Sunflower Browine Pops!

This Sunflower Pop is too cute for so many occassions.  I found this at the  Munchkinmunchies Website.




Supplies:1 box of brownie mix (Prepare as directed. Cool completely)
8 oz. of prepared cream cheese frosting
14 oz. bag of chocolate candy melts 
lollipop sticks (2-3 dozen)
block of styrofoam (to hold drying pops)
chocolate sprinkles
yellow m&m candies~12 per pop
Lime green royal icing

Directions:
1. Put prepared brownies in a large bowl, and break up into small crumbs with your hands(clean of course). 
2. Add the frosting and mix well, either with your hands, or a sturdy large spoon. If you need a bit more frosting to hold it together, go ahead, but not too much.
3. Roll the mixture into balls (about 1 1/2 inches) and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, or place in freezer for 15 minutes. You want them chilled, but not frozen. (I actually froze my unfrosted brownie balls in an airtight container and thawed them when I was ready to make them into pops, days later.)
4. Place the candy melts in a small, deep ( big enough to hold all the melted candy, but deep enough to dip the pops) microwave-safe bowl and follow the directions on the bag for melting.
5. Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2- inch into the candy melt and then insert it directly into the brownie ball, no more than halfway in(this helps the pop adhere to the stick).
6. Holding it by the stick, dip the brownie ball into the melted coating until it's completely covered (use a spoon if need be), all the way to where the brownie meets the stick. 
7. If there's too much coating on your pop, hold the brownie pop in one hand and use the other hand to gently tap the first wrist, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Try to make the coating even all the way around.
8. Add chocolate sprinkles to the front side of the pop (while chocolate is still wet), which would be the "face" of the flower.
9. Quickly, but carefully, while chocolate is still wet, add the m&m's around the perimeter of the pop (look at top photo) to form the "petals". If the chocolate dries, slightly dip each  m&m into the melted chocolate and then onto the pop. Hold it in place until it adheres~about 15 seconds.
10. Stick the brownie pop into a block of styrofoam until completely dry.
11.. Repeat with each brownie pop and let them dry completely.
12. When dry and sturdy, add the green royal icing decorations with a #4 tip. Let dry completely.
ENJOY!

Skillet-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

I recently ordered the Pizza 73 4-pack.  For desert, we picked the chocolate cookie.  I thought it was such a great idea that I search the net to try and find a recipet with the same concept and this is what I found...

• Yield Serves 8

Ingredients

• • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
  • 2 pints vanilla ice cream
  • Caramel Sauce (http://www.marthastewart.com/283485/caramel-sauce)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

ENJOY!

R is For Rose Basket Cupcake

Ingredients

• 1 cupcake
• Chocolate frosting
• Green-tinted coconut

• 5 candy or frosting roses
• 3 strands red whip licorice

Instructions

1. Unwrap the cupcake and frost in a basket-weave pattern using a basket-weave tip, as in the inset photo. (An easier alternative is simply to pipe a decorative edge around the top of the cupcake.)
2. Add the coconut grass and the candy roses. Braid the licorice for a decorative handle.
3. You can also make your own roses with a rose tip and pink frosting.

ENJOY!!

P is for.....Popcorn Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 baked cupcake
• White icing
• 40 mini marshmallows (white or pastel yellow and white)
• Yellow food coloring (optional)

• Clean paintbrush
• Scissors
• White construction paper
• Blue and red markers

Instructions

1. Frost the cupcake with white icing. To create each piece of "popcorn," cut one mini marshmallow in half and squish the two pieces back together into a whole mini marshmallow, pinching firmly. Pile the finished popcorn onto the frosted cupcake.
2. For a buttery look, either dilute a drop of yellow food coloring in water and brush it on with a clean paintbrush or mix pastel yellow marshmallows in with the white.
3. To make the band, cut a strip of construction paper about 1 1/4 inches by 8 inches, or to fit your cupcake, and decorate as shown.
4. If you're creating many cupcakes, design just one band and color photocopy it. Wrap the band around the cupcake and secure with tape.

ENJOY!

Now "C" is for......Cacti-Cakes

Ingredients

• Cupcakes
• White frosting
• Brown sugar or graham cracker crumbs

• Green Jujyfruits
• Red Jujyfruits
• Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Coat your favorite cupcakes with white frosting, then dip them in "sand" (brown sugar or graham cracker crumbs).
2. Skewer green Jujyfruits onto toothpicks, leaving a bit of each pick exposed. Use another toothpick, cut in half, to add a red Jujyfruits flower atop one of the arms, then stick a cactus into each cupcake.

ENJOY!

Back to School.....A Is for Apple Cupcake

Ingredients

• 1 cupcake
• Red frosting
• 1 mini pretzel stick

• Melted chocolate
• 1 green gumdrop leaf
• 1 gummy worm

Instructions

1. Unwrap the cupcake and ice it with the red frosting.
2. Dip the pretzel stick in melted chocolate, allow it to harden, then insert it for the stem.
3. Add the gumdrop leaf (or make one with green frosting and a leaf tip). Cut a small "bite" out of the cupcake and insert the worm or just half of one!

Soft-Serve Swirl Cupcakes

 

Step by step instructions from start to finish.

