Tag Archives: fun

Creepy Earthworm Cupcakes

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Ruthanne

These fun little cupcakes will entertain your family and friends with slimy (raspberry!) earthworms poking out of the top!

Well, it’s October, and that means it is time for creatively creepy edibles! Last year I had SO much fun with my Broken Glass Cupcakes and my Toxic Slime Cupcakes! Oh my goodness, I love both of those recipes so much that it was hard to think of anything that fun and creepy for this year!!!

I loved the idea of worm-filled cupcakes and decided that gummy worms are way too cheery, with all their fun bright colors. I wanted WORMS- big fat earthworms- in my cupcakes.

I’m not sure why these are not readily available for purchase in the candy aisle of my grocery store, but fortunately I found a TON of recipes for make-your-own gummy earthworms online. I read about 10 recipes (they were all very similar) and gave it a shot.

I love them!!!! I had a hard time biting into one to try out the flavor because they were so realistic! These are really not very hard to make, and I can think of a TON of desserts these would be fun to serve with. These are even Father’s Day friendly (I realized this when the men who were eating the cupcakes started talking about fishing with earthworms…) or maybe you could “dress up” my apple cupcakes from last week with a few worms! 🙂

Here’s how to make these fun little desserts: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 boxed chocolate cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
2 sticks (1 cup) of butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla
Green sugar crystals
About 15 Oreo cookies crushed into crumbs
brown and green food color gels
1 (6 oz) packet of raspberry jello
4 (1/2 oz) packets of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups boiling water

DIRECTIONS:

WORMS: (make the day before)

Take about 40-60 bendable plastic straws and pull them out to full length.
Place them each in a tall glass with the bendable part down.
Put a rubber band around the top to hold them together and upright.
Mix jello and unflavored gelatin together in a mixing bowl and add boiling water.
Stir until dissolved and refrigerate for about 20 minutes until cooled.
Place cream and a little bit of green food coloring in a separate bowl and mix well.
Mix cream with gelatin mixture until well combined.
Gently pour the mixture over the tops of the straws until they, and the glass are full.
Refrigerate overnight.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and lightly spray it with cooking spray.
Run warm water over the glass until you can pull the entire jello mold out (straws and all!)
Gently pull apart straws and use a rolling pin to roll each little worm out.
Place each worm on the parchment paper until all of them have been removed from the straws.
Keep covered and refrigerated until use.

CUPCAKES:

Make cake mix according to box and divide evenly among 24 cupcake liners placed in tins.
Bake according to package, and allow them to cool.
Make frosting by placing butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beating it on high for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Color frosting using a combination of green and brown to make a clay-like color for inside the cupcakes
Use a cupcake corer or a small knife to cut a core out of each cupcake.
Pour green sugar into a small bowl.
Use a knife to spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of each cupcake, around the hole cut out by the corer.
Turn the cupcake top down into the green sugar, coating the frosting entirely.
Spoon or pipe a small amount of frosting into each cored cupcake.
Set a worm into the frosting, letting it “stick” and be held in place.
Spoon Oreo crumbs over the worm and frosting, filling up the rest of the hole in the cupcake.
Keep refrigerated until serving.
Enjoy!!

My thoughts: These crack me up. Everyone loves them, but kids are SO suspicious that you might have used real worms! One of my friends gave some to her grandkids and the oldest just sat and stared at hers and finally declared, “I saw one move!” They are disturbingly life-like. These are great covered in the fridge for a day, but at room temperature the worms start to dry out after a few hours. I hope you get a chance to try this creepy little treat! Enjoy!!! ~r

Other creepy recipes for your October fun: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

12 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baking, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, frosting, fun, gummy worms, Halloween, halloween dessert ideas, how to make gummy earthworms, Oreo dirt, party, recipe, sugar, unique, worms. Bookmark the permalink.

Fall Apple Cupcakes

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Ruthanne

Celebrate fall with these cute little apple cupcakes! Filled with a chocolate chip “seed” core, these are sure to make everyone smile!

Well. Fall is here. I just began to notice the changing leaves this week, and of course every morning it’s a little bit darker on my drive to work.

