Ribbon Cane Popcorn Balls

I will always remember spending the first week of deer season in our family deer camp. It was a week of no running water and no fancy stoves. There were Dutch ovens, a woodstove, and fires. But the meals were some of the most wonderful I’ve ever had. I will never forget knocking on the door of my Aunt Maggie Walker’s camper, and there she was in the middle of nowhere with no comforts of a home kitchen, making homemade popcorn balls. My grandmother’s popcorn balls were small, the size of her hands, about the size of a tennis ball. This recipe is one I created using my favorite syrup, Steen’s ribbon cane dark syrup.

1 cup sugar

c4 cup ribbon cane dark syrup

c4 cup water

4 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 quarts popped corn (remove any unpopped kernels)

Before you start this recipe, purchase a candy thermometer. It makes the difference in making all candies. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, syrup, water, butter, salt, and vinegar and cook over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and continue to stir the mixture until the syrup reaches 270 degrees on the candy thermometer or the brittle-ball stage when you drop some in cold water. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla. In a large bowl pour the syrup over the popped corn and stir until all the kernels are coated. Butter your hands and shape the sticky popcorn into small balls, about the size of a tennis ball. This size is much easier to eat. The balls can be wrapped individually and tied with cute bows and given as gifts. Store the popcorn balls in a closed container.

Makes 14 to 16 balls

There was never a store-bought cake or pie in our house, my entire life. We bought vanilla wafers and Oreos, but they were for making desserts. My first taste of a store-bought cake was at a friend’s birthday party, and I couldn’t wait to experience those beautiful roses and decorated cakes that all the other kids got to have, while I only got homemade ones. One bite, and I realized that judging a book by its cover was definitely the wrong way to go about a dessert. I have counted my homemade blessings ever since!