Christmas Cake Pops

Cake pops! I finally succeeded in making them! Yay!

Christmas Cake Pops

1 cake mix, any flavor

Cream cheese frosting

Red, green, and white candy melts

Assorted Christmas sprinkles

Lollipop sticks 

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions. Let cool.

Cut cake into four pieces.

Crumble cake over a large bowl, add a dollop of cream cheese frosting. It won't seem like much; it should be just enough to stick the cake together.

Stir in frosting. Form balls from cake mixture, place on wax paper covered baking sheet. Place in freezer for 15 minutes, then in refrigerator to continue chilling. 

While balls are chilling, melt candy melts according to package directions. Remove balls from fridge, and begin the popping process. Take a lollipop stick and dip the top in candy coating.

Insert stick 3/4 of the way into cake ball.

Dip cake into coating and coat thoroughly. DO NOT spin cake in coating. 

Gently lift cake out of coating.

Over the bowl, tap off any excess coating to avoid drips.

Sprinkle cake pop over a bowl.

Ta da!

Repeat.

And repeat. 

Festive Christmas party pops!

Yes, they were amazing. Get into the Christmas spirit and make these dazzling pops for friends and family!

Confetti Valentine Cupcakes

These cupcakes were easy and fun to make, and they turned out super cute!

Confetti Valentine Cupcakes

Strawberry cake mix

1 recipe creamy white frosting

Red, pink, and purple gel food coloring 

Valentine confetti or sequin sprinkles

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Line muffin pans with festive valentine cupcake liners. Like these...

Bake cupcakes, and place on a wire rack to cool.

Cool completely.

Prepare frosting and separate into three portions. Using the food coloring, color one portion pink, one portion purple and one portion red (ok, I know that doesn't look like red in the picture, but in real life it was red!). 

Put frosting into decorator bags and pipe frosting onto cupcake.

Now for the sprinkles!

                 

After piping on frosting, sprinkle cupcake.

Repeat.

My favorites were the pinks!

But the reds were nice...

...and the purples were pretty too!

Which color frosting do you think makes the cake?

Cupcakes for the 4th!

Hooray! This time I got these posted before the holiday was already over!

 This is just a simple doctored up cake mix recipe. They're the perfect treat for the 4th of July!

4th of July Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

1 box cherry gelatin

1 recipe Creamy White Frosting

Red, blue and black food color

Patriotic sprinkles

Prepare cake mix according to directions on box.

Then add gelatin powder. Mix until combined. Add red food color. If too light, add just a bit of black food color.

Ok, before we continue, check out these adorable cupcake papers I used.

Cute, right?! But not as cute as the bottom of the blue wrappers...

I love it!

Ok, back to the recipe.

Line muffin cups with festive holiday cupcake papers. Fill each cup 2/3 full.

Bake according to directions on box.

Cool cupcakes on wire rack.

Next, prepare Creamy White Frosting. Then, divide frosting, and dye one half blue. Leave the other half white.

Prepare a pastry bag with a large star tip. Then, fill one side of the bag with blue frosting, and the other with white.

Pipe frosting on a cupcake...

...then sprinkle it!

Hmmm...reminds me of a firework!

Have a great 4th of July, celebrating our freedom!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a Twist!

I have NEVER, had a better chocolate chip cookie than these. They're soft, filled with chocolate chips, and have ever so slight a hint of lemon. "Lemon with chocolate?" you might ask. Yes, I know it sounds a bit weird, but have you ever tried a chocolate chip cookie with a hint of lemon in it before? Well, if you haven't, now would be the perfect time to start! Plus, these cookies look pretty.

This recipe makes A LOT of cookies; about 5-6 dozen. And they're not small. So if you make the original recipe without halfing it, you're going to need a REALLY big bowl. This is what I use...

Big fellow.

Well, I know you're dying to have the recipe for these scrumptious cookies, so here it is!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

5 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon extract

2 Tbsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 cups white flour

2 cups wheat flour

16 oz. package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter, oil, and sugars. Add in eggs, vanilla and lemon extract. Then stir in 2 cups of white flour and the wheat flour. Knead in chocolate chips and nuts. Then add the rest of the flour.

Shape dough into ping-pong sized balls, place on ungreased baking sheets, and flatten slightly.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

MmmmmMmmm! Have I convinced you yet? Well, if I haven't, then it's time for the twist. Take a look at these!

This is an easter egg cookie cutter. Bet ya can't guess what I'm going to do with it!

Take a cookie dough ball and press it into the egg shaped cookie cutter. Remove the cutter, and repeat.

Well, I could just bake them now, but I've got a better idea!

Got any of these on hand?

They're mini wooden popsicle sticks!

Insert one into the bottom of each of the dough balls eggs.

Bake.

Okay, I know, they don't look much like easter eggs...yet.

So, we shall prepare royal icing!

Royal Icing

3 egg whites

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teas. cream of tarter

1/2 teas. clear vanilla or almond extract

Place ingredients in bowl and beat on medium high for a full 10 minutes. Icing will become thick and glossy. Keep covered with damp cloth while using. Icing hardens with a nice sheen.

Lay out cooled cookie pops on a sheet of wax paper. Frost with royal icing.

Hmm. Still not white enough. Let icing harden, and then, do another coat!

 

Much better!

Place the remaining icing in small bowls, and tint desired colors. Then, put frosting in small plastic sandwich bags, cut a small hole in the corner of each, and decorate the cookie pops!

Looks good!

        Tastes even better!

By this time, I hope you're convinced! Of course, if you made the pops, you wouldn't have to do them in the shape of an easter egg. You could do any shape that strikes your fancy. I've got to admit, these are definately killer cookies!