Bare Bones Molasses Popcorn Balls Food

OLD-TIME POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine molasses, sugar, water, vinegar and butter. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until mixture reaches 235° on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage). Add baking soda and stir well. , Remove from heat and immediately pour over popcorn, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until well coated. When cool enough to handle, quickly shape into 3-in. balls, dipping hands in cool water to prevent the syrup from sticking.

POP'S MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS AND TAFFY

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl, with room for mixing. Fill another bowl with ice water. Butter several plates, one per each person who will be pulling taffy.
• Combine sugar, corn syrup, molasses, water, butter, and salt in a large 6-quart saucepan over medium heat; attach a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Tip the pan slightly to melt the sugar crystals on the sides, scraping down with a wooden spoon. Heat until the mixture registers 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 155 degrees C) on the thermometer or until a small amount of syrup drizzled into cold water turns hard, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Pour about 1 cup syrup onto each buttered plate. Let cool until safe to handle like a hot potato, 3 to 5 minutes. Pull syrup between your hands until a light golden brown color is achieved; the longer you pull it, the lighter it becomes. Twist into a long rope about 3/4-inch thick and place on back on a buttered plate to let taffy harden and cool. Break the hardened taffy apart.
• Pour the remaining hot syrup carefully over popcorn, while someone else quickly stirs the batch. Butter your hands and dip them in the ice water; working quickly to avoid burns and before taffy hardens, grab some of the popcorn mixture and form into a 3-inch ball. Repeat with the remaining popcorn.

MARY'S POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
• Pour over 4 gallons of popcorn.
• Stir to make sure all the popcorn is covered.
• When cooled enough to handle form into balls.
• Note: 16 cups=1 gallon 64 cups=4 gallons.

BARE-BONES MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Combine molasses and sugar in a saucepan.
• Grease a large mixing bowl and put in popped popcorn. Grease a mixing spoon. Set aside.
• Combine molasses and sugar in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, heat over medium-high heat until just about boiling.
• Pour over popcorn and mix well. Add peanuts if desired at this point.
• Let cool a little (take the kids to wash their hands - that will take just the right amount of time!).
• Press popcorn into balls. (Kids love this!).
• Eat what sticks on your hands.

MOLASSES POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Combine molasses, sugar and butter or margarine in a 2 quart saucepan. Dissolve sugar by stirring. Cook over medium heat until mixture forms a hard but not brittle ball when dropped in cold water. Stir constantly. Dribble syrup over popped corn stirring to coat all. Make balls with buttered hands when cool. Wrap in waxed paper.

BASKETBALL POPCORN BALLS FROM ABC'S THE VIEW

Steps:

• Microwave butter and marshmallows in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 1 + to 2 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed. (As an alternative, you can use the stove top as long as there is close supervision!).
• Stir in gelatin until well mixed.
• Pour marshmallow mixture over popped popcorn and candy corns in a large bowl.
• Mix lightly until well coated.
• Shape into about 15 balls, or other shapes, with greased/buttered hands.
• If not serving immediately, wrap each ball individually in plastic wrap after they have completely cooled.
• Make lines on orange balls like a basketball, and serve on a "fake" court with hoop.

FAVORITE POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a 4 quart saucepan, and heat over high heat. When oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of popping corn. Keep pan moving constantly. When corn stops popping, remove from heat. Repeat until all corn has been popped. Place popped corn into a buttered bowl.
• In 2 quart saucepan, melt butter. Stir in sugar, molasses, and salt. Insert a candy thermometer in saucepan and boil sugar mixture on medium heat until the thermometer reads 260 degrees F(126 degrees C).
• Pour syrup over corn, while stirring popcorn thoroughly. Butter hands lightly. Shape popcorn into 12 to 14 balls.

MOLASSES BALLS

Steps:

• Combine the first three ingredients then add flour and salt.
• Mix well then add pecans.
• Roll dough in small balls the size of walnuts.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 350 oven.
• While warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar.

BACON-CARAMEL POPCORN BALLS

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a pan over medium heat until all the fat has rendered out, and all the pieces are well browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the excess grease. Let bacon cool to room temperature.
• Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled bacon and mix lightly until evenly distributed. Set aside until needed.
• Pour white sugar into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. As soon as the sugar begins to melt and turn clear around the edges, carefully shake and swirl the pan. Do not try to stir the sugar with a utensil! Just occasionally shake and swirl the pan, which will mix the still granulated sugar into the melted sugar.
• When almost all the sugar is melted, and the mixture is turning a light amber color, reduce the heat to low.
• Once all the sugar is melted, turn off the heat, and add cold butter cubes to the pan all at once. Carefully shake and swirl the pan until the butter melts into the sugar. Do not use a whisk yet.
• Add water and salt and use a whisk to mix until a smooth, thin caramel sauce forms. Some of the sugar may temporarily harden when you add the water, but just keep whisking until everything dissolves and you've achieved a smooth sauce. If it's not melting, turn the heat on low, and continue until it does.
• Remove from heat and quickly, but carefully, drizzle caramel sauce over the bacon and popcorn while tossing with a lightly buttered spatula. Continue tossing until the popcorn is evenly coated with the caramel.
• Lightly butter your hands, and as soon as the mixture has cooled down enough to stick together, form it into balls. Don't squeeze the balls too hard as you form them, or you will compress the popcorn and it will not be as light in texture. Transfer balls to a pan to cool completely.