These old-fashioned popcorn balls bring back one of my favorite Halloween memories. When I was a little girl, a lady in our community made them for Halloween, and her house was my favorite place to trick-or-treat. I loved stopping there for one of these sweet treats. This Walton-inspired version is a simple, nostalgic recipe for sharing with family.
Olivia Walton’s Old-Fashioned Popcorn Balls
Course: SnackCuisine: AmericanCook Mode
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Ingredients
12 cups plain popped popcorn
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Softened butter, for your hands
Directions
- Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and remove any unpopped kernels.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Without stirring, cook the syrup until it reaches 250°F on a candy thermometer (hard-ball stage). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. The syrup will be extremely hot.
- Immediately pour the syrup over the popcorn and gently stir until evenly coated. Let it cool just until it is safe to handle.
- Butter your hands and shape the popcorn into balls about the size of a golf ball or slightly larger.
- Set the balls on wax paper or a baking sheet and let them cool completely.
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