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homemade popcorn balls in a large black bowl, top down view
Victoria Pruett

Easy Old Fashioned Popcorn Balls (without Corn Syrup!)

This old-fashioned popcorn ball recipe is so easy you'll want to make it every day! It's a crunchy, sweet and salty snack that everyone will love. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make these popcorn balls today without corn syrup and with no marshmallows needed!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 10 popcorn balls
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 99

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups cooked popcorn
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Method
 

  1. Cook the popcorn as directed on the package, then pour it into a large bowl and set aside for later.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper, and set aside for later.
  3. In a sauce pan, add the maple syrup, sugar, water, and vinegar and bring to a rolling boil.
  4. Let it stay at a rolling boil, stirring constantly, for two minutes.
  5. Remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the butter. Pour the mixture over the bowl of popcorn.
  6. Butter your hands well, and mix the popcorn to distribute the sugar mixture all over the popcorn.
  7. Press the popcorn into 2 1/2" - 3" balls and set them onto the wax paper to dry.
  8. After they've cooled and hardened a bit, wrap them in saran wrap or plastic packaging to keep the popcorn from getting stale and chewy.