Here is our Easy Popcorn Ball Recipe

Here is a Easy recipe for making Great Homemade Popcorn Balls!

This is actually a healthy snack that just about everyone will love and we show you several fun recipes for making popcorn balls including Colored popcorn balls! You  may also want to click on this link to read our article on Colored popcorn which teaches you how to make colored popcorn (popcorn with a hard candy like colored coating) which you could do first then make them into multi colored popcorn balls! – Thats twice the work though and we want this to be Easy !

Basic Information about making the Popcorn Balls

Popcorn Balls can be VERY easy to make. Basically you are going to heat up sugar and corn syrup in a pan and pour it over already cooked popcorn then form the now sticky coated popcorn into balls by hand.

We are also going to show you how to make Colored popcorn balls and discuss ways of decorating the balls with sprinkles and such to match any holiday occasion.

Recipes facts:

Most bags of microwave popcorn have 10.5 – 12 cups of popcorn in a bag when popped and these recipes will work fine for that many cups. Its not rocket science and a little more or less won't hurt.

Mini microwave bags of popcorn tend to have 5-6 cups of popcorn and you can cut this recipe in half if you use mini bags of microwave popcorn.

Recipe 1) Old fashioned Popcorn Balls

 Ingredients 

1. 1/2 cup sugar (note you can use brown sugar for a different taste and slightly darker colored popcorn balls – they look more old fashioned that way).
2. 1 Microwave bag of plain unbuttered unflavored popcorn – about 12 cups popped popcorn
3. 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

Other items needed:

1. Large bowl
2. Pam cooking spray or butter or oil (to coat your hands with when making the balls)
3. Sauce pan to heat the syrup in.

Directions

1. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl.
2. Mix syrup and sugar in a large saucepan; bring to boil.
3. Remove syrup from the heat.
4. Pour HOT syrup over popcorn;
5. Mix with a  large spoon to coat all the popcorn
6. Allow to cool 3 or 4  minutes so you can handle the popcorn without getting burned..
7. Coat hands with Pam or Butter or Oil.
8. Shape into popcorn balls, each about 3 inches in diameter.
9. Place balls on plate lined with wax paper and allow to cool.
10. Un-popped popcorn can be stored in an airtight container for about 1 year. It is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer because the kernels will retain more of their natural moisture and pop up larger and fluffier.

Recipe 2) Colored Popcorn Balls

OK this is super easy.

You take the exact same recipe and instructions from the Easy Popcorn Balls Recipes above but you add in one package of jello mix of any color jello you want to use.

Or you can just add food coloring to the mix. Either way works!

You add the jello mix to the sugar and syrup in the sauce pan and then heat it. It will color the syrup/sugar whatever color the jello mix is.

Then you coat the balls just the same and make the balls just the same only they are now colored popcorn balls!

 Decorating popcorn balls

OK this is another easy change to the  old fashioned (plain) popcorn balls.

Since the popcorn balls are sticky you can put just about any kind of food decoration around the outside.

Here are some ideas:

1) Sprinkle the balls with cake sprinkles after forming the balls – or you can even roll the balls in the sprinkles.

2) Use the festive sprinkles that are made for special holidays to make popcorn balls to match the holiday. Such as red white and blue for the 4th of July, etc.

3) For a healthy alternative you can use peanut or Cashew pieces.

4) mini marsh mellows – kids LOVE this!

You can click on this link to go to our home page and see more great recipes like homemade Popcorn Balls!

OK thats it for this article