Every fall, our family makes a special trip to a local orchard to sample apples, doughnuts and cider. As the temperatures drop I find myself looking forward to pumpkins and rustling leaves and all the fun flavors that come with this new season! These little cupcakes don’t taste like apples, but they sure do look like them! I even added a fun seeded core to these, using my trusty cake pop maker.

How fun is that? Surprise chocolate chips are always a plus in my book! You can skip the “core” if you want- just make solid-colored cupcakes instead of using my added steps in the recipe. Either way, these are a lot of fun and easy to make!

Here’s the recipe: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

1 boxed white cake mix (plus oil, water and eggs to make according to package)
Food coloring gels in desired colors.
1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (if making core)
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
2 sticks (1 cups) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla
Colored sugar sprinkles (in desired colors)
Fondant for stems and leaves (or use pretzel sticks for the stems and spearmint gummy leaves instead!)

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package
Remove one cup of batter and place in a separate bowl.
Mix in mini chocolate chips.
Bake in cakepop maker (or use a small mini-muffin tin), making 24 cake pops (or mini-muffins)
Divide remaining batter into separate bowls and color using color gels. I did green, red and yellow apples, but you can do just one of those colors if you want.
Place cupcake liners into tins and spoon just a small amount of batter into each liner.
Use a cake pop to spread batter evenly into bottom of liner and then leave the cake pop in the center.
Spoon remaining batter evenly over the cake pops, covering each pop completely.

Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Cool completely.
Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beating on high for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop frosting on each cupcake, and then turn cupcake upside down into a bowl of decorating sugar, pressing until all of frosting is covered in sugar.
Decorate with fondant leaves and stems, or use pretzels and spearmint leaves.
To use fondant, you can buy it already made in white and color it with gel in green and brown, or you can make it from scratch and color it the same way.
Use a leaf fondant cutter to make leaves and just roll and cut the stems.
If you are new to fondant, we did a tutorial on it here. It is MUCH easier than it seems like it would be, and you can make such cute decorations with it!

My thoughts: These are such a happy fall treat! You can go all- out and make little chocolate chip cores, or just make plain cupcakes in various colors. Either way, they are a yummy, easy, fall treat that look beautiful on a fall-themed table. Hope you get a chance to try these! Enjoy!! ~Ruthanne

Other fun fall recipes here on easybaked:

14 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged apples, best, buttercream frosting, cupcakes, fall, filled cupcakes, fondant, fun, Halloween, leaves, October, party, recipe, school, teachers, unique, vanilla. Bookmark the permalink.

Pancake and Bacon Cupcakes!!!

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ruthanne

These sweet maple pancake flavored cupcakes are topped with syrup-coated bacon and real mini-pancakes. The only question remaining is, will you eat them for breakfast???

My answer to that question is a resounding YES, I will eat them for breakfast, and any other time of the day too!

Did you know that today is National Pancake Lovers Day??? There is no better way I know of to celebrate pancakes than by making these! [Plus, Monday is National Coffee Day, and believe me these go GREAT with coffee!]

These cupcakes were a complete experiment, and when they came out of the oven and I tentatively tasted one, I smiled. They taste like pancakes- they really do! Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup (I didn’t use the real stuff– too expensive!)

Frosting and toppings:

2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
8 pieces of bacon, cooked until very crisp
1/4 cup of maple syrup
Pancake batter- enough for about 50 mini pancakes (I used the add water and shake Bisquick bottle, and it took about 2 cups of batter to make these up.

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

Combine all dry ingredients and mix in medium bowl
In large bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream and vanilla together, add melted butter slowly while whisking.
Alternately add dry ingredients and syrup to the egg mixture, whisking until thick and smooth.
Scoop evenly into 18-20 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins. Don’t overfill!
Bake at 350F degrees for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from tin and allow them to cool completely.

Frosting and toppings:

Crumble bacon into small pieces and toss with maple syrup until completely coated.
Make mini pancakes on a hot griddle by using a small spoon and making just a tiny circle of batter. Let these cool on a piece of parchment paper.
Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beating on high for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
Place frosting into a large zip top bag that has a decorating tip fitted into one corner.
Pipe a circle of icing around the edge of the cupcake.
Sprinkle with bacon.
Place pancakes on top, using a small amount of frosting to stick them together into a stack.
Add a dollop of frosting on top and add sprinkles or a red “cherry” sixlet, like mine.
ENJOY!!!!

