St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun Bait Video
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St. Paddy’s Day is the perfect occasion to make this delicious, festive Leprechaun Bait popcorn snack mix. This sweet no-bake treat has plenty of color and texture to please kids and adults alike!
If you are looking for more fun St. Patrick’s Day recipes you will love our St Patrick’s Day Crockpot Candy, Lucky Charms No-Bake Pie, and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip.
Have you ever wondered why St. Patrick’s Day is sometimes called St. Paddy’s Day?
Here’s the answer:
History of St. Paddy’s Day
Whether you have Irish in your family’s heritage or not, everyone enjoys celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick was a 5th-century British missionary. History states that he is responsible for introducing Christianity to Ireland.
When he died on March 17th, 461 AD, the country named him their patron saint. That is when “The Feast of Patrick” became an annual event.
The celebration includes plenty of Irish food and festivities. Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, and colcannon are popular St. Patrick’s Day foods. Minty desserts like our Chocolate Mint Oreo Trifle are popular as well. You can also change up this strawberry popcorn ball recipe to make another festive treat.
The reason that some people call the March 17th holiday St. Paddy’s Day is because the name Patrick originates from the Irish word, Pádraig.
St. Patrick’s Day snack recipe
Ingredients in Leprechaun Bait
This fun festive, and delicious St. Patrick’s Day snack starts with sweet and salty kettle corn. You can make your own or buy it already popped and ready to use.
If you have regular popcorn on hand, feel free to use it instead of kettle corn. If you want to, you can even add butter to the popcorn.
In addition to the popcorn, the Leprechaun Bait also includes::
- Green M&M’s
- Lucky Charms marshmallows
- Pretzels
- Green and gold sprinkles
- Candy melts and/or almond bark – white and other colors, as desired
Note: The ingredients above are what we use to make our version. If there are other ingredients that you like to snack on, feel free to add them. Maybe some nuts or dried fruit. Have fun with this recipe by experimenting with other add-ins.
How to make it
Get your kids into the kitchen to help you make the Leprechaun Bait. It’s easy to make, and fun too!
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Next, you will add M&M’s, pretzels and Lucky Charms marshmallows on top of the popcorn.
- Place the almond bark or candy melts into a medium bowl. Then, melt them according to the instructions on the package.
- Pour the melted candy over the popcorn mixture. It is going to dry pretty quickly, so using a spatula, quickly (but gently) toss and stir. Continue to lightly toss the mixture until the other ingredients are completely coated with the melted candy.
- Transfer the popcorn mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Use a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to spread the popcorn snack mix out into an even layer.
- While the candy is still wet, sprinkle the gold and yellow sprinkles over the top of the snack mix.
- To add another color to your St. Patrick’s Day snack, heat some green candy melts to drizzle on top of the Leprechaun Bait.
- It will take about an hour for everything to dry completely. When it is dry, use your hands to gently break the candy apart into snack-sized pieces.
What you will need to make St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun Bait:
- St Patrick’s Day colors of candy melts – I used dark green and vibrant green.
- Parchment paper for easy work and no fuss clean up.
- Jelly Roll Pans (baking sheets with sides) – used for everything from cookies to roasting, a good baking pan will last for years.
How to store Leprechaun Bait
To prevent your snack from becoming stale too quickly, keep it in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bags. Be sure to remove as much air from the container/bag as possible before sealing it.
The mixture will stay fresh at room temperature for four to five days.
Because it’s so easy to make this St. Paddy’s Day snack, it’s a great project to have your kids help with. If you want to share the candy at a school or office party, place individual servings into cellophane bags. Tie some curling ribbon around the top of each bag and you’ll be all set!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun Bait (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped kettle corn popcorn, about 1/2 cup unpopped
- 12 ounces mint M&M’s
- 1 1/2 cups Lucky Charms Marshmallows
- 1 1/2 cups mini pretzels, each piece broken in half
- 12 ounces melted vanilla candy coating, Almond Bark or CandiQuik
- 1/2 cup dark green candy melts
- 1/2 cup light green candy melts
- 1/2 cup festive sprinkles, green and gold
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet (13 x 18) with parchment paper, then set aside.
- Place popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl, then add M&M’s, Lucky Charms Marshmallows and pretzel pieces to the bowl.
- In a medium bowl or 2 cup microwave-safe measuring cup, heat vanilla candy until melted, in 30-second increments. Stirring between intervals. Repeat until smooth.
- Pour melted vanilla candy over the popcorn mixture, and use a spatula to stir together. Mix until the ingredients are coated with the melted candy.
- Transfer the coated mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
- Heat candy melts in separate bowls, using the same method as you used for the almond bark. Drizzle the candy melts over the popcorn mixture, one at a time.
- Quickly, while candy melt drizzle is still wet, sprinkle with festive sprinkles.
- Allow to dry completely (about 1 hour), then use your hands to gently break it apart into snack-sized pieces.
- Let Leprechaun Bait dry completely (about 1 hour), then use your hands to gently break it apart into snack-sized pieces.
- Leprechaun Bait can be stored at room temperature in sealed bags or a container for up to 5 days.
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published March 2020
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'Leprechaun Bait' :} I like that. Very colorful.
I will have to make this for my grand and great grand kids (our little munchkins)to see if they will take the bait. I'm sure they will enjoy it.
Thank You.
Thanks, Colleen! Enjoy!
Wonder if you could tell me where and what brand of marshmallow pieces you purchased. I looked on Amazon but got really confused. Thanks, can't wait to make this with my grand children!
Hi Linda, the marshmallows are just from a box of Lucky Charms cereal. Enjoy!
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This came out so good, all of my kids loved it! This is their favorite cereal.
Where can you buy just green M&Ms? This looks fun to make and share.
This Leprechaun Bait recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian is absolutely delightful! Super easy to make and oh-so-delicious.
Hi Marlowe!
We’re so glad that you enjoyed our recipe!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn