Easy Valentines Day Marshmallow Pops

 These are super easy to make, and they are tasty and they are cute.  Three really good things in a treat.  I first saw something like this when my friend Staci made them.  She showed me and I was all, "seriously, chocolate and sprinkles, why did I not think of that?"  

 Then she gave me a smug smile, and think she was all "I am Martha Stewart! Don't be hating!" Or she was just smiling, because I told her how smart she was, either way.  

 So I have not been doing much baking the last few weeks, burn out and my dad in the hospital just left me not wanting to make anything.  But I felt it was about time I send in a treat for Pork Chops hockey team.  So I suggested these and he was all "Marshmallows!!!!!!"  Do I know my boy or what?

I love sprinkles, in case you didn't know that already.  I wait all  year just to use these heart ones!

  So I would prefer to make these with home made marshmallows, but that would totally defeat the point of a simple quick treat.  And kids don't care one way or the other, as long as it is full of sugar, they will be happy.  So I grabbed a bag of large marshmallows, not the jumbo camp fire ones, those are crazy!  Maybe next time.

I just used an old take out container, it was wide enough that Pork Chop could work with it easily.

 Anyway Pork Chop actually wanted to help me so he washed his hands while I got our stuff together.  It was still January, but I figure Valentines day needed to be celebrated sooner rather than later.  So I just mixed some white sprinkles with these heart sprinkles.  And there you go, instant valentines treat!

And since we rolled the marshmallows in the sprinkles, not too many fell on the floor.

  I melted the chocolate and got Pork Chop to set up the marshmallows, he was so proud as he kept telling me he was making a pattern.  It's times like these I love him, other times, well I love him, but I want to hurt him.

Making his pattern.

 So once that was done we had to put the sticks in, and Pork Chop did almost all of them himself.

Putting the sticks in the marshmallows.  Also quick cute story from Hubby.  Pork Chop now plays on my lap top, and one morning it said something like "windows needs to close" and he was all "but the windows are closed!" And pointed at the house windows.  Man sometimes he is so innocent it kills me.

 Then I said, "I have to take a picture!"

He is too big, I may have to stop feeding him.

 And I did, and he didn't really smile so much as he looked like he was trying not to hurt me.  Whatever, I got it.  So once we got that done, we worked as a team.  I would dip the marshmallows and tap off the extra chocolate and he would roll them around in the sprinkles and set them back on the parchment paper to dry.  It seriously took us like 10 minutes, not even.

I was so thinking this didn't look like 1000 and started counting, when I got to 50 and realized there are probably more than 1000 in there, they are thinner than the ones you would buy here thought but they work fine.

  Then as they dried he went and got a drink and I got out the plastic bags and twist ties.  I really like using the twist ties, they are so much faster to work with than ribbon.  But they cost a lot at the baking store, like $30  for 1000, which really isn't much, but I can get that many ribbons cut and tied for less than $2.  I may have to rethink it, I don't know.  Anyway, I got these off of ebay, they were 1000 for under $2, free shipping too.  So they are amazing, and I hope I don't run out soon.

All ready to be wrapped.

  I love how cute they are. And Pork Chops team seems to like them too.

I had to share this picture, he is so big he just jumps on the counter to get things. I used to do that as a kid.  I tried a bit ago when I needed something up high, but I almost broke a hip, so I use a chair.  Man I am old!

I am also linking up HERE

Tuxedo Strawberries

These are the ones I made for the wedding, they actually looked ok.

So I hate fruit in deserts.  It's like you are almost trying to get me to eat healthy.  I am not fooled by your chocolate and sugar covered fruit.  I know it's fruit and no way and I going to fall for it!  That being said, I have a few exceptions, but then again, I am a whole ball of confusing rules and they are not to be explained.  So just know that I know what I am talking about. Okay?

 So I have seen these strawberries many times, and I had never made them before.  I promised them to my friend when I was doing her wedding, and then I realized I had not made them.  And I sort of knew what I was doing, but not really.  I had the idea, and I had no time to look it up.  So I just did it and they turned out really well. Other than the fact I hate working with white chocolate, they were super easy.  And other than the fact that I never took any real pictures at the time, this is what you get.  I was at the store and the strawberries actually looked nice so I planed to do a whole tutorial about them.  Then I actually got to it and wanted to hurt someone. Lucky that Pork Chop and Hubby were at hockey.

I gave up after four, the chocolate was all crappy and I was tearing the green part out trying to dip them. So the rest were just covered in milk chocolate and I ate them, and got sick.  It must have been the fruit, it was too healthy and my tummy revolted.

  Firstly my stupid white chocolate was too thick and I was just not able to get a nice dip on,  in the end I got one half decent strawberry.  And that is all your getting. I did get a great comment from Tam and I am going to try her way one of these days, just not today.

So to start, you need clean, dry strawberries with the stems on.  Milk (or dark chocolate) and white chocolate.

This was the only one that half looked like a real good one.  I didn't even take a picture of the strawberry I piped on, no idea why, I may have been just ticked off with the whole thing.

  So I wash all my strawberries and lay them out on paper towel, rolling them into new dry paper towel a few times.  If they are wet it can ruin your chocolate.  So then you need to melt your white chocolate, this will be the "shirt" of your tuxedo.  So hold your strawberry by the stem and dip it as far as you can in the white chocolate, shake a little to get the extra off and place it on parchment paper to dry.  Now if you know what you are doing with white chocolate, this will be easy.  If you are like me, you will try and your stems will rip off, and you will have gloopy strawberries.  Even though you thinned it out with paraffin crystals and everything.  This will result in you giving up after four strawberries.  Just so you know.

