Tis the Season

Keeping with the spirit of the season, I made some Chocolate Candy Cane Petite Pops for a Holiday Party that my husband and I were invited to!

I started with Triple Chocolate Fudge cake... Baked to perfection!

Once the cake cooled completely, I crumbled the entire cake in a large bowl and mixed in some Chocolate Fudge frosting!

Once rolled, I stuck the cake balls with a candy cane that I had cut the "u" off of...

I submerged the cake pop into Candy Cane flavored Candy Melts and then dipped them in candy cane dust !

And there you have it... The perfect treat for a perfect Holiday Season!

Long time no see... or read

I know I know, it has been way too long since my last post, but I am happy report the reason for my absence... BUSY WITH BUSINESS!  I have been really busy with Birthdays, Halloween, Soccer Parties, etc... Not to mention life itself!

Here are a few treats that have popped up:

French Vanilla Petite Pops

for my friends Joe and Angie Dagonese

This might be my new favorite flavor... so delicate with the french vanilla flavor but so rich when dipped in chocolate!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to make Petite Pops for my neighbor Mrs. Roggio!  I was even more excited when she wanted them to be Jack-O-Lantern Petite Pops!  It was a toss up between Halloween themed or Hello Kitty... I have a feeling the next batch she requests are going to be Hello Kitty (which I am also excited to make...)

And most recently I made Holiday Petite Pops for an "End of the Year Soccer Celebration"!  Funfetti Petite Pops all dressed up in drizzle for the Holidays...

 I wish I had Petite Pops at my soccer celebrations!!!

I also made some yummy Pumpkin Spice Petite Pops for my wonderful husband for his Surprise Birthday Dinner!  They were so delicious that I had to make them again for Thanksgiving... too bad they were all devoured before I could take any pictures of them!  Note to self - always take pictures as soon as the pops are done!

Perry the Platypus Petite Pop "Cake"

My nephews 6th birthday was earlier this month and the theme for his birthday party was none other than Phineas and Ferb!  Truth be told, they aren't the "cutest" characters out there, so making Phineas and Ferb "looking" Petite Pops really didn't excite me.  So, my sister-in-law came up with the idea to make Teal Petite Pops, White Petite Pops, and Gold Petite Pops and arrange them in a way to resemble Perry the Platypus:

It took 49 Petite Pops to make the "Perry the Platypus Petite Pop Cake"... and I think it turned out pretty good:

Looks just like the picture right?  Needless to say, the kids (and parents) LOVED it!

 
Happy Bithday CocoBean!  Auntie Caca loves you!

Cheesecake Petite Pops & Truffles

I had the brilliant idea of trying something new and making Cheesecake Petite Pops the other day... I didn't even think about the fact that I have never even made a cheesecake before!

Being a new wife, and a new homeowner I am still in the collecting process of all necessary kitchen, cooking, and baking gadgets.  Needless to say I didn't have a springform pan nor a roasting pan big enough to hold my (only) 9 in round cake pan when baking my cheesecake.  Of course I figured this all out AFTER I had mixed all of the ingredients.  But have no fear, my neighbor Stephanie is here (cue super hero music)...

Thanks to my wonderful neighbor I was able to actually finish what I had started and properly bake my cheesecake.  Turned out pretty good for my first time!  Now it was time to mash up all my hard work and turn this delicious cheesecake into decadent morsels on a stick!

Cheesecake has a completely different texture than regular cake (duh!), or ground up cookies, or anything that I made Petite Pops out of before for that matter... so shaping them into balls turned out to be a bit difficult.  I scooped up some cheesecake, attempted to mold them into a ball like shape, drop them in graham cracker dust and then re-shaped them.  The graham cracker helped to make the cheesecake ball less sticky - meaning easier to shape!

I dipped the cheesecake balls into melted milk-chocolate, let them cool a bit, and then dipped them in the graham cracker dust!
 

After making 15 Cheesecake Petite Pops, I noticed I still had an entire cheesecake left from my recipe (don't ask me how I got two cheesecakes out of one recipe) so I decided to make Cheesecake Truffles as well.  This were a bit more difficult because of how delicate cheesecake is to begin with... Same process as before, just minus the stick!

 I think they turned out pretty good!

