October 14, 2021 Dell Cove Spices & More

Trick or Treat Popcorn Balls

Name: Trick or Treat Popcorn Balls
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: ¾ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup corn syrup; ¼ cup water; 4 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ¼ tsp salt; 6 cups Popped Dell Cove® Mushroom Popcorn; 1 cup assorted small Halloween candies; ¼ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips; ¼ cup white chocolate chips; 1 tsp Dell Cove® Chocolate Caramel Seasoning; 1 tsp Dell Cove® Spicy Cajun Seasoning.

Our Trick or Treat Popcorn Balls are a delicious throwback to a time when Halloween treats were homemade. We all know the importance, these days, of handing out factory wrapped candy to the children ringing our doorbells asking for treats. But even though these balls might not be suitable for handing out at the door, they’re great to serve to family and invited guests are your Halloween parties.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to getting popcorn kernels to stick together in the shape of a ball. One uses melted marshmallows and the other relies on corn syrup. We’ve tried both and find the corn syrup a bit more reliable. Be warned, though, that both methods are sticky business. Oiling your hands and utensils will help reduce some of the stickiness but it’s probably better if you just lean into the messiness of it all. When you’re done and the mess cleaned up, you’ll have adorable and delicious popcorn balls.

We also recommend patience. Let the cooked sugar and popcorn mixture cool down a bit before adding the candy to prevent it from melting. Shaping the balls when they’re warm but no longer hot will also help them stick together. Once they’re fully cooled, they’ll hold but the window of time to shape them is when they’re just a little warm. Using a large cookie scoop helps insure that the balls are all about the same size. But, ultimately, you’ll have to scoop the mixture into your hands to finish shaping the balls.

Both our trick and our treat balls are filled with some favorite Halloween candy. We chose the quintessential holiday candy corn (cue the debate between those who love it and those who hate it along with some peanut and peanut butter filled M&M’s. Can we all agree on those? The options are only limited by your imagination, however.

You can include small chunks of your favorite candy bars, sprinkles or anything else that makes you Halloween happy. Just don’t add the candy when the mix is still piping hot or it will melt before you have a chance to set the balls.

The candy is where our similarities end, though. The treat balls are topped with a drizzle of white chocolate, decorated with adorable candy eyes and sprinkled with our sweet and delicious Dell Cove® Chocolate Caramel Seasoning.

The trick balls are drizzled with dark or semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled with our spicy Dell Cove® Spicy Cajun Seasoning.

Oh, it’s delicious all right but a mighty spicy surprise for those choosing a trick. Spiders are optional but totally fun.