May Day Treats for May Baskets

May Day Treats for May Baskets

If you’re one of those people who celebrated May Day when you were a kid by making May baskets out of paper or berry baskets, filling them with goodies, and delivering them to friends and family, and you’d love to keep the tradition alive for yourself or your kids, we’ve got a delicious treat just for you.

Popcorn has always been a popular “filler” for May Day baskets (inexpensive, easy, and yummy), but you’ll turn heads when you deliver your May Day baskets that you’ve filled with this sweet and colorful popcorn concoction.

As far as popcorn snack recipes go, this is one of the best we’ve tried. This is a gelatin-flavored popcorn mix so you can vary the color by changing the flavor. Make a single-colored batch or make three individual batches and mix them together like we did for a kaleidoscope of happy springtime colors. The recipe for this popcorn treat can be found below, and there’s a variation for a PBJ version too.

Candied Popcorn

INGREDIENTS (Makes 11 Cups)

Butter for greasing pans
11 C. popped popcorn
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (3 oz.) pkg. dry gelatin powder, any flavor

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 300° and line a work surface with a big sheet of aluminum foil. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil too, extending it over all sides; grease all the foil with butter. Divide the popcorn among the baking sheets and put them into the oven to warm.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk and dry gelatin; heat over low heat about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the warm popcorn; stir to coat. Spread out evenly on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer the popcorn to the prepared work surface. Cool and break into pieces.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Popcorn: Put 4 C. popped popcorn into each of two bowls. Melt together ½ C. white candy melts and 1 T. peanut butter, stir until smooth, pour over the popcorn in one bowl, and stir to coat; spread out on parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining popcorn by melting together ½ C. white candy melts and 1½ T. grape jelly. Once cool, stir flavors together.

How to Make an Easy May Basket

As for that May Day basket, you can simply use a sheet of lightweight cardstock or even butcher paper. Roll it into a cone shape, tape or glue the edges, and add a ribbon hanger; fill with goodies and deliver. The “ding-dong-ditch” tradition is to deliver the basket, ring the doorbell, and run away so you’re not caught in the act. If you ARE caught though, you’ll be the most popular delivery person on May 1!