Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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.


10 comments:

the little one said...

Hmmm. Interesting. I don't know if I've ever even had a popcorn ball. Chocolate and peanut butter sounds good!

Lindsay I-F said...

these sound (and look) sooo good!

Jen Treehugger said...

You are just so totally awesome!
What a genius idea!!!

Anonymous said...

Chocolate and peanut butter - my favorite!

Bex said...

I see popcorn balls come up every now and then and I want them. My mom used to make them they are way too munchable.

VEGAN TICKLES said...

Wow, I wish I had the nerve to make these.
They look delicious.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Oh my word! These sound SO good!

Anonymous said...

who are you and what have you done with my daugther?

Bethany said...

wow, that is one huge pyramid of choco pb goodness. I love popcorn, especially the chocolate kind. This would be a perfect addition to my hot chocolate and toast time of the year (about a week or two in december or january).

I like to watch Paula Deen once in a while because her random laughter is scary.

Sheree' said...

Crunchy or soft they sure look good!