The luck of the Irish will be with you when you munch on this delicious St. Patrick’s Day snack! Fluffy bites of popcorn, salty roasted peanuts, and green M&Ms are coated with white chocolate in a quick recipe that is ready in a jiffy!
There’s a secret ingredient to this treat, entrusted to me by a leprechaun I caught myself two decades ago. Are you wondering how I got this secret recipe to lucky popcorn? Gather ’round and listen to my story!
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The Leprechauns’ Secret Recipe??? How Did YOU Get It?
The short answer? It was a bit of luck, I think!
You’re wanting a longer answer? Well, I suppose I can tell you, if you have time for a story. It’s one your kids will enjoy, so gather them around, read it out loud, and remember the secret told to me by the only leprechaun I’ve ever caught.
How a Teacher Snagged a Secret Leprechaun Recipe
A long, long time ago, I was a schoolteacher. I had a class of the brightest, most ingenious first graders ever! When St. Patrick’s Day was drawing near, a group of students had a brilliant idea to make leprechaun traps.
“Mrs. M!” they called, racing across the playground at recess, red-cheeked and breathless. “That fifth grader said that if you catch a leprechaun, he has to share his gold with you! We could all be rich tomorrow!”
If you’ve ever been on a playground full of elementary school kids, you’ll know that if the kids are excited about something, word travels fast. By the time we headed back to class, all 29 of my first graders were eagerly discussing the theoretical mechanics of building the perfect leprechaun trap!
Did They Build Leprechaun Traps?
Now if there was one thing I knew as a teacher, it was how to seize a teachable moment and run with it!
Our science unit on simple machines wasn’t slated until the end of the schoolyear, but since the kids were buzzing with anticipation about building a trap, I couldn’t let this opportunity slide by. So instead of studying weather patterns as was scheduled that day, we built leprechaun traps!
I rummaged through my cabinets and found some styrofoam cups, yarn, a bunch of scrap fabric, ribbons, and pipe cleaners. It didn’t seem like much, but you should have seen my kids’ faces! I could almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they surveyed my cabinet findings, intent upon becoming millionaires from catching one tiny leprechaun.
Each child was allowed one styrofoam cup and as many other supplies as they needed. I had heard once that leprechauns were attracted to bright colors, so I encouraged them to use their crayons to cover as much of the cup with color as they could. They each drew a blueprint to determine how the trap would work, and then tested each other’s traps. The excitement was so palpable that I ended up making a trap of my own, too!
At the end of the day, each child carefully set up their trap somewhere that they thought a leprechaun might go. Inspired by my tidbit of knowledge of leprechauns liking bright colors, quite a few traps were set up by our rainbow bulletin board. Traps were on desks, in the class library, in cubbies, and by the window (in case a leprechaun passed by outside). Every child left school that day with the confidence of a person who knew that they just couldn’t lose!
Did the Traps Work?
In a word, yes!
I got to school an hour before class was due to start, as was my tradition. I liked having that bit of time to organize myself for the day and enjoy a cup of coffee. I’m sure you understand!
I flicked on the lights, crossed the room to my desk, and was about to toss my bag onto it when I heard a strange sound, almost like an angry puppy. It was the kind of sound that was adorable because it was so small, yet at the same time, so ANGRY!
I paused, looking around, then I heard it again. It was coming from my “teacher bookshelf.” I looked…then did a double take. I couldn’t believe what I saw.
My little leprechaun trap was sprung!
But it wasn’t just sprung. It was…miniaturized! When I left the day before, my trap consisted of an 8 ounce cup and a pencil. But that morning, the cup had shrunk to less than half its original size.
I looked around the room at the 29 other traps. All of them were sprung. And all of them were tiny!
That adorable, wee little sound happened again, drawing my attention back to my trap. I looked back at it just in time to see it move a tiny bit to the left, as if something underneath it was pushing with all its might, trying to get out.
Could it be? I thought.
Was It a Leprechaun?
Slowly, I bent down until I was at eye-level with the now-tiny cup. I tilted the edge of it upward and cautiously peered underneath. It was dark in there and hard to see, but I could tell that something was in there. Abruptly, a tiny, angry face sporting a bright red beard filled the gap, glaring at me.
I screamed and slammed the cup down again. My heart thudded against my chest. It really was a leprechaun!
My thoughts raced. The kids were right! We’re going to be diving into piles of gold! What will the principal say? Will my class be on the five o’clock news?
A shout from beneath the shrunken cup brought me back to reality. “Don’t be actin’ the maggot now! I’m the one locked in this infernal trap!”
He had a point.
“Promise you won’t run away?” I said to the cup.
I heard an exasperated sigh, then a very tired voice said, “I promise, or my name isn’t Destitute McPoorly!”
Relieved, I slowly lifted the cup. As my eyes took in the tiny man in a tattered coat, holey shoes, and a well-worn hat, his words sank in. “Wait a minute. Your name is Destitute McWhoNow?”
The shabby little guy took a little bow with an amused grin. “Destitute McPoorly. You can call me Des, if it’s easier on yer brain.”
I sat back in my chair and stared. I just couldn’t help myself. “You certainly are the picture of your name, Des,” I said, not sure what to think.
He chuckled. “Most folks try to catch us wee folk, tinkin’ we’ll give them riches or gold or nonsense. Never could understand it, meself. We leprechauns ain’t rich, ye know.”
I nodded, hoping to look sympathetic, but I was confused as all heck.
If Leprechauns Don’t Have Gold, What Do They Have?
Destitute McPoorly narrowed one eye at me. “Yer wee ones here…they built these traps to catch a leprechaun and get his gold, didn’t they?”
