27803 Cocoa-Cayenne Popcorn Balls 40 mins 10 mins 6 (3-inch) popcorn balls Wed Oct 07 10:55:00 -0700 2009 Thu Dec 03 12:05:17 -0800 2009 Easy American CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/27803 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:05:17 GMT With a hint of orange zest With a hint of orange zest. A little hot, slightly citrusy, and nice and chocolaty, these popcorn balls have flavor that just won’t quit.

Special equipment: You’ll need a reliable candy/fat thermometer for this recipe. We like this one by CDN.

Game plan: The popcorn balls will last up to 5 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

This recipe was featured as part of our Popcorn Balls for the Holidays project.

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  • Coat a large heatproof bowl with butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray and place popcorn in the bowl.
  • Place sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place over high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture registers 260°F on a candy/fat thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, cocoa, orange zest, cayenne, and vanilla until melted and smooth.
  • Immediately drizzle sugar mixture over popcorn. Stir continuously with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl, until popcorn is thoroughly coated and cool enough to handle, about 3 minutes.
  • Using buttered or oiled hands, tightly press mixture (it may still be a bit warm) into 3-inch rounds. Place on waxed or parchment paper to cool completely, about 15 to 20 minutes.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2009/10/27803_cocoa_catenne_popcorn_ball_290.jpg CHOW Food Team 55 Project 9 cups plain popped popcorn

    ]]>     298 1 cup granulated sugar

    ]]>     1/3 cup light corn syrup**

    ]]>     1/3 cup water

    ]]>     1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

    ]]>     301 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    ]]>     4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces

    ]]>     3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

    ]]>     48 Zest of 1 medium orange

    ]]>     277 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    ]]>     292 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

    ]]>     1 chow 29787 food team 154 sweet 2166 kids 9636 adults 216 holiday 755 travels well 661 celebrate 776 fun 8548 no fuss 680 impressive 769 crowd pleaser 2888 sweet tooth 50 dessert 1004 christmas 3489 hanukkah 384 easy