When I was a kid, my mother used to make these amazing popcorn balls. I found her recipe while making my Christmas sweets and cookies. For the first time this year, I prepared the family recipe. My girls, who are now adults with their own families, questioned why I hadn’t created these earlier. This recipe will now become a Christmas tradition for the family after more than thirty years.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 20 |
| Yield: | 20 balls |
Ingredients
- 8 quarts popped popcorn
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup (such as Karo®)
- 1 cup margarine
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sort through popcorn, discarding unpopped kernels.
- Combine evaporated milk, sugar, corn syrup, margarine, and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; stir constantly until caramel reaches 246 degrees F (119 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
- Pour some popcorn into a very large bowl. Pour in some of the caramel; stir until evenly coated. Add remaining popcorn and caramel in batches, stirring well after each addition.
- Scoop some of the popcorn mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Gather and twist the plastic wrap to gently shape into a ball. Place popcorn ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; repeat with remaining mixture. Let cool until set, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 340 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 43 g |
| Cholesterol | 7 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 357 mg |
| Sugars | 27 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great recipe, I might suggest a low temp oven bake so it’s not too sticky, 225 for 30-45 minutes after the caramel is on the popcorn. Also, it takes well over 5 minutes for the sugar/Karo mixture to get to 245.