Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls Recipe #popcornballer
As a Good Cook Kitchen Expert I received Good Cook products to facilitate our delicious Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls recipe. No other compensation was received All opinions are my own.
Other than all the cold weather, I absolutely love Autumn! It is the time of harvesting great food and enjoying amazing flavors! I don’t know why we don’t enjoy popcorn balls more often, but it seems that Autumn is the time that we really start to see popcorn balls show up in the stores. And then that makes me want popcorn balls, so I run home and make popcorn balls. Does that ever happen to you?
Well this last week we had a craving for some delicious autumn themed popcorn balls. I took a few different recipes from a family cookbook. You know those fun cookbooks where everyone shares their favorite recipes and then you bind them and share them with the family? We have a few of those. So honestly I don’t know where the recipes originate.
They had quite a few different recipes for popcorn balls. I really didn’t know which one would be best. So I read through the basic ingredients and mixed and matched about 4 different recipes to create my own. A special thanks goes out to my friend Chris from The Cooking Dish for answering a lot of my questions about cooking sugar techniques and blending ingredients. He was a great help with my creation of the recipe.
The result? One of the most amazing tasting Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls recipe I’ve ever tasted. I seriously could not stop snitching the popcorn balls! And the kids were just as bad. A recipe that good just has to be shared!
Caramel Apple Popcorn balls creation
First step is to always gather your ingredients and tools. Then start cooking! I’ve added an easy printable recipe at the bottom to make the creation super easy for you. One of the most important steps is to make sure you pop some Jolly Time popcorn in the microwave really quick to pacify the kids! The last thing you want is the kids sneaking in and eating your popcorn for the popcorn balls! So I popped some up and sent the kids to watch a movie so they wouldn’t eat what I needed for the popcorn balls.
The first step is to get the apple syrup boiled down. This is super easy to do. It just takes a lot of time. But it is crucial if you want that amazing caramel apple flavoring. Without this step, the Caramel Apple popcorn balls just aren’t the same. You can also use a candy apple extract. But again. We prefer homemade. And the flavor is much more real.
Take your apple cider and place it in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the cider is reduced to 1/2 cup. This takes ~ 40 minutes. But you will want to check after 30 minutes. Each time you are checking the apple syrup, be sure to measure with a glass measuring cup. You want to make sure it is boiled down enough so that you get the best flavor.
When it is boiled down enough it will be a little syrupy. That is alright. Like I said, this is the part that takes the longest. Once you have this step complete the rest of the recipe is a breeze!
When your apple sauce is almost ready you can begin popping your popcorn. I popped my popcorn into the 7 qt plastic party bowl and then transferred the popcorn to the stainless steal bowl after to ensure I had removed all the kernels. The last thing you want is to bite into a popcorn ball and hit a kernel.
When the Apple syrup is ready, add in the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Make sure you use a good spatula to get all the goodness from the measuring cups.
Bring to a boil over a medium heat. You don’t want to take your temperature past medium to begin with, as it’d most likely crystallize the bottom layer(s) of sugar while leaving the top layers unmelted.
Once it is boiling you can reduce the temperature slightly and cover tightly with a lid. Cook for 3 minutes without removing the lid. After 3 minutes remove the lid. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and check the temperature. Continue to cook until you reach a soft ball stage (236F to 238F).
I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally have a candy thermometer! I used to always have to do this the old fashioned way by dropping some of the mixture into ice water to see the stage. It’s not always fool proof. I highly recommend getting a candy thermometer if you don’t have one. It makes this process a lot easier! Once the soft ball stage is reached, add in the cream of tartar and vanilla. Beware that the vanilla mixing with the cream of tartar in the caramel will bubble a bit. So watch out so you don’t get burned. Once it is all mixed then pour it over your popcorn.
Mix well, ensuring you get all the caramel that will collect at the bottom of your bowl. Then mold.
Popcorn balls tip:
Let the caramel apple popcorn cool a bit before forming into a popcorn ball. When it is still hot it will form well, but won’t stay in the shape once you place it on the wax paper. After cooling for about 5-10 minutes, the popcorn will hold it’s formed shape much better.
