I have a love-hate relationship with popcorn balls. I love to eat them but making them… not so much.
I can make cupcakes that look like popcorn, but have failed miserably at making popcorn balls. Last Christmas I tried to make white chocolate peppermint popcorn balls which turned out to be the most amazing white chocolate peppermint popcorn, but balls they were not. I never could quite get them to hold their shape. I’ve learned a few things about making popcorn balls since then, and was eager to give it another try when asked to create a popcorn ball recipe for Good Cook.
I really wanted to make some orange colored popcorn balls this time, so I used orange flavored jello to give the popcorn both a vibrant orange color and a yummy taste. At my local craft store, I picked up some fun black and white popsicle sticks and orange ribbon that were perfect for this project.
One things I have learned about making popcorn balls is that it’s important to have the right tools, like the Popcorn Baller that Good Cook sent to me. My new popcorn baller worked great to keep all the balls the same shape, and to keep me from burning my hands. I simply used a silicone spatula to scoop some popcorn into the baller and pressed it together to form a ball.
Another thing to note is that vegetable cooking spray is your friend. Trust me on this one.
Since I pushed popsicle sticks into my already shaped balls, it was important to grease my hands with cooking spray and scrunch the popcorn back into a tight ball around the stick.
Halloween Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
Popcorn Balls:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 box orange flavored Jello 3 ounce
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 cups popped popcorn approximately
Chocolate Drizzle:
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons shortening
Instructions
- In microwavable bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter.
- Stir in jello and corn syrup.
- Microwave again until it reaches a full boil (approximately 1 minute). Stir. Mix in baking soda. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour syrup mixture over popcorn (in a microwave safe bowl) until it’s covered evenly. Mix well with a spatula until all kernels are coated evenly.
- Microwave the coated popcorn for 30 seconds more.
- Use a popcorn baller or well greased hands to form into balls. If desired, push a popsicle stick into the center of each ball. Allow balls to completely cool.
- In a double broiler or in the microwave, melt chocolate and shortening, stirring until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle chocolate over balls. Allow to harden before serving.
These look so yummy! That popcorn baller looks like a fun little cooking tool too!
Now that is a treat my picky, middle son would actually eat! Those are really cute and festive.
I need to find that popcorn baller. Very cute!
They turned out great! I think shaping anything into a ball and getting it to hold it’s shape is near impossible, so good for you!
These look amazing! Everyone did such an amazing job with these.
I love this gadget – I had so much fun making my popcorn balls with it, I used marshmallows as my binder, but I think next time I’ll try corn syrup.
Those look so good! You’re very creative.
I made some last year but now I can see that they’ve redone their popcorn baller. I’m gonna have to break down and get one, aren’t I?
I haven’t had a popcorn since I was kid. Yours turned out great.
I have the same love-hate relationship with popcorn balls. I used to love them until one year in the dorm, someone (not me!) made a mess of everything, and all the marshmallows that she used to make them glopped all over the microwave and set and stuck there. I was the one in charge of cleaning the microwave, and she didn’t even tell me about it till the next morning. What a job it was cleaning that off! It was stuck on the microwave like iron!!!!