Better-Than-Store-Bought Edible Wedding Favors

In her new cookbook, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch, Casey Barber re-creates 70 of your favorite childhood snacks, from Oreos to Pop Tarts to Goldfish Crackers. Here, she shares seven recipes perfect for your big-day favors.

Caramel Corn Popcorn Ballscaramel corn

Yield: approximately 10 cups
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: 2

Popcorn:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon yellow or white popcorn kernels

Caramel:
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter
¼ cup (2¾ ounces) light corn syrup
1 cup (7½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1⁄8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup mini marshmallows

Make the Popcorn:
Pour the vegetable oil into a 3 or 4-quart heavy-bottomed stockpot and add 2 or 3 popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and heat over medium heat until you hear 1 or 2 of the kernels pop.

Add the remaining corn kernels in an even layer and re-cover. Cook, shaking gently and frequently to evenly distribute the hot oil as the kernels pop. Once the popping sounds slow to a crawl, remove the pot from the burner and transfer the popped corn to a large bowl.

Make the Caramel:
Preheat the oven to 200˚F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.

In the same pot you used for the popcorn, melt the butter and corn syrup over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until the sugar is no longer granular and pasty but opaque and smooth, with bubbles forming around the edges. Whisk in the baking soda and cream of tartar; the liquid will puff and bubble up. Continue to whisk frequently for 3 to 4 minutes as the caramel changes from pale to deep golden amber. You’ll start to smell the sugars caramelize as you whisk, and the caramel will look “broken” and curdled from time to time — don’t worry, this is normal.

Remove the caramel from the heat when the caramel is golden like a penny.

Making the Popcorn Balls:
Add 1 cup of mini marshmallows; stir to melt thoroughly before mixing with the popcorn.

Carefully fold the popcorn into the hot caramel a few cups at a time until each kernel is coated; if you’ve ever made Rice Krispies Treats, the process will be familiar. Slow and steady wins the race here.

When the popcorn is fully coated, oil your hands with vegetable oil or butter before shaping the coated popcorn into balls and placing them on a lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 15 minutes at 200˚F, then cool completely. Wrap the balls in waxed paper or plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

More Edible Favor Recipes:


Oreos®

Hostess® Chocolate Cupcakes

Twinkies®

McDonald's® Apple Pie

Strawberry Pop-Tarts®

Goldfish® Crackers

Pages