Use the easy Popcorn baller from Good Cook to form the perfect popcorn balls without getting your hands covered in caramel. Then place on a wax paper. For fun add in a candy stick for easy handling while you eat it. And for even more fun add in a Apple Sour Punch bites as the “leaf” of the apple.
Now you are ready to dig in! But beware. Once you take a bite you won’t be able to stop! It is that good!
If you want to dress them up even more perfect for handing out to friends, neighbors or sharing with kids; use the adorable Ghost story treat bags. Perfect decoration for Halloween!
You can find all the tools you need to create these delicious Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls from Good Cook!
- 7 qt Plastic party bowl
- Classic “Non-stick” 2 qt sauce pan
- Stainless steel rubber base mixing bowl 5 qt
- Spatula w/ clear handle
- Candy Thermometer
- Popcorn Ballers
- Ghost story Treat bags
Get 25% off your own Popcorn Baller Use CODE: POPCORN Starting October 7th, they will host the most amazing Good Cook 7-day popcorn giveaway. (More details to come soon) Be sure to stay connect with Good Cook on Facebook | Twitter | Website

Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls Recipe
Yield 10 large popcorn balls
A delicious and rich in flavor Caramel Apple popcorn balls recipe made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unpopped popcorn
- 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup sweetened condenced milk
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup juice syrup ( 4 cups apple cider reduced to 1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
Juice syrup
- Cook 4 cups apple cider to a boil
- Reduce and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.
- Juice will be a little syrupy
Popcorn
- Air pop the popcorn kernels. Then sift or transfer bowls ensuring all kernels are removed.
- Set aside and start making the caramel.
Caramel
- Combine Juice, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk and salt in 4 qt sauce pan
- Bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to below medium
- Tightly cover with lid and cook for 3 minutes
- Remove lid carefully and clip on candy thermometer
- Continue to cook until soft ball stage (approximately 236F)
- Remove from heat
- Add in vanilla and cream of tartar
- Mix well
- Drizzle over popped popcorn.
- Allow to cool 5 minutes
- Form into popcorn balls and decorate.
Courses Dessert
These are so cute! What a great idea for gifts too.
Those look absolutely delicious!! I can’t say I’ve ever had a popcorn ball quite like that before but now, thanks to you, I have a craving for some ^.^
Off topic a little bit but your photographs are quite beautiful! You do a very lovely job of staging and drawing a person’s eye 🙂
Thank you Kayla! I feel like staging and photography is my biggest obstacle. So it’s great to know I’m making improvement. 🙂
This is such a wonderful recipe, I’ve got to try it. Great photos and clear explanations. Rated it a 5.
those look so great! i think you did a good job- that caramel especially!
Those turned out so cute. I don’t know how you worked with sticky caramel without getting a drop out of place. I’m impressed! 🙂 Your pictures are pretty, too. thanks for sharing how to use the candy thermometer. I have the same one from Good Cook and I’m intimidated to try to use it. It’s silly of me, I know. 🙂
Yum! My kids would enjoy these!
So cute and what a combo! I want to try this over the weekend
This is an awesome recipe, I love your step by step pictures, makes it easy to follow.
Anything good takes time! These look too yummy to eat! Caramel popcorn is one of my favorite treats. I can only imagine how good it would be with the apple flavor.
I would have to gift them or I would end up eating them all!
My mom and I used to make caramel popcorn balls every fall. The best part was always cleaning up the ‘mistakes’ and fallen kernels though. Thanks for the great tips- I need a candy thermometer too!
We didn’t have any “mistakes”. I was a little sad by that. More excused to eat it! lol.
I have never made my own popcorn balls, just tried the pre-packaged ones that many people give out to trick-or-treaters. I love this idea. It looks like the process of making them would be a really fun activity to do with kids of any age! 🙂
These are awesome! Sour straws are my favorite candy ever but I never thought about using them for decoration on something like this. So cute & I bet they are SO yummy.
The green apple sour straws are my favorite candy too! Had to include them. lol.
These look absolutely delicious! I didn’t know how easy it was to make them, so i am going to give it a try! I love the way you designed them to look like apples! very creative!
I was actually surprised at how easy it was. I always thought caramels were hard to make. But these caramel apple popcorn balls turned out the very first try! I was impressed.
Is it bad that I just want to swim in that caramel?
That is my favorite flavor!
thanks for this recipe!
