Pop's Molasses Popcorn Balls and Taffy

Pop's Molasses Popcorn Balls and Taffy

Fun and fail-proof, this 100-year-old recipe has the whole family pulling the legendary taffy and shaping the sticky molasses popcorn balls.

Preparation Time
45 mins
Cooking Time
7 mins
Total Time
52 mins
Calories
312 Calories

Recipe Instructions

Step 1
Place popcorn in a large bowl, with room for mixing. Fill another bowl with ice water. Butter several plates, one per each person who will be pulling taffy.
Step 2
Combine sugar, corn syrup, molasses, water, butter, and salt in a large 6-quart saucepan over medium heat; attach a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Tip the pan slightly to melt the sugar crystals on the sides, scraping down with a wooden spoon. Heat until the mixture registers 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 155 degrees C) on the thermometer or until a small amount of syrup drizzled into cold water turns hard, 7 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Pour about 1 cup syrup onto each buttered plate. Let cool until safe to handle like a hot potato, 3 to 5 minutes. Pull syrup between your hands until a light golden brown color is achieved; the longer you pull it, the lighter it becomes. Twist into a long rope about 3/4-inch thick and place on back on a buttered plate to let taffy harden and cool. Break the hardened taffy apart.
Step 4
Pour the remaining hot syrup carefully over popcorn, while someone else quickly stirs the batch. Butter your hands and dip them in the ice water; working quickly to avoid burns and before taffy hardens, grab some of the popcorn mixture and form into a 3-inch ball. Repeat with the remaining popcorn.
Pop's Molasses Popcorn Balls and Taffy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ice water
  • 1 cup light corn syrup (such as Karo®)
  • 6 cups popped popcorn, or as needed
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.5 cup dark molasses

Categories

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