Honey Popcorn Balls
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Honey popcorn balls bound with real honey and butter, then baked until deep golden and caramel-crisp. An old-fashioned treat with toasty flavor that keeps for up to two weeks.
YIELD
3 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
35 minREADY
40 minMost popcorn balls lean on corn syrup, but honey is the star here, giving them a floral, caramel sweetness you won’t get from a plain sugar syrup. Melted with butter and a good hit of salt, it coats every kernel in golden glaze.
The step that sets these apart is the oven. After coating the popcorn, you bake it, stirring every few minutes, until it turns deep golden all over. That bake toasts the honey and butter into a crisp, almost toffee-like shell instead of leaving the popcorn soft and sticky.
Shaping is a race against the clock: work quickly with buttered hands while the mixture is still warm and malleable, pressing it into balls before it firms up. If it cools too much to hold together, a quick 45 seconds back in the oven softens it right up.
These keep at room temperature for up to two weeks, which makes them great for party favors, lunchbox treats or holiday gifting.
Kitchen Tips
- Use freshly popped, fully popped corn and pick out any unpopped kernels so no one cracks a tooth.
- Boil the honey-butter the full minute so it sets up firm; underboiled syrup stays sticky.
- Butter your hands generously and re-butter as needed; the mixture is hot and clingy.
- If the popcorn stiffens before you finish shaping, warm it briefly to make it pliable again.
Variations
- Stir in toasted nuts, pretzels or dried cranberries before shaping.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or a little orange zest to the syrup.
- Drizzle the finished balls with melted chocolate.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°.
Put popcorn in a large roasting pan.
Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together 1¼ cups butter, the honey, and salt until butter is melted.
Increase heat and boil honey mixture gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla.
Carefully pour honey mixture over popcorn in roasting pan and stir gently to coat.
Bake popcorn, stirring every 5 minutes, until deep golden all over, about 25 minutes.
Let popcorn stand 5 minutes, or just until cool enough to handle.
Working quickly with lightly buttered hands, press small handfuls of the mixture into 1½-in. balls, occasionally loosening popcorn from bottom of pan with a spatula.
If mixture cools too much to be malleable, return it to oven for about 45 seconds to soften.
Put popcorn balls on prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
If you don’t have an air popper, you can pop the popcorn in the microwave: Working in 2 batches, put kernels in a brown paper bag (any size).
Do not add oil.
Fold the bag’s opening several times to seal, then microwave at full power in 1-minute increments, checking popcorn and removing popped kernels as you go (they burn easily).
Be careful when opening bag; it will release steam.
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