Mitch
Green apple candy is my favorite flavor ever. So obviously I had to get that flavor added to Caramel. it truly is divine Mitch. I’d swim in it too! lol
This is such a nice recipe, our kiddos would love Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls for sure. I will be happy to surprize them as holidays are fast approaching. I like your detailed recipe instructions, that way I will do everything right. Thanks!
Wow these look amazing – I think they would look amazing on a celebration dinner table 🙂 x
Wow that’s a lot of butter! I haven’t had a popcorn ball since I was a kid! Maybe I’ll make some with my gang this holiday season!
These Rock, they look so great with the green straws too (great touch).
It’s so funny. I just saw this morning a picture of someone who had tried to make this and it was a hilarious failure. Gld to see yours came out well. That popcorn baller seems to be the key. 🙂
Caramel + apples. God’s gift to mankind. The only reason I bought a candy thermometer was to make caramel…..for apples. lol
Yum! I haven’t had caramel balls in forever, I’m definitely saving this recipe to make with my kids this fall!
I want one of that apple popcorn balls! That is really cute and different. Thanks for the idea.
Those look delicious. I have to try them it really is one of the yummiest looking fall treats I have seen. Thanks for posting!
I think I am ready for my dessert now and it looks so pretty – yum!
Loved these! Already gave you a Thumbs up on G+ for these cuties. I love all your work and your pictures are fab!
I saw your picture in the Good Cook expert group and I thought, “I have to try these.” Now seeing how simple they are I want them even more. 🙂
Love these! The are so cute and looks so tasty. I love the “baller”. I have only tried to make popcorn balls once and used inverted ziplock bags on my hands to shape them. Epic fail!!
Those are awesome!! Perfect treats for the kiddos this time of year.
Adorable idea for halloween!
Those are so cute. I love the homemade caramel and great tip about letting it sit for a bit before forming. I like the ball too. Haven’t seen one of those.
Pinning this!! Such a perfect recipe to make the next time my niece comes over. thanks for sharing!!
Those look delicious and so seasonal. My family has a tradition of making popcorn balls for the Christmas Holidays. We make two batches and do one green and one red.
Here is how we make them (just like Rice Krispie bars)
Melt one stick of butter with one bag of marshmallows in a large kettle stirring constantly. When fully melted add your choice of food coloring.
We air pop separately popcorn into a large paper grocery bag to the top (makes two batches). Make sure you shake the seeds to the bottom but air popping usually does not give you many seeds. Do this before you melt the marshmallows. Pour about 1/2 of the bag into the kettle and stir well. With you hands, greased quickly form balls and place on wax paper to cool.
Very simple and very tasty. Makes around 24 popcorn balls per batch.
Good looking recipe.
As for me, I like popcorn with just butter.
YUm! These look delish and so much fun to make too. My kids would love to help me!
These are so cute and this absolutely delicious!!! You are so creative!
My kids love caramel popcorn and I’m always buying it when I could be making it myself. Thanks for the recipe. We actually had regular popcorn last night and tomorrow is our movie night. I might have to run to Walmart and get the ingredients for this. 🙂
cute idea.. Going to have to make them with the kids..
YUM . I love making popcorn balls, this year I’m trying to do some different flavors but not sure I will have the time to mess around with all the crazy ones I pinned.
Thanks for sharing this one. I love popcorns those caramel types are my favorites too. I never knew how to make them though but wow.. you sure know what you do.. Lucky! But then again, they make me fat, lol. So I guess its okay for me not to know how to actually do it myself, lol. but. yumyum, tempting!
These look so delicious. I especially like the fact that they are a unique treat for the fall and for Halloween. They look really yummy and would spruce up any kids’ celebration around this holiday.
I love these. I am definitely making them for my girls.
I don’t know that I have the patience for these, as I get frustrated easily in a kitchen – no Julia Child here! And that is such a shame, since these look delicious!
Would this work as just a flavored popcorn, not formed into balls? Thinking about giving as Christmas gifts……
Yes! You can eat it just as it is without forming into balls too. It is so good.
Hello, I can’t seem to find apple cider in the stores. The only thing I can find is apple cider vinegar, but I don’t think that’s what you want in the recipe right? Can I use apple cider crystals instead?
Thanks!