My very favorite treats are the ones that are a little bit salty and a little bit sweet! I worked with my friends at Family Circle Magazine to share some festive Halloween ideas in their October issue, and one the treats I made for the display was that perfect combination: popcorn balls! This recipe for popcorn balls is made with Sugar In The Raw®, honey, and a touch of butter. The natural molasses in the golden crystals of Sugar In The Raw® provides a great base when combined with the honey to keep the popcorn balls together.
Another good trick for keeping the popcorn balls together – use muffin tins as molds to help compact the ingredients and help them firm up! They’re a little bit softer and more flavorful than a traditional popcorn recipe, which I think makes them a lot tastier! And to finish them off, I dyed a little extra Sugar In The Raw® with gel food coloring to give these treats a Halloween color scheme – just mix up the food color and sugar until you get the desired color, and give the completed popcorn balls a roll around in the crystals for a festive and spooky touch! Get the full recipe below:
- ¼ Cup of Sugar in the Raw
- ⅓ Cup of Honey
- 1 Tbsp. of Butter
- 6 Cups of Salted Popcorn
- Optional colored sugar coating
- Sugar in The Raw
- Gel Food Coloring
- In a small saucepan, heat Sugar In the Raw, honey and butter over low heat until the sugar and butter dissolve and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and seat aside for 5-7 minutes to cool. You want the mixture to cool so that it’s easy to touch with your hands, and so that it’s thickened and sticky enough to hold the popcorn together.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the popcorn in a large bowl and use your hands to mix the ingredients together, until all of the popcorn is coated.
- Using your hands or a large ice cream scoop, portion out about 6 popcorn balls, packing each one tightly with your hands until it begins to stick together. Press the roughly molded popcorn balls into a muffin tin very firmly to help them firm their shape (it’s okay if some of the popcorn starts to crunch, you have to pack them firmly to get them to stick together!). Set the popcorn balls in the muffin tin aside to let them cool and firm up, for about 1 hour.
- To make the colored sugar, spread about a cup of Sugar in the Raw on a plate (consider using a paper plate, the food coloring may stain), and add in 2-3 drops of your desired gel food coloring color. Keep mixing the sugar and gel food coloring together until you have your desired tone, and then roll the cooled popcorn balls in the colored sugar. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the colored sugar to set.
Please note: This post was created in partnership with Family Circle Magazine and Sugar In The Raw®. All opinions, images and content are my own, thank you for supporting brands that support this site.