Pancake Cupcakes!!! My thoughts: These are really good. The sweet cupcake with that salty bacon….yum! I was a little skeptical about the bacon, but it really adds a wonderful flavor to these! If you are short on time, skip the mini pancakes on top and just frost these and sprinkle them with bacon. You could even use a bottle of those real bacon bits, but I suspect that the freshly cooked bacon tastes best. Happy Pancake Day to YOU!!! Enjoy!! ~r

Other treats that you “could” eat for breakfast:

15 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged bacon, baking, best, breakfast, buttercream, cupcakes, dessert, fun, idea, maple, maple syrup, pancake, recipe, salty, sweet, syrup, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Caramel Gelato with Gingerbread Spoons

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Ruthanne

This creamy frozen caramel dessert is perfect when it is eaten with a spicy gingerbread cookie spoon. Does dessert get much more fun than this?!?

This recipe has a story. I was flying home to Michigan for a wedding when I saw the most amazing dessert in one of those in-flight magazines. It was some sort of mousse with a COOKIE SPOON in it. I stared at it and thought….and wondered if spoon cookie cutters exist (they do), and I decided right then that I would make something caramel with gingerbread spoons.

Something caramel…..something sweet and rich. About a week later, I saw this post on Foodgawker and the words, “Three ingredients. No churn. No machine. No whipping cream. It’s magic.” swirled in my head. Sour cream, Sweetened condensed milk, Vanilla. No machine.

What if I added Dulce de Leche instead of the sweetened condensed milk? I had to try it. I felt like I was surely wasting a container of sour cream when I mixed this up….but then…. creamy, cold caramel deliciousness. It is magic. You need to try this!

Here’s how: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Caramel Gelato:

1 1/2 cups of sour cream (use full-fat)
1 can (13.4 oz.) of La Lechera Dulce de Leche (now….imagine coconut cream in this recipe….!)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cookie Spoons:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

DIRECTIONS:

Caramel Gelato:

Mix all ingredients together well, spread into a freezer safe bowl and cover tightly.
Freeze overnight.
Allow gelato to warm a little before serving.

Gingerbread Cookie Spoons:

Cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar.
Blend in sifted dry ingredients.
Chill 2-3 hours (this is important– the dough is very easy to roll after chilling)
Roll 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter or board and cut into spoon shapes, using a cookie cutter, and place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Check often- take out when cookies have risen and are easily removed from sheet.

My thoughts: This caramel desert is unbelievably creamy and rich. I pictured 2 scoops in my photos, but I would serve just one. It is almost like frozen custard- so heavy and rich. The caramel flavor is amazing though! Amazing. The cookies are so delicious with the caramel. They are hard to actually use as spoons until the frozen caramel warms a bit. I love this flavor combination! I hope you get a chance to try it! Enjoy!!! ~r

Other fun chilled desserts you might enjoy:

16 Comments

Posted in Cookies, Frozen desserts and tagged baking, caramel, caramel gelato, cookie spoons, cookies, fall, frozen custard, frozen desserts, fun, gelato, gingerbread cookies, ice cream, idea, party, spoons. Bookmark the permalink.

First Down Oreo Pops!!!

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Ruthanne

These cute little football field Oreo pops are the perfect snack for your next tailgating party or Sunday afternoon of football!

These are just fun little football treats…and the world has far too few fun little football treats– there’s always room for more! These are made just like all of the other crazy Oreo pops on the Easybaked site. Dipped in green, piped in white and topped with a cute football sprinkle!

Here is how these fun little treats are made: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One box of Double Stuff Oreos
One bag of Wilton’s candy melts in Green
One bag of Wilton’s candy melts in White
One jar of football sprinkles (I made my own, but there are some cute ones here)
24-30 lollipop sticks

DIRECTIONS: (Need a visual? Click here.)