I opened my mouth to respond, hesitated, then closed it again. Instead I shrugged. “I got nothing,” I said, shaking my head.
He laughed, and when he did, his entire body shook. “I like ye, lass,” he said. “Too proud to admit the errors o’ yer ways, too smart to fib about the whole lot.”
He grinned at me as he settled himself on the edge of my bookshelf, tiny legs dangling. “I’ll tell ye what, dear,” he began. “I’ll give ye something special if ye set yer wee ones straight when it comes to leprechauns and gold and all.”
“Oh?” I asked. “What will you give me?”
“First ye got to promise me that you’ll teach the bairns the truth about us leprechauns.”
“Consider it done,” I replied, interested in finding out the truth for myself as much as for my class.
Des smiled broadly and reached into his coat. He proudly withdrew a vial of tiny, sparkly, green crystals.
I looked at the vial closely. “Those look like green sprinkles,” I said.
Des sighed loudly. “You humans, always ignoring the magic around ye! These,” he said, shaking the vial, “humans might call sprinkles, but they’re really a bit o’ Leprechaun Luck!”
“Leprechaun Luck?” I repeated dubiously. “Green sprinkles are Leprechaun Luck?”
The Effects of Leprechaun Luck
“Think about it,” he said, leaning forward on the shelf. “When was the last time ye ate something topped with Leprechaun Luck?”
“Ummmm…I had some Christmas cookies with sprinkles,” I admitted, “but there were red ones on it, too.”
“The red matters not,” Des said, looking excited. “And how did ye feel when ye consumed that cookie?”
“Good, I guess,” I said. “But it was the holidays. Everyone feels good during the holidays. You know, season of giving and all?”
Des jumped to his feet. “Exactly!” he shouted.
“What do you mean, exactly?” I asked.
“That’s the thing about Leprechaun Luck,” he said, hopping from foot to foot. “It makes ye feel good. When ye feel good, ye spread cheer! Ye become generous with what ye have! And when ye have a givin’ nature, ye receive it all back again…and more!”
In a weird way, his explanation made perfect sense. But I wondered something.
“So Des, Leprechaun Luck makes you feel good?”
He nodded gleefully.
“And when you feel good, you act more generously?”
He nodded again with a wide grin.
“So does that mean the old stories about leprechaun gold are true…except the lucky leprechauns felt so generous, they gave it all away?”
Des pointed his vial of Luck at me. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a BINGO!” he whooped. He did a little jig on my shelf as he reached into a different jacket pocket.
The Leprechaun’s Gift
Des stopped dancing and looked at me as I reached for the paper. “I knew ye was a smart lass! Ye deserve this more than anyone…just be sure to share it with yer young ‘uns. And remember to share me story, too. Ye gave me yer word ye would.”
I nodded. “I would be honored to, Des,” I said, taking the tiny folded paper from his hand and opening it. Scrawled in green was a recipe for Lucky Popcorn that was sprinkled with Leprechaun Luck. To be shared with all you know, the top of the paper proclaimed.
And share it, I would!
“Des, thank you!” I exclaimed as I looked up. But the leprechaun was nowhere to be seen.
As the school bell rang and my kids filed into the classroom, I wondered if any of them would believe my tale. But after hearing the astonishment in their voices when they found their shrunken traps, I knew that they’d be receptive to hearing the truth told to me by one Destitute McPoorly!
The Leprechauns’ Secret Recipe: Lucky Popcorn
Course: Appetizers and SnacksDifficulty: Easy10
servings10
minutes15
minutes25
minutesThe luck of the Irish will be with you when you munch on this delicious St. Patrick’s Day snack! Fluffy bites of popcorn, salty roasted peanuts, and green M&Ms are coated with white chocolate in a quick recipe that is ready in a jiffy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups green M&M candies
1 1/2 cup salted dry roasted peanuts*
I – 4.4 oz bag plain Skinny Pop
1 – 11 oz bag Wilton white chocolate melts
Leprechaun Luck (green sprinkles)
Directions
- Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper (or waxed paper).
- Pour M&Ms and peanuts on lined jellyroll pan.
- Spread popcorn in a layer over candies and peanuts.
- Melt white chocolate melts according to package directions. I used the microwave method: Melt in a glass measuring cup for 1 minute at 50%, stir. Repeat in increments of 30 seconds at 50% until chocolates are smoothly melted.
- Pour melted chocolate over popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to fold chocolate into snack mixture to coat.
- While chocolate is still soft, sprinkle with Leprechaun Luck (green sprinkles). I like to fold the mixture once or twice, then re-sprinkle.
- Spread mixture evenly across pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to solidify chocolate.
- Remove from fridge. Break into bite-sized pieces and serve.
Notes
- *Peanut allergy? No problem! You can substitute pretzel pieces or another salty snack.
- Try adding green marshmallows or cereal pieces for variety.
- This snack becomes stale quickly, so it is best made on the same day that you plan to serve it. Keeping uneaten portions in a Ziploc bag or tightly sealed container will give you the maximum amount of freshness.
Looking for More St. Patrick’s Day Fare?
Be sure to try our corned beef recipe on March 17! It’s braised low and slow for five hours in a bath of beer and Irish whisky. Serve plenty of cabbage, potatoes, and Irish soda bread on the side!
Was This a True Story?
I speak the truth when I say this story is as real as the leprechaun I caught that day!
I’ve never head of this recipe before and it looks so delicious. The story behind the Leprechaun is amazing. I love all the ingredients.
Thank you! I created the recipe, but it is similar to popcorn treats I’ve seen in the past. I’m glad you enjoyed the leprechaun story, too. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!