Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls

Delicious popcorn balls held together with caramel that sings with the flavor of concentrated apple are a fall must try. Add a popsicle stick and dip them in white chocolate to make them an even more fun treat!

These fun caramel popcorn balls are flavored with real apple juice. They are delicious as is, but even more fun when dipped in white chocolate.

Add a popsicle stick to complete the transformation from popcorn ball to caramel apple. These fun treats are perfect for fall parties either as dessert or as a parting favor.

These caramel apple popcorn balls take that autumn connection to the next level. With notes of fresh apple and sweet deep caramel they marry two perfectly fall desserts together into one amazing treat.

Making the Popcorn Balls

Making the actual popcorn balls is super easy. You start by making a bunch of popcorn.

You can use your favorite popping method.  Stovetop, air popper, a few bags of microwave popcorn… it all works!

Next, take a little butter and some frozen apple juice concentrate and cooking them down to concentrate the flavors even further.   This helps to get you some discernible apple flavor without adding too much liquid and making your popcorn balls mushy.

Then add a pound of chewy caramel candies and melt them. I used a one pound tub of chewy caramel, but a bag of candies from the store would work just as well.

Now form the popcorn into baseball sized balls and place on wax or parchment paper to set. You have a fabulous fall treat already!

To take them to the next level, dip the bottoms in melted chocolate or white chocolate. Feel free to dust them with chopped nuts or sprinkles while the chocolate is wet.

Now insert a popsicle stick to make them extra cute. Wrap them up in cellophane or plastic wrap and pass them out to all of your new best friends.

Now pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Tips and Tricks

Use a big pot or bowl or plan to work in batches. I used a 7 qt Dutch oven hoping the residual heat would give me plenty of time with soft caramel to make the balls and it worked like a charm.

Grease your hands early and often! The warm caramel is sticky so keeping your hands coated with butter, shortening or even cooking spray helps keep the popcorn stuck to itself instead of you.

If well wrapped, the popcorn balls will store for up to a couple of weeks at room temperature. So they are a great make ahead treat.

Once the weather cools off, they would be a fun addition to care packages as well!

You may also like Jello popcorn balls. They are fruity and fun colors too!

For more fun popcorn ideas, check out my collection of sweet popcorn recipes. Or tell me about your favorites in the comment below.

5 from 5 ratings

Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls

Author: Carlee

Servings: 15 Popcorn Balls

Delicious popcorn balls held together with caramel that sings with the flavor of concentrated apple are a fall must try. Add a popsicle stick and dip them in white chocolate to make them an even more fun treat!

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Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• Le Creuset Dutch Oven, 7.25 qt., Deep Teal

Ingredients 

0.5x1x2x

• ▢ 18 cups popped popcorn
• ▢ ½ cup frozen apple juice concentrate
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ 16 ounces Kraft caramels or similar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 pound white chocolate
• ▢ Optional: popsicle sticks chopped peanuts, sprinkles

Instructions 

• Pick through popcorn and be sure there aren’t any unpopped kernels in there. 
  18 cups popped popcorn
• In a large dutch oven or stock pot, cook the apple juice concentrate and butter over medium-low heat until it simmers. Stir constantly until its volume is reduced by half. It should be visibly thicker.
  ½ cup frozen apple juice concentrate, 4 Tablespoons butter
• Reduce the heat to low and add the caramel candy to the pot. Continue to stir until the caramels are completely melted. Stir in the salt and remove from heat. 
  16 ounces Kraft caramels, ¼ teaspoon salt
• Add popcorn to the pot and stir to coat.
• Grease hands well. Take a large handful of popcorn mixture and form into a ball about the size of a baseball. Place on a piece of wax paper to set. Continue until all popcorn has been used.
• If desired, insert popsicle sticks.
• Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave. Start with a 30 second burst, then stir well. Continue heating the chocolate 15 seconds at a time just until it will stir smooth. Be sure not to burn the chocolate.
  1 pound white chocolate
• Dip the bottom half of the popcorn ball into the melted chocolate,  coat with nuts or sprinkles if desired.  Place back on the wax paper to set up. 
• Wrap in plastic wrap or cellophane and store at room temperature. 

Notes

You will need about 3 bags microwave popcorn or 1¼ cup of kernels to get the popcorn you need.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 234mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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