Caramel Popcorn Balls – Quick And Easy Treat You Need To Make
These ooey gooey caramel popcorn balls are a quick, easy, and delicious fall treat!
This post contains affiliate links. Please see Disclosure Policy.
These Caramel Popcorn Balls are for you IF:
- You love popcorn
- You are a lover of caramel that is poured over popcorn, and rolled into an amazingly delicious ball of goodness, that takes you to a time and space where all is right with the world!
These popcorn balls have this buttery caramel goodness that just melts in your mouth! I mean, seriously YUM!
These caramel popcorn balls represent crisp cuddly nights, color changing leaves, football games, and boot season all rolled into a sweet treat!
As a kid my mother would make these caramel popcorn balls in the Fall.
Let me be more specific, these popcorn balls were ALWAYS made for the first UT home football game. (My mother would be very disappointed in me if I left out that important detail!)
Football is a pretty big deal in my family.
BUT, I looked more forward to devouring these caramel popcorn balls then the actual football game. SHHH! 😉
I may or may not have been known to sneak off, and eat 1 or 5 of these treats! Ummm yeah… they are that delicious!
These popcorn balls have this ooey gooey caramel deliciousness that just smacks you right in the taste buds, and screams eat ALL of me!
Okay now that we are all collectively drooling, let’s get to making some caramel popcorn balls!
PIN IT TO YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS OR FALL RECIPES BOARD
Caramel Popcorn Balls Ingredients
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, plus a bit extra
- 2 bags of wrapped caramels (around 48 caramels total)
- 8-10 cups popped plain or lightly salted popcorn
First things first, notice the short ingredient list? This, is always a winner in my book.
If you are a fan of short ingredient lists, and want more awesome yumminess be sure to checkout this Mermaid Bark, and these Black Bean Tostadas.
Honestly, I think some of the absolute best recipes use very few ingredients! Do you agree?
Also, these caramel popcorn balls are super easy to make! They whip up in a few minutes, and are the perfect treat for class parties, Halloween parties, and even for some football tailgate time!
Seriously, you are going to rock this quick and easy caramel popcorn ball recipe. And, everyone will stand in awe of your amazingness at creating confectionary treats.
Okay, maybe that’s a tad dramatic, but really they are going to be gobbled up quickly, so be sure to hide some just for you! 😉
How To Make Caramel Popcorn Balls
First you will need to unwrap the caramels. This is a perfect job for the little ones.
Take note: they will sneak some caramels! It’s totally okay because this recipe makes room for at least 6 caramels to be gobbled up by tiny humans so you are covered!
Place a heavy bottomed pot on medium low heat. Place a stick of butter in the pot, and add the caramels. Everything should be starting to melt.
You don’t want to walk away from the pot at this point. You will need to stir the caramel to get the ingredients mixed well, and this will also prevent any scorching. Burned caramel = YUCKY!
You want the caramel awesomeness to look something like this.
Meanwhile, cook the popcorn according to the directions.
Now I am just going to be honest here. Some people swear by doing this the old fashioned way, which is absolutely fine. I have popped my own corn countless times.
However, I will let you in on a secret…you can use the microwave kind too! Please DO NOT tell my mother.
If you are going the microwave route, I would absolutely advise you to use a plain or lightly salted popcorn. You can find my favorite here.
Now that the caramel is melted, and the popcorn is ready, it’s time to pour. Next, pick your chin up and wipe off the drool.
Doesn’t this look amazing? If I could actually face plant into this, I would!
Be sure to mix the caramel and popcorn really well.
Next, you will need to line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or my personal favorite…a Silpat.
These things are absolutely amazing. You can do everything with them! I love using them for baking, and they are also fantastic for making candies and chocolate designs.
Basically, they absolutely rock, because nothing sticks! I mean, NOTHING! If you want one for yourself, you can buy one here.
Now spread the caramel popcorn goodness onto the baking sheet. This will help the mixture cool just enough, to be able to handle it, to form the popcorn balls.
Now it’s time to grease up! Take a little bit of butter, and grease those hands.
This will prevent the caramel from sticking to your hands, and it also adds some extra buttery goodness to the caramel popcorn balls as well!
Grab a handful of popcorn, and form into a ball. This recipe makes about a dozen.
There may be just a little extra to make a baker’s dozen. 😉
Allow to set and cool. If your popcorn balls are extra gooey they may take a little longer to hold their shape. Keep checking back, as you may need to reshape.
Once the popcorn balls have cooled enough to hold their shape, move them to a platter.
Now, take a moment to absorb the amazing caramel popcorn ball wonderfulness that you just created! Feel free to Oooh and Ahhh. I mean I do!
You are now free to devour them! Kick back, relax, and get your grub on!
But first, take at least a moment to take in your amazing creation!
BE SURE TO PIN IT FOR LATER
Caramel Popcorn Balls
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These quick and easy ooey gooey caramel popcorn balls make the perfect Fall treat!
Ingredients
- 2 11 oz bags Wrapped Caramels
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter (Plus a bit extra at room temp)
- 8–10 cups Popped Plain or Lightly Salted Popcorn (or 2 bags microwaved popcorn)
Instructions
- Melt butter and unwrapped caramels in heavy bottomed pan on medium low heat.
- Stir caramel sauce frequently to prevent scorching.
- Pop the popcorn, and place into a bowl.
- Pour melted caramel onto the popcorn, and mix well.
- Spread caramel popcorn mixture onto lined baking sheet for it to cool.
- Grease hands with extra room temperature butter.
- Once caramel popcorn mixture has cooled enough, form into the popcorn balls, and place on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
- Allow caramel popcorn balls to rest. You may need to check back to make sure they are holding their shape.
- Once popcorn balls have cooled, and are holding their shape, move to a platter.
- Enjoy the ooey gooey caramel popcorn ball goodness!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 205
- Sodium: 155 mg
- Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: carmel popcorn, caramel popcorn balls, easy dessert, fall treat