Carefully twist apart all of the Oreo cookies
Using one of the lollipop sticks, make an indentation in the white filling of each cookie.
Melt the about 1/4 of the white Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
Dip the end of one stick into the melted white chocolate, drizzle a little in the center of the cookie filling and then gently press it into the indentation made.
Place the top of the cookie back on and allow white chocolate to harden (20 minutes or so), cementing the cookie back together with a stick inside. (Freeze for 5-10 minutes to speed this process up)
Melt green candy melts in the same manner that you melted the white.
Holding the stick, lower the entire Oreo into the bowl of melted green chocolate, spooning it over the top and sides to cover it completely.
Allow the excess green chocolate to drain off and gently place covered Oreo on a piece of parchment paper to harden and cool completely
Melt another 1/4 of the white candy melts, as before, and spoon into a small zip top bag. Clip a tiny corner off and pipe lines and numbers on the top of each Oreo pop.
Place on a clean piece of parchment paper to cool, and immediately place a football sprinkle on top.
Allow pop to harden completely.
Remove from paper and serve- or place in a small treat bag, tied with a fun team ribbon.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: Cute on the outside, Oreo on the inside… perfect! Hope you get a chance to try these fun little football snacks!!!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other treats to make your football feasts happy:

4 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged best, chocolate, Cookie, dessert, football, football season, fun, idea, oreo, Oreo pop, recipe, snacks, sweet, tailgating party. Bookmark the permalink.

Cheesehead Cupcakes!

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Ruthanne

Cheesehead Cupcakes!!!!! These colorful Green Bay Packer CHEESEHEAD cupcakes are the perfect treat for game day!!! Make them in YOUR team colors and start the season off with some fun!

Today is the day!!!! NFL football season starts!!!! Tonight it’s the Packers vs. Seattle (GO PACK GO!!!!!!!), and I had to add some cheese on these fun little cupcakes to make them just perfect!

Wait— what’s inside? That’s what makes these so much fun!!!!!

A little splash of team color hidden in the middle. You can make these in any team colors you want- but if you make them for the Chicago Bears or the Detroit Lions you will need this tutorial here to make your cupcake toppers. 🙂

Here is how we made these: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed white cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box)
Green and gold food color gels (or your team colors)
2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla (or any flavoring you’d like to add to your frosting)
1 bag of Wilton’s candy melts in yellow (if you want cheesehead toppers!!) You will also need little triangle chocolate molds for these.

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix as directed on box, and take about 1/4 of the batter and mix it with yellow food color gel.
Using a cake pop maker or a small mini muffin tin, make 24 small, baked balls of cake in yellow. (click here for pictures of how to make these cake balls)
Color remaining batter with green food color gel.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spoon a little bit of green batter into 24 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins.
Place one cake ball in each cavity in the center of the green batter.

Carefully spoon more green batter over the top of each yellow cake ball, filling each cup only 2/3 to 3/4 full (be careful to not over-fill. That is easy to do when you are focused on covering up that cake ball!)
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beating on high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Divide frosting in half and color one half gold and the other half green. Place each color in a zip top bag that has been fitted with a decorating tip.
Pipe yellow icing on 1st followed by green and top with a bit of cheese!!!!!

To make little cheese head cupcake toppers:

Yes, that is a tire pressure gauge…..

Melt yellow candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl, in the microwave, in 30-second increments, stirring in between.
Put candy melts into a sturdy zip top bag, clip a corner and pipe into triangle candy molds.
Tap on counter to remove bubbles, and place in the freezer for 5 minutes, or until completely hardened.
Turn mold upside down and tap on counter to remove chocolate.
Repeat this process.
Allow the triangle chocolates to return to room temperature, and use whatever you find handy to put “holes” in your cheese. I used a (cleaned in hot soapy water) tire pressure gauge for mine. Let’s hear it for problem solving in the kitchen!!!!!!

My thoughts: These are just plain fun. I recommend using a cake pop maker for the center circles. It really does take less time and it makes the most adorably round little cake balls. Plus you can make a Polka-Dot cake with it too!!! I hope you get a chance to celebrate your team with these fun and colorful cupcakes!!! IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!!

Other fun cupcake recipes you might enjoy:

6 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged Aaron Rodgers, baking, best, buttercream frosting, cake mix, candy, candy molds, Cheesehead, cupcakes, dessert, football, fun, Green Bay Packers, idea, NFL, party, recipe, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Football Cookies!