Mocha Espresso Petite Pops

There are few things in life that I could NOT live without: my Lord, my Husband, my puppy, family and friends, sports, and coffee!  My day doesn't really start until I have my morning coffee... whether that is at 5:30am or 12pm! I think my mother would have to admit that her addiction to coffee is just as bad!  Her love for coffee may be a little more obsessive than mine - and I conclude this from exhibit A: Her Personalized Gold Plated Starbucks Reward Card!

My mothers birthday was last week and I wanted to try something different for her personalized petite pops.  I decided to make Mocha Espresso Petite Pops - and I improvised every bit of it.

I started with a chocolate cake recipe and instead of using water I added already brewed coffee.  Once baked and cooled, I Mixed it with vanilla icing - to resemble "creamer" in coffee, and added instant Mocha Flavored Coffee to the mixture.  (Shout-out to Angie for saving me from another trip to the grocery store)!

I rolled the cake balls, dipped them in rich dark chocolate, and topped them with a coffee bean - for a little extra coffee kick!

The end result: A Rich Mocha Espresso Petite Pop that won't keep you up all night!

Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are by far my most favorite candy ever!  They are the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter - I just can't get enough of them!  Which is why I figured I would make my own Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... but I would do it my way!  With, instead of a small dollop of peanut butter filling, an over-sized ball of peanut buttery goodness in the center!

I first squeezed some melted chocolate into the candy mold, pushed the peanut butter ball down into the chocolate so that the chocolate would run up the sides of the mold and then I let them cool in the freezer.  Once solidified, I took the half-done treats and dipped the top of the peanut butter cups in melted chocolate, shook of the excess, and once again let them cool. I had all this extra melted chocolate - if anyone knows me they know I hate wasting a good thing :) - so I took the extra melted chocolate, placed it in a Ziploc bag, cut the corner and drizzled the chocolate over the Peanut Butter Cups to add an extra little touch!

Not only do they look all cute - they taste amazing!

ENJOY
xoxo

I Scream, You Scream , We all Scream for...

Ice Cream...? Close, Ice Cream Sundae Petite Pops!  When I saw these in Bakerella's book of Cake Pops I knew I just had to make them.  Below is a picture of how Bakerella's "Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops" turned out...

And here is a picture of mine...

These specific Ice Cream Sundae Petite Pops are made with Death By Chocolate Petite Pop balls covered in Pink Candy Coating, placed inside a Sugar Cone that is filled with fudge and topped with a chocolate drizzle.  Is your mouth watering yet?  And what would a Sundae be without a cherry on top?  Incomplete, so I placed a red M&M on top, to, well... top it off!

These were so much fun to make, and are now my new favy.  The crunch of the cone, mixed with the truffle-ness of the petite pop are a match made in heaven.  These are the perfect birthday party treat!  Pair it with an actual Ice Cream Cake and you are set for a memorable birthday celebration!

Chocolate Banana Bread Petite Pops

When summertime hits so does my craving for fruit!  I tend to buy so much that most of it becomes overripe before I can get to it all.  No worries though, I just turn those mature bananas into a nice moist loaf of Banana Bread!  And you know me, I always have to take it one step further... Banana Bread Petite Pops!

I baked two fresh loaves of homemade Banana Bread, one to eat as is, and one to turn into Petite Pops!

Once the Banana Bread cooled I mixed it with a bit of cream cheese, rolled them, stuck them and then dipped them in chocolate!

They taste exactly like the Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake from Starbucks... but better!  Homemade, personalized little goodies - they truly are "A Handful of Happiness".

4th of July Petite Pops

My husband and I moved to Maple Valley, WA in November of 2010.  We are still considered "new" to the area, and this point was proven when we finally met our friendly neighbors.  Now that the sun has come out to play, so has everyone else. People are coming out of hibernation and are mingling in the cul-de-sacs.  I knew it would be the perfect time to make some festive Petite Pops and give them to our neighbors as an ice breaker.  I assembled little 4th of July buckets and tried two new flavors, and of course threw in a classic:

Strawberry Shortcake Pops, Turtle Brownie Pops, and Mint Oreo Truffle Pops.

