Granny’s Sugared Popcorn

Granny would make this in the evening when we were playing games or watching TV.

2 tablespoons butter
1½ cups brown sugar
⅓ cup water
6 quarts popped corn

Melt butter in pan. Add brown sugar and water. Boil 16 minutes or to soft ball stage. Pour over popped corn and stir until evenly covered with sugar.

Pecan Brittle

Pecans
½ pound butter
1 cup sugar

Lightly butter a square 9x9 pan. Spread pecans on bottom of pan. Cook butter and sugar in heavy pan. Stir all the time it is cooking. Cook until light brown in color and starting to smoke. Pour over pecans and let cool. Break into pieces.

Carmel Popcorn Balls

I’m not sure where this came from, but there are no better popcorn balls than these.

1 box brown sugar (or 1 pound)
1 cup corn syrup
1 cube butter
1 can Eagle’s brand sweetened condensed milk
3 gallons popped corn (with as many old maids as possible removed)

Combine sugar and corn syrup and cook stirring constantly until mixture boils. Add butter and continue cooking until butter melts. Add milk and bring to boil again. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture reaches soft ball stage (234°).
Pour over popped corn and stir until syrup is evenly distributed. Shape into balls. Adjust the “soft ball stage” for your altitude. In Boise (2800’) I subtract 10°.

Jell-O Popcorn Balls or Popcorn Cake

1 cup light Karo syrup
½ cup sugar
1 small package Jell-O (color to suit season)
4 quarts popped corn

Place popped corn in a large bowl. Bring Karo syrup and sugar to boil and stir in Jell-O until dissolved. Pour mixture over popped corn and mix well. Shape into balls and cool on waxed paper. You can add candy or nuts to the mixture and press into a greased angel food cake pan to make a Popcorn cake.

Peanut Butter Cups

18 ounces peanut butter
1 stick butter, melted
1 pound powdered sugar
Melted chocolate

Mix peanut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar together. Knead until smooth. Make chocolate shell in cups. Place small amount of filling in shell and cover with melted chocolate.

Rum Balls

From Kinsey's dad

3 8-ounce Hershey bars (with or without almonds)
8 ounces of cool whip
1 teaspoon rum extract
½-box crushed Vanilla wafers

Crush and melt chocolate. Stir in rum extract and cool whip. Let cool most of the way, then roll into balls and roll in the cookie crumbs. Keep refrigerated.

Caramels

From Grandma Deschamps

½ pound butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned milk
1¾ cups Karo syrup
½ to 1 cup chopped nuts

In a heavy pan, mix together butter, sugar, 1 cup milk, and Karo syrup. Cook 15 minutes, stirring constantly, and then gradually add 1 more cup canned milk. Continue cooking, stirring constantly till mixture reaches 240° on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and add chopped nuts. Pour in buttered 9x9 pan. When cool turn out and cut into 1 inch squares. (This takes about 45 minutes to make.)

Carol’s Divinity

From Carol Friedli, a friend from 20th Ward. When she brought this to our house the kids (and adults) practically fought over it.

4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup Karo syrup
4 beaten egg whites

Boil together sugar, water, and Karo syrup until mixture reaches the soft ball stage. Add ½ of syrup to beaten egg whites. Return to boil until mixture reaches the hard ball stage. Whip with remaining egg whites.

Pulled Butter Mints

3 cups sugar
½ cup water
6 drops oil of peppermint (use medicine dropper!)
½ stick butter or margarine
Food color, if desired
Marble slab is essential
Kitchen shears

Combine sugar, water and butter or margarine. Stir. Do not stir while cooking. Cook using candy thermometer to 260°or hard ball. Remove from heat immediately. Pour onto buttered marble slab; add oil of peppermint. When cool enough to handle, pick up and pull. Add food color to desired tint. Pull until it holds its shape. Pull into a long rope and cut into small pieces. When dry, pack in airtight containers or plastic bags. They will stay soft and chewy if kept airtight.