Popcorn Balls

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Have you made this?

By Tina Schmittgens
@StarBaker

I have very fond memories as a child making popcorn balls with my mom. We would butter our hands and toss the ball from hand to hand very quickly since the gooey mixture was hot! We made something in the kitchen every Saturday and I always treasured this special time that we had together. At Christmas time, my mom and I would double and triple the recipe and wrap them in red and green plastic, tie a ribbon around the balls and hang them on our edible Christmas tree. Then about a week before Christmas, all the children in our neighborhood would come and take one special treat off of the tree!

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Serves:

24 medium balls

Prep:

30 Min

Cook:

30 Min

Ingredients

2 c: sugar
2/3 c: light karo syrup
2/3 c: water
1/2 c: butter or margarine
2 tsp: salt
1 1/2 tsp: vanilla extract (not imitation)
6 qt: popcorn (popped)

How to Make Popcorn Balls

Step-by-Step

1Mix sugar, Karo syrup, water, margarine, and salt in a saucepan.
2Cook until mixture becomes brittle when tried in cold water (270 degrees) on a candy thermometer. Make sure the mixture is only stirred occasionally to keep from sticking on the bottom. Otherwise, it will turn to sugar.
3Add vanilla and stir.
4Pour slowly over the popped corn; mix well. I use a wooden spoon to toss lightly using the over and under method (stirring will crush the popcorn).
5Grease fingers generously with butter and form into medium-sized balls. I toss them from hand to hand quickly to keep the mixture from burning my hands! Working fast to make the balls is the key to success! The mixture hardens quickly.