Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2010

These turned out great! Good thing I tested to see if it was ready using the ice water method because my candy thermometer turned out to be broken. Everyone loves them!

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Reviewer:

Dawn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Livonia, Michigan, USA

Living In: Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2010

As other reviewers noted, the temperature is way too high. I used a candy thermometer and at 300 the syrup was very dark and burned. The balls are a bit too hard and have a smoky, burned flavor to them. I'll try a lower temperature next time. That said, this recipe definitely has potential.

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Reviewer:

indiblue

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2010

this is the second recipe i tried and it was absolutly perfect and exactly what i wanted!!! thank you soooo much!!!!!!

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Reviewer:

chrissy

Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2010

A nice recipe, but something was lacking a little in the flavor for me. Perhaps next time I'll use brown sugar instead of white sugar. I used about 1 1/4 cup unpopped popcorn to get 5 quarts of popped. I also greased my hands with butter prior to shaping the balls...this seemed to help a lot. After shaping the balls, I placed them on waxed paper so they wouldn't stick. I got about twenty 3-inch balls in the end. Will probably be making these again ~ kids love'em!

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Reviewer:

Shae's Mama

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2010

Super easy and delicious; I had a hard time getting the balls to stay together so I'm not sure if it was something I did or if the recipe directions were lacking. It was my first attempt and I'll definitely try them again.

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Reviewer:

SarahCrash

Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2010

A couple of hints. POPCORN: Pop it first and keep the correct amount in large bowl in a warm oven. Get the bowl hot as well. CARAMEL (1) stir sugar/butter mixture constantly over medium high heat until it begins to foam. Once foaming, leave it alone except for the occasional slow stir. (2) it needs to boil several minutes longer than you think.. the caramel will look ready, but if it hasn't reached the proper stage, it will turn to fudge instead of candy when it cools. (3) once it has reached the stage you are after (I like taffy stage) remove from heat, add vanilla ans stir slowly. (4) This is NOT THE TIME for KIDS to help. The hot caramel is extremely dangerous and will burn to the bone -- pour mixture onto the popcorn. Mix with two long handled wooden spoons. Be careful to not get your hands into the hot caramel. (5) Let the popcorn cool to the point where you can handle it with bare hands. Cover your hands with butter and begin forming balls. (This is where kids can safely help, just be sure they wash their hands first!). (6) You will need at least one helper in order to get all the popcorn formed into balls before they harden.

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Reviewer:

Leigh Sheppard

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2010

went and bought a candy thermometer took it all the way to hard crack stage. Syrup was then dark and popcorn balls taste burnt. Fail....

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Reviewer:

lyevga

Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2010

For those that like less sweet popcorn balls: omit the vanilla and the vinegar. add an extra 4-6 cups of popcorn to the 5 quart (20 cup) recipe. This worked fantastic for us! I did NOT use a thermomater for these... you need to reach hard crack WITHOUT over cooking, and sometimes the thermometer is not as effective as dropping into a cold glass of water. when it comes to a frothing boil to see where you are... if you can push it around into a ball but its still squishy its soft ball... if you can push it into a ball and it then gets hard its hard ball... and if you push it into a ball and it then crackles up or you can't quick get it into a ball before it crackles up its PERFECT. Mine did NOT turn brown before it reached this stage and in my skilled took only 5-10 minutes. They formed nice firm balls without breaking your teeth. I cooked in very large cast iron skillet with tall 4 1/2" sides.

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Reviewer:

PUNKINLUVSU

Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2010

DON'T go for hard crack stage on the caramel sauce if you like CHEWY popcorn balls! The first two batches I made I waited for hard crack stage and the popcorn/caramel was terribly hard to mix and turned to hard candy right away. The balls did form nicely but when we went to eat them, we could only eat 1/2 before the caramel stuck to our teeth in a death grip/filling wrenching way. No one ate more than 1/2 ball. The next batch I made I cooked the caramel to between soft and firm ball stage(240 F): the popcorn and caramel mixed well, the balls are nice and chewy though forming the balls was a bit tougher but with a little work and buttering your hands, you'll be fine.

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