Happy Halloween!
I have wonderful memories of Halloween. As a child, I remember going overboard for the holiday. The mother dear would sew our costumes, the house would be decorated to the nines, and of course there would be plenty of candy come Halloween night!
Sometimes unfortunate circumstances would arise. Such as my dog getting into my candy the day after Halloween (I swear, that puppy could eat anything and be perfectly fine afterward!). Or the time that my candy got stolen from me while I was trick-or-treating.
But both of these situations worked out for the best: my dog did not get sick and there was still plenty of candy that she hadn’t broken into (huge mounds of candy, every year). And when the older kid stole my candy, I chased him down the street until he realized that there was no way I was going to let him get away with my hard-earned goodies, and he threw the bag into someone’s yard for me to retrieve before he went running off.
(No one gets between me and my favorite treats).
One of the most special treats every year was from my neighbour across the street who made caramel popcorn balls. They were so good that our other neighbors, whenever we stopped at their house to trick-or-treat, would urge us to go and get some extras and bring them back to them. And every year my sister and I would collect the extra popcorn balls, as promised, and cart them down the street to share with the adults.
Now that I’m in a healthier state of mind, I will not be going completely crazy for the Halloween treats this year. I am more interested in having fun getting dressed up—with a few indulgences in tasty treats, of course!
Although I will not be giving out treats to the kids this year, I do happen to have a very special treat for all of you:
The caramel popcorn balls recipe! Eight years ago I finally asked my neighbour for her popcorn balls recipe and she was kind enough to give it to me. These are messy and gooey and delicious; have fun!
Caramel Popcorn Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup butter
- Pinch of salt
- 8 cups popped corn
Directions
1. Grease a large bowl and place the popped corn inside it.
2. In a pot, mix together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt, and boil together for a minute or two—just long enough for it to spin a fine thread when you dip in a spoon and hold it up.
3. Pour hot mixture over popped corn (be careful!) and stir until it is all covered.
4. Shape into balls. It’s less messy and not quite so hot if you use plastic bags on your hands (rub the bags with a little butter to make it easier to work with).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Popcorn balls are not a health food. Please enjoy in moderation 🙂
What is your favorite Halloween treat? How do you like to eat popcorn best? Share in the comments section below!
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Favorite holiday of the year!! Have a great Halloween, Sagan!
BEEP-BEEP!!
Thanks so much for the popcorn ball recipe. I’ve seen so many people writing about them this year but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. I must try them! Happy Halloween!
Those do sound yummy! Full disclosure – I probably won’t make any because we usually only get 2 kids at Halloween, and I’d have to eat them all myself. That would be criminal.
Wouldn’t it?
Love popcorn balls! But even more, I love you chasing down the neighborhood bullly!! Way to go girl!
Not a health food/!?!?
I can’t believe someone stole your candy. Good for you for chasing the thief!
I hope you get a good loot this year! 🙂
Enjoy the night….booooooo!
Thanks for the recipe!
I am a Giant Hershey’s Bar-What Halloween Candy Are You? http://tinyurl.com/5ue4cs
Love your disclaimer at the end! Too cute!
Thanks for sharing your Halloween memories – I am glad you ended up getting your candy back from that older kid! I would have NOT let him get away with it either… Haha, hard earned candy! LOL
thanks for the recipe and trip down memory lane!!!
sssshhh don’t tell, but I am going to be a giant TURKEY! hahaha. my sister in law ordered one costume but they sent her two by mistake. She is going as a turkey and my bro as a pilgrim!
Anya- they are so good! And unfortunately rather addictive.
Bag Lady- You think I got the recipe so I could make them and give them out to kids? Ha! Me and my sister would fight over them every year. Yummy!
Charlotte & Ashley- You KNOW you'd both do the same thing if anyone came between you and candy:)
Mark- I got the same. And now am wanting a giant Hershey's bar…
Sharon- Kids work hard, carrying all their loot for hours on Halloween night!
Rhodeygirl- Love it! That's too cute.
As much as I love popcorn, I’m not a lover of the popcorn ball. How odd. Still, I’m thinking I might pick up a few caramels and make them into a popcorny glaze.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Popcorn balls are too good. I would eat them all myself 🙂
I love popcorn balls because they so remind me of being a kid…as a kid I loathed the balls because I WANTED CHOCOLATE!!
have a great weekend.
I do prefer/love chocolate over popcorn balls; however I do recall hearing a story of one dedicated mum who actually transported Hallowe’en popcorn balls from North America to her kids living in Europe…now that is dedication! You are one tough kid to chase down that bully; yay for you!
Anonymum
p.s. to Bag lady: “just do it”; make some popcorn balls and eat them for yourself; it is always great to indulge a little (or a lot)
p.p.s. LOVE the disclaimer!
Popcorn balls are so fun! I never had any idea how to make them…thanks for the recipe!
But my very favorite seasonal treat has to be caramel apples. Yum!
Ha Ha! Popcorn Balls are a fun treat for Halloween.
I love the disclaimer.
That thief was lucky he dropped the candy. I can only imagine what you would have done if you caught him!
Sagan – Have a terrific Halloween!
Tim Rosanelli
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oooo i love popcorn balls.
we used to make rice crispie treats out of pumpkin seeds instead of rice crispies. they are SO GOOD.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Cammy- ooh, that would be a good idea. I loved caramels as a kid- but didn’t see packages of them with the rest of the Halloween candy at the store this year, so strange!
James- I have the same problem:)
MizFit- How about chocolate caramel popcorn balls?
Anonymum- sure is dedication! What a fantastic mother. I hear she also makes delicious apple buttermilk cake *cough* 🙂
Blueberryhil- ooh, I love caramel apples too! Never much liked candy apples but caramel apples are yum.
Tim- Popcorn balls epitomize the happy sugar high that is Halloween:)
Kelly- that’s genius! Recipe??
Such fun Halloween memories!!
Loooove that popcorn ball recipe!! Yum!!
awww glad your dog didn’t get sick! what wonderfully yummy treats – thanks for posting the recipe! i honestly never knew how to make them!
sigh. remember the days when we could trust neighbors and parents didn’t need to scour candy bags for staples in cookies or potentially dangerous homemade goods?
Oh my gosh I don't think I've had popcorn balls since I was tiny! Thanks for posting & entering the ZAP contest! For all your readers that haven't heard, I'm having a contest on my blog for free samples of ZAP peanut butter and energy bars. All you have to do is tell me what motivates you to stay healthy… cheers!
Popcorn balls…mmmmm!
Your halloween growing up reminds me of halloweeen for our kids today. We have two neighbors that do something special for our kids – a special bags of treats from one, and homemade cookies and bars from the other. Our kids LOVE these neighbors, especially on Halloween!
Oooh, popcorn balls! Might have to make them sometime, despite the health warning, because… yummm!!!
Thanks so much for putting this out here.
It is so fun to remember Halloween in our day. I remember it took us so long to go because we had to let the neighbors guess who we were and then talk yo us. It was fun.
Your popcorn balls look amazing.
Thanks for sharing at Turn It Up Tuesday,
Bev