purchase Jolly Time Popcorn, and for tons of fun popcorn facts, and great ideas! 

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How do you like to eat your popcorn?

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.