At my youngest son’s school we are responsible for providing a snack once a month. In an effort to help parents remember, this year the kids are going home with a beautiful basket to pack for the next day. After some thought, my son decided we should make popcorn balls. I used an old recipe that I tore out of a magazine many years ago, it can accommodate any type of dried fruit you like.

Popcorn Balls

9-10 cups popped Popcorn

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup apple juice or water

3 Tbs butter

2 Tbs corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups chopped dried fruit (I used raisins and craisins)

Butter a very large bowl and add popcorn and dried fruit. In a small sauce pan combine brown sugar, butter, apple juice, corn syrup and salt. Boil over medium heat until it reaches 250F on a candy thermometer. Drizzle over popcorn mixture and stir with wooden spons. With buttered hands form the mixture into balls.