Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2012

Excellent recipe. if you dont know what the crackling stage is, this is not a good recipe to try first :)

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

crimsonfyre

Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2012

These came out great! I can't believe how easy they were. One half cup unpopped corn was just the right amount.

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4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

DeaconfanME

Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2011

Very tasty! My adult employees LOVED them! They were gone by the end of the day! They are easy to make and make a great snack!

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

RNorthup

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Alvin, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2011

I made this recipe with some small changes and additions for a Christmas bake sale taking place today. First, I only took the sugar mixture up to 275 degrees since kids will be eating them and I didn't want to rip out everyone's baby teeth. This worked fine--the balls are crunchy and a little chewy, but not very sticky (since I have to package them up). The samples I tasted were excellent--buttery and sweet. Then after I mixed the syrup into the popcorn I sprayed my hands with Pam and started working with the popcorn on the edges immediately since it was the coolest. I formed the balls around pretzel dipping sticks to give a handle to the ball. I was just finishing the 18th ball as the mixture was getting too stiff to form around the pretzel. Finally, I drizzled melted chocolate chips and caramel onto the balls for a fancier looking treat and put them into foil cupcake holders. They are individually wrapped in clear plastic treat bags with red and green ribbons, waiting to head off to the sale this afternoon. Very pretty!

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Reviewer:

Debbie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Plymouth, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2011

I've never made popcorn balls before and this was easy. I do not know how much 5 quarts of popcorn is though, I had to guess! Tastes delicious and I added orange food colorning for Halloween....Thank you for the recipe!

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Maxine

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2011

Excellent recipe. I scorched the first batch by letting it go a hair past hard crack. I tried it again and added the vanilla and vinegar a second before the thermometer reached 300. PERFECT. We used two spoons to mix the caramel with popcorn (we used about a cup and a quarter of corn in a hot air popper). Make sure all un-popped kernels are removed before adding the caramel. We buttered our hands to before shaping them into balls. The kids at the party LOVED them and many came back for seconds! We will definitely make again.

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Reviewer:

kbwright

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2011

great recipe! I wanted a sweeter popcorn ball so I left off the vinegar. I had a problem with my brand new candy thermometer... even with a gas stove I couldnt get it to read past 250!! so I quickly googled hard crack stage and found if you drop a bit of the mixture in cold water... wait for it to cool.. and if it's hard and cracks ... it's at the hard crack stage. Why did I go buy a candy thermometer for this?... it was at hard crack stage the first time I checked it.

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Reviewer:

CookingwithKim

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Modesto, California, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 19, 2011

I added a Caramel Cube (brach's of couse) inside the popcorn balls it was AMAZING even my dad like 'em and he's super picky

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Kurlychika

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ukiah, California, USA

Living In: Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 21, 2011

AWEsome recipe!! I've made these to share at potlucks & people loved them! My variation was that I rolled them as mini balls, to be better served in a potluck-type setting, with so many other foods. One note from my personal experience, which may be a no-brainer for most, but not for me. :) These were so great while they were still warm, that I tried to rewarm the entire batch before taking them to the first potluck. DO NOT REWARM. This resulted in very chewy balls that, while delicious, were a hassle to eat. I took them cold to the second potluck and they were a hit!

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Reviewer:

ShannonWicks

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jun. 19, 2011

Delicious! Before I made this recipe I tried the Best Ever Popcorn Ball recipe posted on this site (because it was well reviewed and seemed faster), but ended up throwing them out - they just tasted like confectioners sugar. It is worth the extra time to boil the sugar to hard crack stage. These turned out crispy and light. I used both the vanilla and the vinegar. For the popcorn, I popped 1 cup of popcorn seeds, but ended up only using about 2/3 or 3/4 of the popcorn. To help shape them I started with buttered muffin tins. I scooped out the popcorn using a buttered 1/2 cup dry measure and pressed them into the muffin tins. After I had all the tins full, I reshaped the popcorn into rounder balls using my greased hands. This seemed to work well - it allowed me to portion out the popcorn while it was hot, and work them by hand before they got too cool to press into shape.

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12 users found this review helpful