Halloween Popcorn Balls
Festive popcorn balls coated in a sweet, sticky candy syrup and decorated for Halloween.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Parchment paper or wax paper
Ingredients
Popcorn & base
- 10 cups popped popcorn unbuttered, plain
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Decorations (optional)
- Halloween sprinkles or edible eyes
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.
- In a medium pot, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil without stirring, and let it cook for about 3–4 minutes until it reaches a light syrup stage (around 230-235 °F / 110-113 °C).
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour the hot syrup over the popcorn and quickly toss to coat evenly (use a spatula).
- Working quickly (before it cools too much), portion and shape the mixture into 12 balls, pressing with lightly buttered hands or using parchment paper to shape.
- Place the popcorn balls on the prepared parchment sheet to cool completely.
- Once cooled and set, decorate with Halloween sprinkles or edible eyes as desired.
Notes
Be careful when handling the hot syrup to avoid burns. Work quickly as the mixture firms up fast. You can substitute dark corn syrup or use marshmallow-based binding instead, though texture may differ.