I sincerely hope that none of you have braces, crowns, fillings that are loose, or some aversion to candy coating. That would be unfortunate. And since this little treat has the entire line up of potential arch nemsis-is-is-es to said dental work – I warn you, and can’t be held responsible.

As someone that dealt with a decades worth of orthodontia in my formative years, I am making up for lost time.

Why can’t Halloween have an advent calendar like Christmas? I think all awesome holidays like Christmas should get equal treatment – and equality in candy calendars and countdowns. If it were possible to shove an entire one of these into one of those little calendar nooks, I would. This would also be day number 31 when the last and final advent window is opened and all massive ray of light shines forth in holiday countdown glory.

Word.

In other news – I could have used one of these today after a post-work apocalyptic girly meltdown that culminated in me planking onto the bed as soon as a got home to be consoled by an over excited labradork with multiple tennis balls and equally adoring and compassionate Ben.

Thanks to Ben and his eternally realistic perspective on all life things, a hug and a few words of advice worked like a charm.

Since starting this blog, a little over two years ago, I’ve met some of the most generous, kind and hilarious men and women on the planet. I’ve been fortunate enough to have chatted with readers who have become friends, learned new skills in photography, been lucky enough to be asked by friends for advice, teamed up with fellow bloggers for good causes, been on TV, and been to some really, really cool places.

But in that 15 minutes of melt down all I could rationalize was that I was an utter failure at what I do here on this site.

Why would anybody read this site? They shouldn’t have asked me for advice! Who am I to give it? *CUE PANIC*

How irrational, manic, and frankly narrow minded of me. And Ben… patient man that he is, never shied away from the ugly lemon-faced tears, just gave me that hug and that moment to come back to reality with this…

NO Blogger is ever a failure. EVER. Never, ever.

Somedays we all need that reality check and to have someone tell us to not compare yourself to the other bloggers out there. Numbers and statistics matter to companies, but they don’t matter to each other. We, as a community, should strive to be there for one another to help one another grow. We work on our craft at our own speed and we all have varied success. One viral recipe doesn’t make or break us.

And most of all – the success of others does NOT define others as failures.

Think back to when you started your blog. Why did you do it? For fun? A cookbook? A Tv show? A column in the local paper or to just have place in the world wide web for your recipes to have a home? I started it for fun – and am continually amazed at the cool crap and even cooler people I’ve met. It’s already exceeded all expectations -and that is something no one should lose sight of.

Realign your thinking, reevaluate, reassess, and get back to the basics – the FUN of this adventure.

I have learned that we all need friends to ask questions to, to bounce ideas off of, and to pick the brains of one another. So find “your person”, your mentor, your friend and don’t be afraid of to ask the questions, learn the tips and tricks, and share the knowledge and perspective you all have.

Venturing out into the world wide web is a scary prospect, leaving yourself someone vulnerable to the opinions of others and what they may want, say or think. And it is vital and of the upmost importance to support one another, sugar highs, and emotional lows. We might be individual blogs – but we’re all intertwined together.

So tell me – are you looking for a blogging friend? Leave a comment below. Let’s team up, find a blogging buddy and tackle the lingering questions and navigate the labyrinth of this thing we do called blogging. Meet a new person, visit a new blog, learn new techniques – and enjoy all of the creativity we each have to offer one another.

Thus endith the emotional roller coaster. Now – go have a candy apple popcorn thingy. Like a lollipop after the doctor’s office, a little dose of sugar always makes things better.

Ingredients for Candy Apple Popcorn Balls

Candy Coating

  • Sugar
  • Light Corn Syrup
  • Warm Water
  • Cinnamon Extract
  • Red Food Coloring

Spiced Apple Popcorn Balls

  • Natural Flavored Microwave Popcorn
  • Mini-Marshmallows
  • Butter
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Dried Apples
  • Popcorn Balls

Inspired Homemade Recipes To Try

Pumpkin Spice Moose Munch

Samoas Cookie Moose Munch

Gingerbread Moose Munch

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Candy Apple Popcorn Balls on plates

Candy Apple Popcorn Balls

  • Author: Megan Keno
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 9 popcorn balls 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Spiced apple and popcorn balls dipped in traditional candy apple coating


Ingredients

Units Scale

Candy Coating

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Extract
  • Red Food Coloring

Spiced Apple Popcorn Balls

  • 2 Bags Natural Flavored Microwave Popcorn, popped
  • 1 bag (10 oz) Mini-marshmallows
  • 6 Tbsp Butter, melted + extra for hands
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 cup Dried Apples, chopped
  • 810 sticks for Popcorn Balls

Instructions

Popcorn Balls:

  1. Set out a large baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. In large pot, melt butter and whisk in cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. Add in mini-marshmallows and stir to melt.
  4. Pour in 2 bags of popcorn (try and not get un-popped kernels into the mix) and chopped dried apples. Using a non-stick spatula, fold marshmallows, popcorn and apples together.
  5. Rub some extra butter onto your hands and clump large handfuls (about apple sized) popcorn mixture together and mold into apple-like shapes.
  6. Set aside, repeat with remaining popcorn mixture.

For Candy Coating:

  1. In a medium sauce pan, melt sugar, corn syrup and water together. Bring to a rapid boil and while monitoring temperature with a candy thermometer – bring the mixture to 300 degrees. Stir constantly.
  2. Gently dip each stick for the popcorn balls into the candy coating and stick into the middle of each popcorn ball.
  3. Here, add in the cinnamon extract and food coloring and stir to incorporate.
  4. CAREFULLY dip in each popcorn ball into the candy coating, and place back onto sprayed baking sheet to cool.
  5. Repeat with all popcorn balls. Allow to cool completely.
  6. When candy has hardened, and cool – devour.

Notes

Candy coating recipe original source – Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Candy Coating Recipe from Cookbook Queen