Although there are no lack of foodstuffs mentioned or eaten in today's ghost films, such as the stuffed egg joke in Topper; this is the Halloween season so I'd like to sprinkle in some homemade Halloween goodies that will work for any scary movie theme. So popcorn balls are very traditional, here's an easy recipe, with, as usual, variations.
POPCORN BALLS
2 quarts freshly popped corn, well salted
1 cup sweet molasses (not the blackstrap stuff)
1 cup light corn syrup
4 tbsp. vinegar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter or corn margarine
1. Spread the salted popcorn evenly on a jelly-roll or other large baking pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine the molasses, corn syrup and vinegar, heat slowly over medium heat, reduce heat to low and until the mixture is at the soft crack stage (easy way to tell is to drop into cold water, it should congeal). That's 270 degrees on the candy thermometer, if you have one.
3. Pour the syrup mixture over the popcorn, be sure that it is all evenly coated. Let mixture cool enough to be handled, then shape is balls of the desired size--if you make them around 2 to 2 1/2 inches around, it should yield 2 dozen. Wrap each in orange paper and tie with black ribbon, or wrap in alternating black and/or orange cellophane, or wrap in clear plastic with Happy Halloween tags on them.
Variations:
Substitute the molasses with maple. In fact the very first "popcorn balls" where made by Eastern Indians, with just popcorn and boiled down maple syrup.
Coat them in chocolate or caramel or both!
Press in candies while warm to make faces, etc.
You may stick Popsicle sticks in them like candies apples.
You can change the color with food coloring or berry syrups.
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