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Popcorn BallsPopcorn Balls
October 14, 2021 | Updated October 3, 2022 | Laura
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Popcorn balls are one of the best treats on a fall day and during Halloween! Freshly popped corn is covered in a homemade caramel sauce for the perfect treat. Hand these homemade popcorn balls out on Halloween night or keep them all to yourself to snack on while watching scary movies.
Sweet, Crunchy, and all the fall vibes.
A popcorn ball sitting on your counter means that cooler weather and all the holiday vibes are here! These popcorn balls have the perfect crunch to them and the exact amount of sea salt to get that lovely sweet and salty combo. They are such fun Halloween treats!
Wrap these popcorn balls up and give them out to your friends or eat them all by yourself while watching spooky movies. I won't judge!
This popcorn ball recipe is paired with my Children of the Corn movie night for hopefully obvious reasons. We enjoyed them with these really cute and tasty candy corn Jell-O shots that actually taste like candy corns!
Popcorn Ball Ingredients
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
✽ Popcorn Kernels: I always find that I like freshly popped corn so much better than bagged, and it's pretty easy to make too! I use yellow popcorn kernels.
✽ Brown Sugar: You could substitute brown sugar with white sugar, but I personally like the extra molasses flavor in these popcorn balls from the brown sugar! Light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe.
✽ Light Corn Syrup: This gives the caramel its perfect consistency and stickiness!
✽ Butter: Adds a buttery flavor to the caramel and makes it soft!
✽ Sea Salt: What's better than caramel? Salted caramel. Give me that sweet and salty!
✽ Vanilla Extract: Adds great flavor to the caramel sauce.
✽ Halloween Seasonal Sprinkles: Add a few festive sprinkles for the perfect Halloween treat!
How to Make Caramel Popcorn Balls
➊ Begin by making your popcorn. How much popped corn you end up with depends on what kind of kernels you are using and how many of your kernels pop before taking it off the heat. I used yellow popcorn kernels, and 1/2 cup of kernels gave me about 10 cups of popped corn.
Pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil into a large saucepan. I find that a 5.5 quart saucepan is the perfect size for popping 1/2 cup of kernels. Put the pan with oil on medium heat and add 2 kernels. Wait until both kernels pop.
As soon as they pop, remove from heat and add the rest of the kernels. Allow to cool for one minute off heat (don't turn the burner off), and then move back on the medium heat. Loosely place lid on top of pan so that steam can escape and wait until the popping stops.
Immediately remove from heat and transfer the plain popcorn to a large rimmed baking sheet. Remove any unpopped kernels. You can put down wax paper or parchment paper at the bottom of the baking sheet for easy clean-up.
You could also use an air popper to make the popcorn too.
➋ For the caramel sauce, put 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup butter, and 3/4 teaspoon sea salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until boiling. Boil for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
➌ Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and add sprinkles, if using. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, spray hands with non-stick spray or dip hands in cold water. Mix all together and start to form the popcorn mixture into 2 to 3-inch balls. You should get 8-10 popcorn balls. Cool completely.
Store leftover popcorn balls in plastic wrap or in a single layer inside of an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
What to Serve with Festive Halloween Popcorn Balls
✽ Candy Corn Jello Shots; If you want to keep up with the Children of the Corn theme, try out these candy corn Jell-O shots that actually taste like candy corn!
✽ Candy & Nuts; A great way to make these popcorn balls extra fun is to add peanuts, chocolate candies, or your favorite candy after pouring on the caramel sauce (prior to forming the balls of popcorn)!
Easy Popcorn Ball Recipe Information
✽ Baking Soda and Popcorn Balls
You may see some popcorn ball recipes include baking soda in the ingredient list. The purpose of baking soda in the caramel sauce is to create a softer caramel when at room temperature.
The baking soda reacts with the brown sugar and corn syrup which are both acidic and creates carbon dioxide bubbles. This is why your caramel will foam up when you pour in the baking soda. Once the caramel cools down, those little bubbles will make the caramel soft!
So, here's the deal. I tried these popcorn balls with and without baking soda.
The ones with baking soda were a lot chewier and softer. The caramel was definitely more difficult to get down as it got stuck in all my teeth. It was kind of a sticky mess.
The popcorn balls without the baking soda were crunchy and a lot easier to eat. And because the caramel was only cooked for a couple minutes, the caramel isn't too hard to bite through when they cool.
Overall, I didn't find baking soda necessary here and enjoyed the popcorn balls without baking soda a lot more!
✽ How many kernels do I need to get 10 cups of popped corn?
This is a tricky question as how much popcorn you end up with depends on what kind of kernel you have and how many kernels actually pop.
Most sources on the internet and on back of popcorn bags will say that 1/2 cup of kernels will give you anywhere from 15-17 cups of popcorn. However, I've made 1/2 cup of kernels multiple times, and I always end up with about 10 cups of popcorn.
This recipe is for 10 cups of popcorn so I would say cook up 1/2 cup of kernels and measure out 10 cups. Then butter and salt the rest, if you have leftovers, and enjoy on its own!
31 Days of Halloween
These popcorn balls are a part of my 31 Days of Halloween. For each day in October, I come up with a cocktail recipe and snack recipe that perfectly matches a scary movie, Halloween movie, or a fun spooky activity. Check it out for all of your Halloween snack and drinking desires!
Looking for more great fall recipes?
→ Check out all of my favorite fall recipes!
Popcorn Balls
By Laura | Laura the Gastronaut
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8-10 popcorn balls
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Popcorn balls are one of the best treats on a fall day and during Halloween! Freshly popped corn is covered in a homemade caramel sauce for the perfect treat. Hand these easy Halloween popcorn balls out on Halloween night or at Halloween parties or keep them all to yourself to snack on while watching scary movies.
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (240 grams) light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Halloween sprinkles, optional
Instructions
➊ Make the popcorn: In a large saucepan, pour in the oil and 2 kernels. Place over medium heat until both of the kernels pop.
➋ Remove the pan from the heat, add in the rest of the kernels, and let sit off-heat for one minute (don't turn the burner off). Put back onto medium heat. Loosely place lid on top of pan so that steam can escape. Cook until the popping stops. Remove from heat and transfer popcorn to a large rimmed baking sheet. Remove any unpopped kernels.
➌ Make caramel sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, add brown sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and sea salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until boiling. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Off heat, stir in vanilla extract.
➍ Make popcorn balls: Pour caramel sauce over popcorn in large rimmed baking sheet. If using, add sprinkles. Let sit until cool enough to handle. When ready, spray hands with nonstick cooking spray or dip hands into cold water. Mix the popcorn and caramel sauce together, and form the popcorn into 2"-3" balls. You should get 8-10 popcorn balls. Let cool completely.
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Fall, Halloween, Sweets, Cuisine: American
Keywords: soft popcorn balls, homemade popcorn ball recipe, halloween popcorn balls, fall popcorn balls, traditional popcorn balls, easy recipe for popcorn balls, children of the corn recipes
More Fun Fall Treat Recipes:
✽ Pumpkin Spiced Donuts (delicious fried pumpkin donuts coated in browned butter)
✽ Cheesy Pumpkin Soup (a very cheesy and pumpkin-y soup that will fulfill all of your fall needs)
✽ Homemade Apple Cider (nothing says fall like a nice cup of warm apple cider on a chilly fall day)
✽ Caramel Apples (another delicious Halloween favorite)
→ Check out all of my fall recipes and Halloween recipes!
Bon appétit!
October 14, 2021 by Laura Ehlers
*This Popcorn Balls blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.