Caramel Popcorn Ball Recipe

These easy homemade popcorn balls are rich, chewy, and delicious. If you love caramel popcorn balls, you'll love this. And, as a bonus, it's more natural than using pre-wrapped candies, and doesn't require you to sit and unwrap 70 Kraft caramels. Nice. Makes 25-30 balls.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. butter
3 C. brown sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4-6 quarts (16-24 C.) popped corn (unpopped kernels removed)

Instructions: 1. In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil.

2. Pour in condensed milk. Return to a boil. Boil five minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract.

4. Pour hot caramel over popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula.

5. Grease hands and form popcorn mixture into balls.

6. Let balls cool on greased cookie sheets or waxed paper.

1. If using add-ins, add them after you combine the popcorn and caramel-syrup recipe of your choice. Stir well, then form into balls.

2. It's easiest to form popcorn balls while mixture is hot-- get helpers to make the process move along quickly.

3. Keep a bowl of cold water handy to cool your hands if hot popcorn mixture starts to burn.

4. Taking out the unpopped kernels is key-- unless you want to break a tooth. An easy way to do this is to use your hands to scoop the popped popcorn into another container. All of the unpopped corns will fall to the bottom.

5. For colored popcorn balls, pour a few drops of food coloring into the caramel or marshmallow mixture before adding to popcorn. Make the color brighter than you need, as the pale-colored popcorn will dilute any coloring.

6. Resist the urge to over-pack your popcorn balls. Tightly packed popcorn balls are hard and not very tasty.

Popcorn balls can be decorated for any occasion: Halloween, Christmas, birthdays... you name it.

Popcorn Ball Decoration Ideas:

• Food coloring for colored popcorn balls
• Edible glitter
• Melted white, milk, or dark chocolate (drizzled)
• Melted peanut butter or butterscotch chips (drizzled)
• Candies, such as candy corns, jelly beans, red hots, etc.
• Black licorice for "spider legs"
• Gummy "body parts"
• Gummy worms

Popcorn Ball Add-ins:

• Nuts (peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, etc.)
• Chocolate or white chocolate chips
• Peanut butter or butterscotch chips
• Toffee bits
• Melted peanut butter (add to caramel/marshmallow mixture)
• Sprinkles
• Cocoa powder or baking chocolate (add to caramel/marshmallow mixture)
• Mini or regular M&M's
• Graham cracker pieces
• Dried fruit
• Sweetened flaked coconut
• Alternative flavoring extracts: coconut, almond, rum, maple, peppermint, etc.

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