Jolly Time Popcorn Balls

A family recipe from Katie Roling.

Getting ready: 15 min · Cooking: 20 min · Feeds: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup white corn syrup
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup butter or cut one stick in 1/2
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3 qt. unseasoned popped corn - try to remove all unpopped corn
• 1 tsp. of your favorite extract for flavor

Directions

1. Put sugar, syrup, water, butter and salt in a 4 qt. sauce pan.
2. Cook over high heat. Stir just till sugar is mixed with butter and syrup, then cook without stirring till it forms a brittle ball in a dish of cold water (270 degrees when ready). (It will look frothy and will run off the spoon in one thick stream only. I have never used a thermometer, but you can to be safe.)
3. If not using a thermometer: stir only at the beginning to get the sugar, butter and syrup all mixed up, then when it starts to boil all on the top, turn heat down a little just so it is still boiling.
4. Dip in a wood spoon once every 2-3 min. When it is really thick it will run off the spoon in 1 thick stream, not 2.
5. Stir in 1 tsp. of your favorite extract for flavor - add vanilla or whatever flavor you want. Stir just to mix it in.
6. Pour over corn in a large Tupperware bowl. Stir till it is cool enough to handle and it starts to stick together on its own.
7. I wet my hands under cold water and shake it off (or you can put butter on your hands too). Do not press the balls too hard; this makes the balls taste tough and hard.
8. If they stay together, just set them aside to cool.
9. Tip: I wear small sandwich plastic bags on my hands with butter on them when making balls and use the same type of bag to bag them for treats for kids.
10. Tip: I have put it in a cake pan, pressed down with a wood spoon and cut like bars.