Everyone loves autumn in Wisconsin; sweater weather, breathtaking foliage and, of course, Pepperoni Popcorn Balls. They’re the perfect treat for parties, Halloween or movie night at home.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz Old Wisconsin Pepperoni Snack Sticks (or any of our other great flavors)
- 2 bags microwave popcorn
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbl butter
- ¼ tsp popcorn salt
Directions:
- Slice Old Wisconsin Pepperoni Snack Sticks into thin rounds and sauté until lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel lined bowl to drain. Discard the rendered fat.
- Make the caramel by adding the sugar, corn syrup and water to a medium saucepan. Cook on high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring as soon as the sugar mixture is fully dissolved. Let the sugar come to a boil and, once it begins to brown, swirl the pan to mix.
- While the caramel is cooking, pop the popcorn according to instructions and empty into a large bowl (remove as many unpopped kernels as possible). Add the sautéed pepperoni slices.
- Once the sugar turns a caramel brown in color, add the heavy cream and stir the mixture to prevent it from boiling over and continue stirring until the mixture thickens and is smooth and velvety.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in the salt and butter, and let caramel simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add the caramel to the popcorn and pepperoni mixture and stir to evenly incorporate.
- Once the popcorn mixture has cooled enough to handle, spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray and form popcorn into 4" balls.
- Serve or store in a covered container for up to a week.
Nutritional Facts:
Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 150kcal; Protein 2g (4%); Total Fat 7g (11%)(Sat. 3g (15%), Mono. 1.5g, Poly. 0.3g); Chol. 21mg (7%); Carb. 21g (7%); Fiber 1g (5%); Sugars 10.5g; Calcium 8.5mg (1%); Iron 0.3mg (1%); Magnesium 13mg (3%); Phosphorus 36mg (4%); Potassium 35mg (1%); Sodium 129mg (5%); Zinc 0.3mg (2%); Copper 0.02mg (1%); Manganese 0.1mg; Selenium 0.2μg; Vit. C 0.06mg (0%); Vit. B1 0.02mg (1%); Vit. B2 0.02mg (1%); Vit. B3 0.2mg (1%); Vit. B5 0.1mg (1%); Vit. B6 0.012mg (1%); Folate 3μg; Fol. acid 0μg; Food fol. 3μg; Diet. fol. eq. 3μg (1%); Vit. B12 0.02μg (0%); Vit. A 193IU (4%); Vit. A (RAE) 50μg; Vit. A1 48μg; Vit. E 0.2mg (1%); Vit. K 0.5μg; Alpha-carotene 5μg; Beta-carotene 16μg; Beta-cryptoxanthin 0μg; Lycopene 0μg; Lutein+Zeozanthin 118μg; Alcohol 0g; Caff. 0mg; Vit. D (IU) 3IU (1%); Starch 4g; Theobromine 0mg; Phytosterols 0mg; Sugar alcohol 0g; Trans fat 0g; Glutamic acid 0.2g; Choline 4mg; Vit. D 0.1μg
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes
Makes: 12 servings of 2 oz.
Cost: $0.43/per serving