OT Caramel corn and/or popcorn balls recipe?

No popcorn recipes from me - but do let me warn you about what you've always thought of 'sweet Leslie'. WRONG. Leslie gets a 20% kickback from all the dentists. If you have elderly crowns, I strongly suggest you bypass the caramels. Leslie should just find another way to pay for Purina Chow. Polly

Polly, you are a first class rascal and I love ya for it! Pat on her green has the solution. She tucks the caramel away in the roof of her mouth and sucks on it. That way it lasts longer plus saves her teeth. Nothing comes between Pat and her caramels. She'll find a way, believe me! ;-) It was her love of caramel that got me making them in the first place.

Taria, I think that caramel recipe would make awesome caramel corn. I'd cook it to a little lower temp (maybe 240 degrees???) so it doesn't set up as much when cooled then drizzle the caramel syrup over the popped corn and mix with your hands. Of course, then you'd be 'forced' to lick your hands clean! Win, win, win! And the 'caramel sauce' would be awesome for dunking slices of apples in it, too!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.- where we've made six batched of caramels in the past month!

My usual popcorn ball recipe would probably leave you toothless.

I make molasses taffy and use that for popcorn balls. Sometimes I add salted peanuts for a crackerjacks sort of flavor.

DH makes butter toffee for popcorn balls.

One of my aunts manages to make them with a clear candy. I think she uses candy glass and shapes them either with an ice cream scoop or while wearing gloves. You would have to be very fast to pull it off. Sometimes she does a bunch of flavors and wraps them in colored cellophane according to flavor. Note that at least to my palate anise flavored popcorn balls are more than a little odd. The buttery ones with roasted caraway seeds are surprisingly nice though.

How much candy to popcorn is going to depend on how thin you want it spread on the corn. I don't suppose it would help to tell you that a skillet's worth of toffee does a big mixing bowl of popcorn nicely? One recipe of molasses taffy does my bread making bowl full of popcorn. Um, I *think* that that would be about a quart of molten candy to about 2 gallons of popcorn. Just ran and looked at the only popcorn ball recipe I know of in the house and it says a lump of butter the size of a small hen's egg melted with 2 cups of sugar to a golden brown syrup, and stirred into a gallon of popped corn.

What my lot is already asking for are candy apples. I made them one christmas about 15 years ago because apples were cheap, and I have had all the kids and half the neighbors making inquiries every year since. One of DD3's friends from elementary school called to ask about visiting, and asked if I was making candy apples. Get over enthusiastic about something once, and you may be stuck for life!

NightMist

I don't post often but always read and couldn't resist this one. My recipe is fail proof and soooo easy.

Caramel Corn

7 quarts popcorn +/- 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup margarine 1/2 cup white karo (use Karo, others have some water) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp soda

Place brown sugar , margarine, corn syrup and salt in pan and bring to boil; boil 5 minutes. Add vanilla and soda, it will foam up. Put popped corn in roaster and stir hot mixture into corn. Bake in 250 degree oven for 1 hour stirring ocassionally.

Notes: I spray EVERYTHING with nonstick. Sure helps in cleanup. I also use a hot air popper and make about 5/6 poppers. Set my timer for 15 minutes and stir while in oven. Store sealed and it keeps for quite awhile.

This recipe has been around a long time. Got it from a 5th grade teacher when I worked in school system about 1963.

Hope all have a wonderful holiday.

Anna Belle

This is a pretty easy caramel corn recipe: Pop about 6 quarts of popcorn. Combine 1 cup butter, 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup white syrup (or honey), and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda. Pour over corn and mix well. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Stir while cooling.

If you are looking for a popcorn popper, DD has a Nordic Ware microwave corn popper that makes good popcorn, with or without adding oil. or

I have -- and like -- the Presto Power Pop. It also works with or without oil. or

Julia > Anyone of you experts out there have a recipe for either or both of these?

Here's my favorite way to make caramel corn - no mess! My late husband loved it - quit making it when he we found out he was diabetic.

Donna in Idaho

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Taria, I have never used butter, but temps are low so I don't see any reason not to use it. The end result is crispy, not sticky on your teeth. You can also add nuts (Cracker Jax) just before you pour on the hot caramel.

Ok, now I have to go make some. AB

Donna this looks like the recipe I used years ago to make caramel corn and I've looked for it for a while now with no luck, Thank you!!!

Judie

Taria, I use this same recipe except with butter rather than margarine. It's really good.

marcella

Howdy!

Oh, sure: hop in my PT Cruiser, head east 2 miles, pull in to the Popcorn Stop on S. Cooper St., and pick up as much as I think I can handle, caramel, cheese, spicy, hot; straight from the bag, popcorn balls, in cans, tins, boxes. My favorite is still the good ol' plain-butter popcorn in the plastic bag, altho' their caramel corn is quite addictive. For a sweeter follow-up: a pkg of Sugar Babies.

Merry Christmas!

R/Sandy - the quilt needles slides from my hand as I slip into a sugar coma...

AnnaBelle's recipe is the same one my sister gave me years ago. Sooooo Gooood! now i have to make some....hope we have regular popcorn...not the micro stuff. =)