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Ruthanne

These soft and chewy chocolate cut-out cookies make the perfect little footballs! Are you ready for the season to start? Kick it off with these adorable treats!

NFL football starts this week with a Thursday night game against the Packers (GO PACK GO!!!!!!) and Seattle. Let the season of fun tailgating and snacking begin!!!

These are seriously the yummiest chocolate cookies ever, and the PERFECT, not-sticky, dough for cookie cutters. I’ve used this recipe SO many times here on easybaked. When I thought about making football cookies I automatically defaulted to this wonderful family recipe. I promise, you will love it!!!

Here’s how they are made: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Add butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa together in large mixing bowl.
Blend on medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, to knead into a soft ball of dough)
Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. I roll mine thick, so I get nice and chewy cookies.
Cut into football shapes using a football cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave a little room for the cookies to spread.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the edges are firm.
Gently slide parchment paper off of cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Cool completely before moving- this allows the cookie to “set”.
Frost as desired. I used royal icing in a zip-top bag with a corner clipped off to decorate these. You can click here for my royal icing recipe and instructions for use. You could also use regular icing or even melted white chocolate.
Allow icing to harden up before stacking.

My thoughts: These are so cute, and so yummy that I kept wandering by the table just took look at them while they hardened up. I couldn’t help but smile every time….and eat one. Which was bad, because I’ve eaten too much fry bread here on the Navajo Nation and I need to diet! They are irresistibly good…so I quickly have given them all away! Happy football season everyone!!! Bring on the fun!!!!! ~r

Other desserts that use this cookie recipe:

17 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, chocoate, chocolate, cocoa, cookie cutters, cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, football, fun, Green Bay Packers, idea, NFL, party, sports, tailgate. Bookmark the permalink.

Kool Aid Pie!

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Ruthanne

With a fruit cereal crust and sweet, creamy Kool Aid filling, this cake will have you and every child in your life asking for seconds!

This recipe is made in a springform pan- like a cheesecake. The crust is made of crushed Trix Cereal and I made my filling with watermelon Kool Aid. It was perfect with the sweet crust and slightly tart filling. The cool thing? You can use ANY flavor of Kool Aid you want! Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Cherry, Grape, Strawberry….ANYTHING!

So. Much. Fun!!!!!!!!!

Here’s how we made it: (for a printable recipe, click here)

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups of Trix Cereal (crushed into about 3 cups)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (melted)
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 package (8 oz) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 packet of Kool Aid drink mix (any flavor~ if you use a lemonade, add it to taste, as it will be more tart than the other flavors)
1 (13 oz) jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1 tub (8 oz) of Cool Whip (thawed in refrigerator)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees
In a large mixing bowl, combine crushed cereal, sugar and melted butter. Mix until well- combined,
Press into an un-greased, 8″ springform pan, pressing crumbs up sides and into bottom.
Bake at 350F degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Leave sides on pan, and cool completely.

Make filling by creaming together the cream cheese with the Kool Aid. Add Kool Aid according to how much flavor, color and tartness you enjoy. I added the whole packet, and YUM!
Mix in the entire container of Marshmallow Creme and blend well.
Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip until well blended.
Carefully spoon filling into cooled cereal crust, and very gently (as to not pick up crumbs of cereal), spread it to the edges.
Spoon remaining Cool Whip on top.
Store chilled, and just before serving remove sides of pan, and sprinkle extra cereal on top.

My thoughts: The only thing even a tiny bit hard about this recipe is pressing that crust into a springform pan. The rest is just mixing and pouring. So easy- but such a pretty and fun dessert. The watermelon version I made got RAVE reviews and it was gone in one evening. Almost everyone had seconds! I wasn’t sure how well the watermelon flavor would go over, but it was so refreshing! I loved it! I hope you get a chance to try this easy summer recipe! Enjoy!!! ~r

More recipes that kids will love:

13 Comments

Posted in Cakes, Pies and tagged cake, cereal, cereal crust, cool whip, dessert, fun, idea, kids, kool-aid, party, philadelphia cream cheese, pie, recipe, springform pan, summer, Trix cereal. Bookmark the permalink.

Popsicle Punch!!!!

