Valentine Lollipops

I love Valentine's Day! A day filled with hearts, mushiness & the best part... lots of chocolate - Yes Please! Last year my lil gal & I decided to create some one of a kind Valentine cards for her class. They were so fun, I wanted to share them again this year!

Supplies:

Chocolate candy melts (we used chocolate & white)

Lollipop sticks

Candy canes

Sprinkles

Lollipop bags

Assemble the candy canes & lollipop sticks on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler.

Carefully spoon chocolate into hearts. I twirled the lollipop sticks to make sure they were evenly coated & added some sprinkles. We also made some treats without the sticks.

Yummy!

Add a bag to protect the treats!

For the card I took a picture of her, added a fun Valentine message & printed them on 4x6 photo paper. Using an e-xacto knife, slice above & below the hand, then insert the lollipop stick. Instant cuteness! (The final lollipop version will be in a treat bag)

Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXO

Boo! Ghost Berries

Spook up your Halloween with adorable ghost berries! 

Simply dip fresh strawberries in melted white chocolate and & add ghostly faces with dark chocolate.

What you'll need:

24 large fresh strawberries

8 ounces white chocolate chips

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 plastic baggie

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with waxed paper.

2. Wash the strawberries and pat dry.

3. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until a smooth consistency. 

4. Hold strawberry by the stem & dip it into the chocolate until almost completely covered. Gently shake off excess. Place strawberry on baking sheet. Repeat until all berries are covered in white chocolate. Set aside for about 30 minutes so chocolate can set.

5. Melt semi-sweet chocolate & pour into plastic baggie. Cut off corner tip of bag and decorate the berries so they have eyes and mouths.

6. Let the chocolate completely set before serving.

Serve them at your Halloween party or as a fun after-school treat!

Happy Halloween!

Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips

 Crunchy, Salty, Sweet, Chocolaty, Creamy, Savory...

What you'll need:

10-15 Lays Ruffles Potato Chips

Hershey Chocolate Bar 

Sprinkles

1. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.

2. Break chocolate bar into small pieces. Put in a microwave safe bowl & heat chocolate at 30 second intervals. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Do not overheat.

3. Dip one half of the potato chip into the chocolate and gently shake (or tap off) the excess. Place chip on parchment paper & repeat. Add some colorful sprinkles, if desired.

4. Cool in fridge until hardened.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to one week. But be warmed, these are addictive & probably won't be around for that long!

 

Earth Day Treats: Worm and Dirt Cupcakes

What you'll need:

Chocolate box cake mix
Chocolate frosting
Oreo cookies (remove cream filling)
Gummy worms

Prepare and bake the cake mix according to the instructions.
Let cool completely.

Crush Oreo cookies in a food processor, or place cookies into a zippered bag and let your kids crunch them with a rolling pin.

Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting and top with gummy worms.

Sprinkle the cupcakes with the Oreo crumbs and pat it down so it sticks to the frosting.

Enjoy!
Happy Earth Day!

Chocolate Birds Nest

These sweet little chocolate birds nests are a perfect decoration and dessert for Easter! 

 1 bag chow mein noodles

3 packages mini chocolate bars

1 bag Cadbury mini eggs (or jelly beans)

Mini muffin pan

Cooking spray

Wax paper  (optional)

1. Break up chocolate and place in a microwave-safe container. Heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals until thoroughly melted. Be careful to not burn the chocolate. It took me two 30 second intervals. 

2. Carefully add the chow mein noodles, stirring until completely coated in the chocolate. 
 

3. Lightly spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

4. Spoon mixture into mini muffin pan. (note: if you don't have a mini pan, you can also spoon it into little nests onto the wax paper)

5. Refrigerate until firm, about one hour or so.

 6. One chilled, gently remove the nests from muffin pan. I used a paring knife to pop them out.

7. Place three Cadbury mini eggs (or jelly beans) inside each nest.

 Hope you have a fabulous Easter!

Graham Cracker S'mores Bars

Irresistible rich and gooey marshmallows, milk chocolate and graham crackers are baked into a delicious cookie bar!

Ingredients:
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 tub cookie mix
1 bag Hershey bars (broken into squares)
1 box graham crackers

Directions:
1. Preheat ovem to 375 degrees
2. Line baking sheet (standard size, with sides) with parchment paper
3. Take graham crackers and lay them out onto baking sheet until it is completely full.

4. Scoop cookie dough & place one ball of dough onto each cracker. Use remaining dough to fill in gaps. It may look like a lot, but it needs to melt together to cover the entire sheet.

5. Sprinkle marshmallows all over sheet.

6. Place into oven for 6 minutes. Remove and press in Hershey pieces all over. Add more marshmallows to fill in any gaps.

 7. Return to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until dough and marshmallows begin to turn golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Place in refrigerator to solidify. Remove after 20 minutes and cut into squares.

 Sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!

Hot Chocolate Dippers

Stir up something special on a cold winter day with 

Hot Chocolate Dippers!

What you'll need:
Marshmallows
Peppermint sticks
Chocolate candy melts
Assortment of sprinkles

Take peppermint sticks and insert into marshmallows.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolates and dip each marshmallow stick in to the chocolate. Be sure to coat entire marshmallow. Tap off excess chocolate and add sprinkles. Place on wax paper to cool.

My adorable assistant!

Add one dipper to a cup of hot chocolate.
Minty ~ Chocolatey ~ Goodness!

S'more Pops

Create a yummy version of the classic campfire treat!

Normally we make s'mores the old fashioned way, but this year I wanted to try something a little different!  What's great about these pops are that you can make them ahead of time so you can bring them to picnics, parties and more! And no worrying about kids going near an open flame!

What you'll need:

Chocolate bars

Large marshmallows

Crushed graham crackers

Lollipop sticks

I decided to kick ours up a notch and sprinkled the pops with sea salt and Trader Joe's sugar, chocolate and coffee bean mix!

In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate on high for 30 seconds, stirring once, until chocolate can be stirred smooth.

Dip each marshmallow halfway into melted chocolate. Sprinkle with graham crackers and sea salt. Insert lollipop stick into chocolate side of marshmallow and place on plate. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate hardens.

Using a kitchen torch, or stove top roast top of each marshmallow until golden perfection.

Enjoy (without all the hot, gooey mess)!

Bite Size Ice Cream Cones

We go crazy for ice cream during the warm summer months and make it a date to have a "sweet treat" a few times a week! Now you can treat yourself without any of the guilt with these teeny-tiny ice cream cones!

Want to know our secret to these little guys?

They are chocolate peanut butter Bugles!

Just grab a bag along with your favorite ice cream & enjoy!

Kids love them!

Adults love them!

Just one itty bitty serving (we won't tell if you have 2 or 3 or 6)!

Less mess and less waste!

Sounds like a winner to me :)