This 3-Ingredient Snack Is “Quite Possibly the Best Idea That Has Ever Been Thought Of”

Light, airy popcorn is the perfect vessel for a variety of toppings. You can douse it with melted butter and salt at the movie theater, make a flavorful spice blend to toss with the popcorn, sweeten things up with chocolate, or go salty-sweet with classic Cracker Jack-inspired popcorn. And from Popcorn Salad to Lemon Popcorn, social media has no shortage of fun ideas for how to use the crunchy snack in creatives ways.

Now, people on TikTok have been using popcorn to riff on a different homemade snack, resulting in a salty-sweet treat that’s dangerously hard to stop eating. Meet Popcorn Rice Krispies Treats.

TikTok user @kerlovichkitchen recently posted a video encouraging people to make Rice Krispies Treat-ified popcorn. Instead of making the same old marshmallow cereal treats with Rice Krispies, the creator grabbed a bag of buttered, salted microwave popcorn and mixed it up.

Commenters on the viral video were quick to point out that the combo essentially creates a deconstructed popcorn ball, though others who have never had a popcorn ball were rightly intrigued by the combo.

One commenter said, “Am I the only person who has never had, or even heard of, a popcorn ball?? I’m amazed and will be trying asap,” while another called it “Quite possibly the best idea that has ever been thought of.“ Another added, “I seriously just gasped! I neeeeed to try these.” Other commenters shared that they grew up eating the snack, with some referring to it as Sticky Popcorn and Popcorn Cake.

How to Make Popcorn Rice Krispies Treats

To make the popcorn treats, you essentially make your standard Rice Krispies Treat marshmallow mixture and swap popped popcorn for the cereal. Pop a bag of microwave popcorn or 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels and set aside. Then, combine 1/2 cup of butter and 1 pound of marshmallows in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until the marshmallows are melted and the mixture is smooth and uniform. The creator @kerlovichkitchen recommends adding a dash of salt and vanilla extract to the mixture, but do what feels right for you. Then simply add your popcorn to the marshmallow mixture and stir. You can transfer it to a pan and cut it into squares or to a bowl to eat by the cluster. 

If you want to make this treat your own, there’s plenty of room for creativity. You can swap the popcorn for potato chips (the Ruffles version had its own viral moment last year),  add a sprinkle of seasoning on top such as cinnamon or a drizzle of chocolate, or mix in pretzels, mini M & Ms, caramel, or peanuts for an extra salty-sweet flavor. No matter how you make it, it's bound to be your new go-to movie night snack.