Popcorn Ball Recipes

How To Make Popcorn Balls The Old-Time Way

How to make popcorn balls:

One method of making popcorn balls requires a pint of molasses or syrup (either maple syrup, sugar molasses, or corn syrup), two cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter, and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Cook till the syrup will harden into a firm ball when a little is dropped in cold water. Pour the hot syrup over four or five quarts of popcorn, stirring till each kernel is well coated, when it may be pressed with the hands into balls or molded into any form desired.

Molasses Popcorn Balls

Take three large ears of popcorn (about one cupful). After popping the corn, shake it down in pan so the unpopped corn will settle at the bottom; put the nice white popped corn in a greased pan. For the candy, take one cup of molasses, one cup of white or light-brown sugar, one tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil until it will harden in water. Pour on the corn. Stir with a spoon until thoroughly mixed, then mold into balls with the hand.

No flavor should be added to this mixture, as the excellence of this commodity depends entirely upon the united flavor of the corn, salt, and the sugar, or molasses.

Popcorn Candy Recipe

This delicious recipe for popcorn candy is similar to the popcorn ball recipes, except the candy mixture isn't allowed to boil to the hard ball stage. Hence, the candied popcorn remains loose and is not formed into balls.

Put into an iron kettle one tablespoonful of butter, three tablespoonfuls of water, and one cupful of white sugar; boil until ready to candy, then throw in three quarts nicely popped corn [remove all unpopped kernels]; stir vigorously until the sugar is evenly distributed over the corn; take the kettle from the fire and stir until it cools a little, and in this way you may have each kernel separate and all coated with the sugar. Of course, it must have your undivided attention from the first, to prevent scorching.

Almonds, English walnuts, or, in fact, any nuts are delicious when prepared in this way.

For eight quarts of corn take one cup molasses and one-half cup sugar. Boil until it hardens in cold water, and then add one-fourth teaspoonful soda to improve color. Pour over corn, mix well and press into balls. One pint unpopped corn equals eight quarts when popped. --Mrs. Guthrie

One cup of molasses, one cup of brown sugar, one tablespoon of vinegar, butter size of an egg. Boil all ingredients until brittle. Pour this over two quarts of popcorn and mold into balls.