Old Fashioned Popcorn Balls

This recipe is an old one and is also incredibly special to our family and our small community.

It isn’t our recipe to claim but it is from a very dear adopted member of our family. We say adopted but really she adopted us. Barbara Scholes was her name and she became like a grandma to us and like a second mother to Mamma Silvana. She welcomed our large, loud family into her home and treated us as if we were her own.

Several years ago I interviewed Barbara for a project and was able to record her giving me her famous popcorn ball recipe. She made hundreds of popcorn balls every Halloween and would fill a basket with them. She passed out her handmade popcorn balls Halloween night and it was everyone’s favorite treat.

I started my own family tradition of making Grandma Barbara’s popcorn balls for Halloween in 2019. Telling my kids about the only Grandma I really knew and how her popcorn balls were the best thing about Halloween. My kids now look forward to this tradition each year and when I can I like to share these with our neighbors and friends.

I have made some adjustments to the recipe over the years to fit my family’s preferences. I like to make them a little “healthier” and here is how:

• Use cane sugar
• Replace the Karo Syrup with Honey (it’s a 1:1 replacement)
• Instead of traditional JELL-O brand (that is filled with dyes and other undesirable ingredients) I use a “better for you” option such as Simple Mixes or Simply Delish. They aren’t perfect but are a better option if you are trying to be more conscious. I have found that the flavor is less intense and I tend to use a little more than what the original recipes calls for to enhance the flavor.

A couple years ago Grandma Barbara passed away. The sweet recording of her voice and her special recipe has felt so sacred but I have felt pushed to share it with all of you…to preserve her legacy through her recipe. She was always so giving and loving and I know she would gladly share it with each of you. I hope if you make these special, old fashioned, popcorn balls that you too can feel her love!