Popcorn or Kamut/ Millet Balls without Corn Syrup

Popcorn and Kamut/ Millet balls

We are having a family swimming trip tomorrow and thought that popcorn balls would be a yummy treat to take and share. My name is Anna and I am a guest on my mom's blog. I am a beginning cook and LOVE anything carmel.

Since my mom can't have corn syrup she was looking around the internet and other places for a recipe for popcorn balls without any corn syrup.  She found one at The Skinny Gourmet blog.  The link to the site is  http://skinnygourmet.blogspot.com/2008/01/caramel-popcorn-balls.html   .  We can eat popcorn and mom can't so we also used part of the sauce to make kamut/millet balls for her and made the rest into popcorn balls.

The trick was to not eat the popcorn as we were waiting for the sauce to get to a hard boil stage (248 degrees Fahrenheit), which was really the hardest part.  Then as we were mixing the carmel into the popcorn, Kamut/millet balls some of it would come out of the bowl and it was hard to resist the temptation to eat it so everything that came out of the bowl while mixing was in my mouth in seconds.  Good thing it was hot!

Ingredients

Popcorn. approx 1/4 cup kernels. Roughly 8 cups popped.  
(We used 6 cups of popcorn in one bowl and in another bowl we used 1/2 c. puffed millet and 1/2 c. puffed kamut)1 slight cup honey
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
20 grams salted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Makes 8-10 medium popcorn balls.  (We ended up making a dozen balls.)

Directions

Combine honey, white sugar, brown sugar, water, and salt in saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring until mixture begins to boil. Add butter. Stir and add vanilla just as the mixture begins to thicken. Cook to firm ball stage (248 degrees). Pour the carmel sauce over the popcorn and the kamut/ millet mixture.  Fold the mixture in until completely coated.  Coat you hands with cooking spray or butter.  Grab about one cup of mixture and then firmly press in to balls then place on wax paper. This step will be a little hot.  There is a point between to hot and not working because they have cooled out and dried.  So do not wait to long.  I was skeptical of the kamut and millet but thought that they tasted just as good as the popcorn balls and would be okay if we made a whole batch of them instead of trying to accommodate everyone.

The Cooks