  Anyway let those dry while you melt your milk  or dark chocolate.  I also envision someone doing an 80's version with baby blue chocolate. That so has to happen!!! Anyway, once your chocolate is melted you start double dipping your strawberries.  I think this will be the only time you can actually double dip without it being gross.

I took this picture to show you my cone making skills.  Which really are not skills since they are pre cut papers, I just roll them together.

  So holding the strawberry by the stem, dip it on an angle so you cover one side then the other, doing it so you have a v of white chocolate showing still.  I was going to get action shots, but by this time I just wanted to toss it all out the window.  So whatever.

  So once that is done you can decorate them.  There are a few ways to do this.  I took the fastest way, which should be no surprise to any of you.  I used a parchment paper cone and piped on the buttons and bow tie.  If you want you can use edible markers or even sprinkles.  How cute would two heart sprinkles be as a bow tie?  Anyway you can do whatever.

  Now when you are storing these you do not want to put them in the fridge.  They are best the day of, but if you have to keep them over night just box them up and leave in a cool environment.  If you put them in the fridge they will get condensation on them.  I usually just put mine in the fridge because no one else but me will be eating them.  Pork Chop just takes the chocolate off and eats the strawberry, which is crazy. What kid removes the good part and eats that fruit.  Only mine it seems.

 Anyway, they were at hit at the wedding, and I ate these ones only to make sure no one saw how bad they were.

Millionaires Shortbread

 Okay before you get any ideas, no we did not come into some big sum of money.  I mean really if we did, do you think the first thing I would do is buy really pricey shortbread?  Yeah I probably would, never mind.

 So that should be our New Years mantra, "if we hit it big, buy cookies!" Sounds do able.

Well this time, at least, I am not talking about that.  I am talking about the shortbread I made, that for some reason is the shortbread of millionaires.  Wonder if Donald Trump eats the stuff, that would be weird.  But whatever, he is richer than me so he can eat it if he wants to.  As long as he shares.

When you open this, the stuff is kind of runny, and it looks gross.  It tasted great when I was done with  it, but to start, yuck!

  So this recipe was one of two shortbread recipes I made in one night, as the other one failed on a level so badly that I cannot even really talk about it yet, you get to see this one.

  I went to a baking show a while ago, you may remember the day, the day poor Hubby was in the car accident.  Just before I got the call I was sorting through the bag I got with all the coupons and recipes.  This was the one I knew I wanted to make.

See this? How is that going to be cookies, it's just to hard to look at.

And see it came together, but still I didn't trust it.

  Firstly, it was shortbread, and I have never made it, well not since college in that class where our teacher had us bake it so he could give it out as gifts.  So I figured why not.  The recipe called for a new product out, and there was a coupon, so it was meant to be.  A sort of review and free be in one.

Okay it baked fine, but I was still skeptical. 

  So I for some reason thought I had bought the new product, it was a dulce de leache sweetened condensed milk.  Anyway the night I was baking I spent over 20 minutes looking in the kitchen and my pantry for the darn can of milk.  I had all my stuff measured and ready to go, but I could not find the stupid can of milk.  I finally gave up and went and bought more, with my 2 for 1 coupon. I think either I will find it when I move out in 30 years, or I never actually bought it, I just thought I did.  I have done stupider things so I would not be surprised. ( just a small update, I found it, in a cake pan that I had loaded up with stuff to be put away, so I could find it all. Yeah that just seems like me.)

This is after it was cooked for about 5 minutes, it really did thicken up.

Millionaires Shortbread
By Eagle Brand

-1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
-1/2 cup icing sugar
-3/4 cups softened butter
-1 can dulce de leche sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
-8x8 pan

And that just looks gross.

So once I finally had the can of stuff I got to work. This recipe was really easy, but it was so easy I really thought I was screwing it up.  I have been known to do that too, just in case you were not aware of it.

And not much better, sigh.

  So to start you cut the butter into your dry ingredients.  I used my pastry cutter but the stuff still looked so dry, I was worried I had screwed up, and I hadn't even really done anything yet.  But the directions said to press the stuff into your parchment paper lined pan, and I did and it came together.  So I had not totally ruined it; yet.

Okay at this point I knew it would be okay, but there was chocolate all over, I love chocolate.

So then you bake that at 350 for like 20 minutes, but it was hard to tell when it was done, so I may have done it a little too long.  Either way.  You have to let it cool before you carry on to the next step.  Then you take the can of milk and pour it into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, this will thicken it up.  You have to stir it the whole time or it will burn.  I found it burnt a bit just from the time it took me to take it from the stove to the table to use.  So keep string   Once its done, spread it over the cooled cookie base. Now I put it in the fridge to set up as I knew it would be easier for me.  I then microwaved the chocolate chips and spread them over the fully cooled pan of stuff.  Then I let it set over night.

It's hard to see with my amazing photography skills, but there are three layers, and they are all yummy!

 The next day I took it out and let it warm up a bit, obviously not enough because my chocolate cracked like crazy, but you know what?  I didn't care, it was yummy and I was happy enough to bring cookie bar blobs to my friends.  They liked them too, so all was well in my world.  I would make these again in a heart beat, maybe adding some sea salt to the caramel and the top to make it a salty sweet treat, yummy!