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Old Time Popcorn Balls

Read Reviews (47)

"A favorite treat, very popular with my family, hope it's just as popular with yours." — LYNNELEZOTTE

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Original recipe makes 15 - 20 tennis ball sized balls Change Servings

2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 quarts popped popcorn
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

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Directions

Butter the sides of a large saucepan. In the sauce pan combine the sugar, water, salt, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook over medium heat to the hard ball stage 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Stir in the vanilla and slowly pour the hot mixture over the popped popcorn, stirring just to mix well.
Butter hands lightly and shape into balls. Mixture will be hot so be careful. Place balls on waxed paper to cool.

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helpful hint: when making mixture get a glass of cold water, drip mixture in and listen to it, if it crackles, its ready, just do this often you don't want your candy to burn! it works and they come out great. we love them

—Bea

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 30, 2003

These were a disaster for me too. )o: Seemed like I had to cook and stir the syrup mixture forever and then it "sugared" after just a few hours. My girlfriend said, she loved ME but these were the worst popcorn balls she'd ever had! Ugh! Going to try a batch that calls for butter.....

—PJ BAHR

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50 Ratings

Jul 02, 2005

All of the one star/negative reviews are obviously from people who are not willing to invest the necessary time to make this recipe. To say "it never did reach hard ball stage" is a ridiculous statement. As with any taffy-type candy, it takes a while, but of course it will eventually reach that stage. I made the popcorn balls this afternoon and they turned out great. The only thing I may do differently next time is to take the candy to crack stage so it is a bit more brittle (personal preference). Thanks for this good old fashioned recipe, Lynne.

—Pat

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Oct 31, 2005

I loved this recipe, it tasted just like my grandmother's popcorn balls. I think those who tried this recipe and did not wait long enough for the sugar mixture to turn to hardball stage, just did not wait long enough. It did take quite some time to get to that point over a medium/low fire but it did reach the hardball stage. The end result was WONDERFUL and the mixture did not "sugar" after it had set for a few hours...they were perfect and tasted wonderful, just like Grandma's. Thank you Lynne for posting this recipe.

—Scott I

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Dec 06, 2007

This was a fun one!!! I made two batches in one hour and the party loved them... I ate 8 myself... I had no idea what the hardening stage was until it happened.. then i waited bout ten more minutes to make sure and made the batch in a CLEAN kitchen sink and i was done with in an hour.. with two batches... honestly.. try the sink

—kmlee

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Nov 25, 2003

I did this recipe for my children and never made popcorn balls before. I added yellow food coloring to the candy mix and candy corn to the popcorn before the candy mix was added and shaped them like corn on the cob for Thanksgiving. I love the recipe thanks so much. Angie

—Angie Gokey

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Dec 22, 2008

The trick to getting this recipe is a thermometer! They came out ok, but a little chewier than I like. For those having trouble with the syrup, DON'T cook over medium heat! It will take too long and you won't have a workable syrup. Mix, enough to combine, then let it cook over high heat (and yes, it's still going to take about 10-15 min.). Watch it carefully! (mine jumped from 220* to 250* in about 10 seconds)Good luck!

—Jadeth86

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Oct 28, 2004

Couldn't get it to the hard ball stage. The mixture is WAY to watery. Must have gotten mixed up. Looking for another recipe.

—LOSTGAZER

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Nutrition

Calories
220 kcal
11%

Carbohydrates
41.7 g
13%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
6.3 g
10%

Fiber
1.2 g
5%

Protein
1.1 g
2%

Sodium
239 mg
10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Old Time Popcorn Balls

Serving Size: 1/15 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 15
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 220
** Calories from Fat: 57

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 6.3g 10 %
** Saturated Fat 1g 5 %
** Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 239mg 10 %
** Potassium 28mg < 1 %
** Total Carbohydrates 41.7g 13 %
** Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5 %
** Protein 1.1g 2 %
** Sugars 29.7g
** Vitamin A < 1 %
** Vitamin C < 1 %
** Calcium < 1 %
** Iron 3 %
** Thiamin 2 %
** Niacin 2 %
** Vitamin B6 < 1 %
** Magnesium 4 %
** Folate 2 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.