The answer? Popcorn Balls.

Now, I know when I was a kid, I loved them. I remember trick-or-treating and some of my friends were upset because one of the neighbors was handing out homemade popcorn balls instead of “real” candy. I, however, was happy to take them off their hands – ... read on, Fisherboy »]]> So, my son is supposed to bring a handmade gift as a “Secret Santa” for a classmate. The thing is, the silly bot told the recipient that he was his “Santa,” and specifically asked him what he wanted.

The answer? Popcorn Balls.

Now, I know when I was a kid, I loved them. I remember trick-or-treating and some of my friends were upset because one of the neighbors was handing out homemade popcorn balls instead of “real” candy. I, however, was happy to take them off their hands – I loved them. My mother never made them, and any time I got a chance to have one, I took it.

I, myself, have never made them either – until last night, when my son helped me make the balls. I’m going to share the recipe with you, because they really did turn out delicious – and they were so easy to make.

Popcorn Balls

adapted from AllRecipes.com
makes about 5-10 balls, depending on size

Ingredients

• Just under 1/2c light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp margarine or butter
• 1 tsp cold water
• 1 1/3c powdered sugar
• 4 large marshmallows (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 large bag (about 3.5-4 cups popped) microwave popcorn, plain

Preparation

1. Pop the popcorn as instructed, place in a large bowl. Pull out a cookie sheet and line with wax paper or Saran Wrap.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine everything but the popcorn. Bring to boil and mix well.
3. Pour the syrup over the popcorn and mix well, coating the popcorn evenly.
4. Spray your hands with PAM® and rub together to coat them well; or use some other kind of flavorless shortening or oil to get nice and greased up. Start forming balls of popcorn and dropping them on the cookie sheet.

That’s pretty much it. A side note, though: my son helped a lot with this. We measured and stirred (of course, i was right there supervising him) and he was all excited to make the balls – BUT I wouldn’t let him because it was really hot. I used to do pulled sugar work in school, and although it wasn’t that hot, it was still pretty dang hot. So a tip would be to wait a couple of minutes to let it cool off slightly, and then sort of scrape the popcorn off the top and around the edges. The popcorn seems to hold the heat in, so if you just grab a handful down the middle, it’s gonna hurt.

Also, a lot of people wonder how you get that sticky stuff cleaned off. I’m going to provide you with a useful tip: when you’re finished with everything, run very hot water in your sink, and rinse out the bow and spoon with the hot water. (This trick works well when you’ve over-caramelized sugar or just let it get hardened so it doesn’t come off without chipping, too – add boiling water and it softens and comes right off.)

We wrapped these balls in a square of saran wrap and tied them off with some pretty silver ribbon. He made a card for his classmate, and soon, they’ll be off!

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