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Ruthanne

Love popsicles? Love a fruity, refreshing punch? Try making popsicle punch! Everyone can choose their own flavor!

I was sitting in the sun, thinking about punch the other day. I was thinking about how you never really get to have punch unless you make a ton of it in a big punch bowl~ which sends it into the “only at a big party” category of treats. I started thinking about how much fun it would be if you could make a single-serving punch, and suddenly—POPSICLES!!!!!! A little bit of Sprite, maybe a bit of pineapple juice and a POPSICLE! Choose your flavor, pick your punch!

I had to run to the store and get popsicles to try this little experiment, and YUM!!!!!! YUM! YUM! YUM!!!!!!

I loved the plain popsicles- beautiful colors and delicious fruity punch.

THEN, I tried the popsicles that have the ice cream filling… you know, these:

So much creamy, fruity happiness in one little mug…. well, two little mugs because I had to try a couple of flavors:

That orange punch? Like a creamsicle in a cup….! Unbelievably good!!!

Here’s how I did it:

INGREDIENTS:

Sprite (or another lemon-lime soda)
Pinapple (or another fruit) juice
Popsicles!

DIRECTIONS:

Fill a cup about 1/2 full of soda (leave room for the popsicle- the ice cream ones foam up a bit)
Add juice to taste- I added about 1 part juice for 4 parts soda.
Place a popsicle into cup and stir to dissolve
ENJOY!

My thoughts: You can make individual cups of punch, or make the base punch in a big punch bowl (just the soda and the juice) and set a cooler full of popsicles out for people to choose flavors from. I just made a cup of punch with a frozen juice bar— oh my. So yummy! The possibilities are endless!!!! Enjoy! ~r

Cheers!!!!

Other fun beverage (and beverage inspired!) recipes:

10 Comments

Posted in Beverages, Frozen desserts and tagged beverage, creamsicle punch, drinks, fruit punch, fun, ice cream, idea, kids, party, popsicles, punch, recipe, summer, unique. Bookmark the permalink.

Caramel Pecan Marshmallow Pops

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Ruthanne

Big marshmallows covered in creamy caramel and chocolate are dipped in pecans to make an incredibly decadent treat!

These are unbelievably good. I was visiting my friend Andreya in San Diego last weekend and we passed a store while window shopping in La Jolla that had all sorts of dipped marshmallows. I started craving them and had to try this. These are like yummy caramel apples- but with a soft marshmallow inside, instead of an apple. If you are looking for a really unique treat that is easy to put together, this is your recipe!!! I couldn’t believe how easy and yummy these were.

Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

2 bags of jumbo marshmallows (24 marshmallows)
24 lollipop sticks
32 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of butter
1 bag of dark chocolate Wilton’s candy melts
2 cups of chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Set marshmallows out on parchment paper and stick one lollipop stick into the flat side of each one.
In a medium saucepan, melt together caramels, butter and sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly, until completely smooth (takes about 5 minutes)
Pour caramel mixture into a bowl.
Using stick, carefully dip each marshmallow into caramel, coating it to the top. Gently tap stick against side of bowl to remove excess caramel and then slide bottom of marshmallow along bowl’s edge to remove most of caramel. (It is ok if you remove it down to the marshmallow- the chocolate will cover this up!
Place upright on a sheet of parchment paper and cool.
Place chocolate candy melts into a bowl, and melt them in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth.
Lay a fresh sheet of parchment paper out before beginning next step.
Place pecans in a small bowl.
Gently peel a marshmallow away from the parchment paper. This is a little tricky, as it will still be a bit gooey. I held the stick, lifted, and peeled the paper away from the marshmallow.
Dip bottom of marshmallow into melted chocolate and slide bottom along edge of bowl to remove excess.
Dip bottom of coated marshmallow into pecans and set on fresh parchment paper to harden.

Once these are hardened up, you can serve them up on a pretty plate, or wrap them in cello bags to use as gifts or favors.
If you aren’t serving them right away, be sure to cover them so the marshmallows don’t harden up.

My thoughts: These are a recipe I will make again. I had fun putting them together and everyone who tried them asked me to make them again. Easy. Yummy. Beautiful. My kind of recipe! Enjoy!! ~r

Other unique recipes you might enjoy: