The latest Good Cook challenge features Popcorn Balls, just in time for an old-fashioned Halloween. Although I have eaten plenty of home made Popcorn Balls in my time, I had never made them myself. Once again, I did lots and lots of research to find recipes that I thought were interesting and tasty and put together the best pieces and parts to create my Caramel Cheesecake Popcorn Balls.
I was surprised that I couldn’t find any Cheesecake Popcorn Ball recipes out there, but this will be one of the only ones you will be able to find. I also tried to find substitutes to use in making a sugar free recipe, but was not successful. While I could have substituted agave or some other sugar substitute for the sugar in the recipe, I just couldn’t justify it when I was already using condensed milk. Oh well, so much for a healthy, sugar free, diabetic recipe.
Even though I was sent a Popcorn Baller, I never got the hang of it and ended up using my hands. I decided that I would rather leave it as loose to eat by hand instead of making the balls. It would be so much easier and faster in the end!
Good Cook Tools used to make my Caramel Cheesecake Popcorn Balls
- “Classic” Nonstick Saucepan, 2 Qt – Great little saucepan that simply wiped out with a paper towel after cooking two batches of Caramel Cheesecake Popcorn Syrup. Lightweight and easy to handle, even when full of boiling hot syrup!
- Plastic Party Bowl, 7 Qt – This large bowl was super easy to handle when full of popcorn and would be great for any occasion when a bright, colorful bowl is called for.
- Stainless Steel Rubber Base Mixing Bowl, 5 Qt – In a word, this bowl is FABULOUS!! It kept my syrup covered popcorn warm while making my Caramel Cheesecake Popcorn Balls, so they were easier to form. The rubber base kept it from sliding around, even though I was sitting while using it.
- Candy/Deep Fry Thermometer – While I don’t have any complaints with the thermometer, I wouldn’t recommend washing it in the dishwasher. There’s a small cap on the top that will allow it to fill with water while washing and it’s a pain to get the water out.
- Spatula, Clear Handle With Silicone Spoon Head – If you’re looking for a quality spatula that can hold together, even when your food is really hot, this is it. When I seemed to exceed to the heat limit, the silicone head popped off. We put it back on, allowed it to cool, and it’s held tight with no problem ever since.
- Popcorn Baller, Round – I was so excited about receiving my popcorn baller, but ever so disappointed when I couldn’t create a nice, perfectly round popcorn ball. I couldn’t even create an almost round popcorn ball. I was able to create a top and a bottom, but I wasn’t ever able to get them to stick together. Thanks to the press and release slots on the top, I could get the top to drop out of the baller but had to dig the bottom out every time – even after spraying with no stick spray. Since I saw many, many other beautifully formed popcorn balls, created with the popcorn baller, I think it must have had something to do with the consistency of my syrup.
- 6 quarts popped popcorn
- ½ stick butter
- 8oz. package cream cheese
- 2 c. Sugar
- ¼ c Water
- 14 oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Tbs Vanilla
- 1 tsp Almond Flavor
- 1 tsp Butter Flavor
- Pop the popcorn using an air popper or pot according to directions on package.
- Pour the popped popcorn back and forth between two large bowls to find and remove unpopped kernels.
- Put all popped popcorn back into metal bowl.
- Add all ingredients, except popcorn, to a nonstick pot.
- Cook and stir constantly until the temperature of the syrup reaches 260* - 275* F. If allowed to cook to above 260*, the cheesecake flavor will more fully develop.
- This was my first batch of syrup. I thought I was suppose to cook it to a higher temperature. WRONG!!
- I poured out the foaming butter when this batch separated. It was obvious that my syrup wasn't a syrup any more. However, it tasted fabulous!! If I had thought about it, I could have spread it out on wax paper, broken it with a hammer, and had wonderful, wonderful tasting candy. Unfortunately, I threw it away.
- Carefully pour syrup over popcorn and mix with quickly with rubber spatula to distribute topping as evenly as possible.
- Use the Jiffy Pop Popcorn Baller to create a perfectly round popcorn baller. No popcorn baller available? Use your hands, but it's VERY HOT, so be VERY CAREFUL!!!
- Allow popcorn balls to cool, then bag or store in airtight container.
Like what you read about these fabulous Good Cook tools? Goodcook is offering a 25% off coupon to goodcook.com for the Good Cook Popcorn Ballers. Use CODE: POPCORN
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Looking for some Popcorn Ball inspiration of your own? Check out these great Popcorn Balls and crafts that other Good Cook Kitchen Experts made. If you like what you find, leave them a comment, pin their recipes, and follow their sites. Share the love every way you can!
So cute. These would be perfect to give out to kids.
Yes i was given these when i was a kid but i dont like them and no i have never made them before but i would love to learn to.
No, I have never been given nor made any of these. I would love to learn how so I could surprise my wife!
These sound amazing… Mail me some Do? LOL! No we’ve never given out any popcorn balls as Halloween treats… I think if my daughter received one from a stranger I’d probably throw it in the trash as bad as that sounds. 🙁 When I was a kid there were several incidents of people poisoning Halloween treats and slipping razor blades in candy… I always check the “haul” before cutting the kid loose with it.
I never got one. But the ones above look very interesting!