VeganMoFo: Sweet Balls

Just in time for Halloween parties: popcorn balls. I worked loosely off a recipe from Paula Deen (yes the queen of butter and mayonnaise). 

Be forewarned, the popcorn does not stay very crunchy. I was disappointed with that part, but everyone I served them too enjoyed them, especially the kids. And perhaps it does not need to be said, but this is not health food!

This recipe makes enough for a party, but it is easily cut in half. If you want to increase the amount you'll probably need to work in two batches unless you have a super ginormous bowl to work in.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls

This makes about 20 softball sized balls.

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 tsp salt

22 cups fresh popcorn

margarine or oil for greasing hands

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. 

Place popcorn in a extra large bowl - it should fit all the popcorn with some room for stirring and tossing.

Place the first five ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, still stirring, then remove from heat. Stirring is critical, this will burn very quickly if you walk away.

Pour sauce over popcorn. Working quickly, stir sauce into popcorn with a large spoon as best you can, you won't get it totally uniform and that's okay. This is the tricky part. The balls are easier to shape when the sauce is still very warm, but it's hot so you need to be careful not to burn yourself. Grease up your hands liberally. Grab a big handful of popcorn and shape into a ball, squeezing it together gently as you shape it. This is when you can distribute the sauce more evenly, by putting both lightly covered and heavily covered popcorn in the same ball. Place finished ball on wax paper and repeat until all the popcorn is shaped. You will need to re-grease your hands every ball or two. 

Allow balls to cool completely before serving.