Popcorn Balls

skeneegee · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:17 pm

I've loved these things my entire life but only tried making them for the first time this weekend. They didn't come out very well at all, nothing like the caliber of crunchiness I would get from Trick-or-Treating back in the day.

Does anyone here know how to do it right? Maybe a proven recipe and/or technique.

Seunghoon Yi · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:50 pm

Never had one lol..

chris_joe · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:53 pm

no idea if this is it, but from foodnetwork.com

http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/sea ... ype=Recipe

Jin H Kim · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:30 pm

Too bad Alton Brown doesn't have a recipe for that. I really like that goofy bastard and his show.

Bryan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:13 pm

I'm wondering if the commercial popcorn balls are crunchy because the popcorn is probably stale.

aphid_greene · **Posted:** Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:26 am

Cooking anything which requires a candy thermometer is really difficult, even with experience. The trick is to make sure the sugar has been heated long enough, otherwise it never sets. Bring it to the boil, then have it simmer until it *just* starts to thicken. The more you cook it after this point, the harder it sets. Some recipes add leavening, but I don't know how or why that is.
I don't want to shatter any dreams, but there's a high probability that the popcorn balls you got back in the day were the store-bought kind. Ever tried Poppycock? 'Tis YUMMY!

skeneegee · **Posted:** Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:19 am

aphid_greene wrote:

Cooking anything which requires a candy thermometer is really difficult, even with experience. The trick is to make sure the sugar has been heated long enough, otherwise it never sets. Bring it to the boil, then have it simmer until it *just* starts to thicken. The more you cook it after this point, the harder it sets. Some recipes add leavening, but I don't know how or why that is.
I don't want to shatter any dreams, but there's a high probability that the popcorn balls you got back in the day were the store-bought kind. Ever tried Poppycock? 'Tis YUMMY!

Yeah no kidding, it may just take a little practice to get it right. I don't think I heated the sugar mixture long enough.
I could swear the ones I got on halloween were homemade, they were wrapped in plastic wrap like homemade style.

I'm pretty sure I've tried poppycock, is it like toffee coated popcorn?

Thanks everyone, I'll try again soon the recipes from food network look to be much better or at least more detailed instruction-wise than what I used before.

aphid_greene · **Posted:** Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:14 am

Yeah, poppycock is popcorn & pecan nuts dipped in caramel/toffee. Soooo tasty! *drool*

Adam Zamora · **Posted:** Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:30 pm

hey Mike can you make me some popcorn balls for when i come to SF for the comp?

skeneegee · **Posted:** Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:10 pm

Adam Zamora wrote:

hey Mike can you make me some popcorn balls for when i come to SF for the comp?

Sure, Adam, I still have a couple of weeks to try to get it right. Maybe I can use some Apoxie Sculpt to make it into a crunchy ball. :lol:

Adam Zamora · **Posted:** Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:27 pm

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooo!!!!! Apoxie Sculpt would taste gross

Jin H Kim · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:09 am

But it would suuuure be crunchy!

aphid_greene · **Posted:** Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:21 am

Quick-dry cement has a better flavor...

Tim Browne · **Joined:** Sun Dec 19, 1999 3:02 am **Location:** Canada

Nah... if we're going to do it, we may as well do it right... Milliput all the way. Make sure to get the extra fine white.

Popcorn Balls

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