  Ingredients:

• Jumbo Rainbow Nonpareils Sprinkles
• Sour Cherry Balls
• Buttercream icing
• Stick candy

Makes:

Each cupcake serves 1.

Tools:

• 6-Cup King-Size Muffin Pan
• King-Size White Baking Cups
• Tip: 1M

Instructions:

Step 1

Bake and cool cupcakes.

Step 2

Pipe tip 1M swirl on cupcake tops. Sprinkle with nonpareils.

Step 3

Position cherry sprinkle; insert stick candy.

Buttercream Icing

 

Follow our instructions to make it the ideal consistency you need.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Makes:

About 3 cups of icing.

Instructions:

Step 1

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Step 2

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Step 3

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

Step 4

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

1M Swirl

 

 

Here is another quick way to decorate your cupcakes or cakes. It just takes minutes to pipe a fancy iced swirl and add colorful sprinkles.

Ingredients:

• Buttercream icing (light to medium consistency)

Tools:

• Tip: 1M
• Disposable Decorating Bags

Instructions:

Step 1

Hold Open Star Decorating Tip 1M approximately 1/4" above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface. Pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward.

Step 2

Stop pressure; pull tip away.

Step 3

Pipe a second spiral, smaller (not as wide) on top. End spiral at center. Stop pressure; pull tip straight up and away.

ENJOY!

Starbucks Frozen Frappuccino

• Time 20 minutes
• Serves 2

Ingredients

---

• 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 cups ice
• Caramel topping, 3 Tbs
• Whipped Cream
• Hersheys Chocolate Syrup 3 tbs

How to make it

---

• Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.
• To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.
• CARAMEL Version:
• For this version, add 3 tablespoons of caramel topping to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle additional caramel over the whipped cream.
• MOCHA Version:
• For this version, add 3 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles Recipe

As soon as I saw this recipe in my Inbox from Mrs. January, I ran out to the grocery store and bought some frozen strawberries.  This is a must try! 





Stuff You'll Need:

- 3 Heaping Cups Of Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
- 3 Cups Lemonade
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla


Instructions:
1. Add all of your ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
2. If desired, strain out the seeds.
3. Pour into your popsicle molds and freeze for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, add your popsicle sticks and freeze for another 4 hours – overnight.
Serves Around 10

ENJOY!

---

Watermelon Pop

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberry sorbet
• 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup lemon sorbet

• 2 drops green food coloring
• wedge-shaped popsicle molds
• popsicle sticks

Instructions

1. To make a batch, mash together 1 cup strawberry sorbet, 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl.
2. Put the the mixture into wedge-shaped popsicle molds (we used six 2-ounce molds), filling each about two-thirds full.*
3. Spoon a thin, even layer of lemon sorbet on top. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup lemon sorbet, 2 drops green food coloring, and 1 tablespoon water.
4. Spoon a layer into each mold and insert a popsicle stick. Freeze the pops for at least four hours.

Tips:

* Here's an easy way to fill the molds: mix these ingredients in a ziplock bag, snip a corner of the bag, then pipe in the mixture.

Flip Flop Cake

I'm a huge fan of anything to do with summer and the beach.  It just seems to bring happiness all around!

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
• 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 tubs (16 oz each) white frosting
• Green and pink gel or paste food color
• 8 rainbow and 4 red sour belts candies
• You'll also need: graham cracker crumbs; shell-shaped cookies and/or chocolates; gummy fish and starfish

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need a 13 x 9-in. baking pan coated with nonstick spray, bottom lined with wax paper and sprayed. You'll also need a sturdy serving surface about 20 x 16 in.
2. Prepare cake mix as directed for yellow pound cake, using pudding, water, eggs and oil. Pour batter into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan, peel off paper and cool completely.
3. With long serrated knife, trim top of cake horizontally to make level. Cut out 2 flip-flop shapes, each about 10 1/2 x 5 in. Place on serving surface.
4. Tint 1/2 cup frosting light green. Transfer to small freezer ziptop bag with small hole snipped in one corner. Tint remaining frosting pink. Spread tops and sides of cakes with pink frosting.
5. Cut each rainbow sour belt lengthwise into two strips and arrange on cakes to make stripes, cutting as necessary to fit. Pipe decorative border of green frosting around top edges of cakes.
6. For straps, cut two 6 1/2-in. pieces from red sour belts. Pinch two ends together on diagonal to attach. Trim remaining ends to round; place on top of one cake. Repeat to make strap for remaining cake.
7. Sprinkle serving surface with graham cracker crumbs. If desired, decorate with shell-shaped cookies and chocolates, gummy fish and starfish.Each Flip-Flop measures 10 1/2 x 5 in.

Plan Ahead: You can bake cake up to 3 days ahead, wrap airtight and refrigerate. Frost and decorate up to 1 day ahead.

Tips for perfect party cakes:

1.  For large serving surfaces, you can use wax or parchment paper to cover a sheet of hard plastic foam (available at crafts and art supply stores), doubled for extra strength if necessary, or a large cutting board.
2.  Bake cakes up to 3 days ahead, cool and wrap airtight. Leave the decorating for another day.
3.  If a cake requires two of the same size pan and you only have one, divide batter in half and bake one pan, leaving remaining batter covered at room temperature. Wash, dry and prepare pan. Bake remaining batter.