I have never experienced the 4th of July the way I did this past weekend.  Fireworks are legal here in Washington, unlike California, and people certainly take advantage of it!  We started the day off with a 4th of July parade lead by the neighborhood kids as well as pets!  Our neighborhood HOA hosted a BBQ and had inflatable slides and fun activities for the kids.  We all soaked up some much needed sun throughout the entire day, then as the sun set, we hunkered down and waited for the firework show"s" to start.  In the comfort of our own neighborhood we were able to watch 3... yes I said 3... different firework shows!  It was somewhat of a friendly competition between the different areas in our neighborhood.  Of course our "cowboy" finale took the "cake" - thanks Callahan. 

The neighbors loved the Petite Pop Buckets I made them - the kids appreciated them too!  Needless to say, it was the best 4th of July we have ever experienced!

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops!

Everyone knows you are not supposed to eat raw cookie dough, but who actually listens to that rule!?  I enjoy eating it more than fresh baked cookies!  Usually, when I make a batch of cookies, about a third of the dough gets eaten before I can even bake it!  So I knew I had to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Petite Pops, but I had to figure out a way to make them so they would be "safe" to eat.

I took a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe and eliminated the eggs and the baking soda - no leavening agent needed here since we aren't baking them!  And as simple as that I was able to make a gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Petite Pop!

The first batch I made, I threw whole chocolate chips in the dough, which ended up making it difficult to place a stick in the ball of dough because of the "large" obstruction.  So, my second time around I chopped up the chocolate chips before placing them in the dough and it made inserting the stick so much easier!

Now I feel like a pro!  Taking my confidence to the next level, I experimented with mini cookie cutters and was able to produce these cute little heart shaped Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Petite Pop!  Success if I do say so myself!

Snickerdoodlers

My brother happened to be cleaning out his pantry and found a box of Sugar Cookie mix.  Knowing he would never use it and being the baker that I am he passed along the box to me and told me to make something out of the mix! 
I wanted to do something more than just a Sugar Cookie, so I whipped up my own recipe with this cookie mix and made some delicious Snickerdoodle Petite Pops!

These cinnamon and sugary delights were such a hit - they may be the new family favorite!

Red Velvet Petite Pops

Red Velvet Cake... a favorite for so many!  So why not turn a delicious classic recipe into a Petite Pop!  Don't mind if I do. 

With a little flick of the wrist, some Popsicle sticks, and White Chocolate Candy Melts this little slice of heaven was turned into a one pop stop!

Dino Egg Cake Pops

I had the pleasure of making Petite Pops for a little boys first birthday party!  The theme of his party was Dinosaurs so I had to make an appropriate type of Petite Pop - Dinosaur Egg Cake Pops!  I chose chocolate cake and chocolate icing as the flavors and rolled them into the shape of an egg:

 

  In order to achieve the speckled look I used Colorburst Candy Melts to cover the "Dino Eggs":

To really drive the dinosaur effect home, I then sprayed the "Dino Eggs" with edible spray paint and made them come to life, so to speak:

Once the "Dino Eggs" were dry, I wrapped and tagged them!  I had so much fun making these Petite Pops and it means the world to me that I was asked to do it for a little boys 1st birthday!  

Happy Birthday Brayden!

Funfetti Cake Pops

My favorite cake as a child was Funfetti Cake, and at 25 years old, my favorite cake is still Funfetti.  So I knew my first actual "cake" pop I made had to be a Funfetti Cake Pop!  While shopping for the supplies, I found that Wilton made a type of candy coating called ColorBurst Melts, which look like they were made specifically for Funfetti Cake Pops.  They are white chocolate candy coating with little colored sprinkles in them and they look so fun and festive when used!  These cake pops turned out amazing, so moist and delicious.  

Mint Oreo Truffle Pops

The first Petite Pop I ever made was an Oreo Truffle.  Meant to be a simple ball of chocolatey goodness, I first made them without a stick and the process of dipping them in the chocolate and removing them to cool became a bit messy.  I quickly realized it would be a lot easier to insert a stick into the truffle before dipping it in the chocolate and voila - my first Petite Pop!  After mastering the original Oreo Truffle, I then tried a Mint Oreo Truffle Pop: mint oreo's, cream cheese, and mint chocolate candy coating... which is now a family favorite!