Bunny Cake Pops and a Give Away

That guy on the left is giving the other guy the stink eye!

 I love to read other blogs and find things that I must absolutely have.  I mean when was the last time a blogger showed you something and you got it and you didn't like it?  Never that's when!  So when I was reading The Sweet Adventures of Sugar belle, I knew I so needed the little pixie dust shakers she showed.  I mean up until that point I had been using a pain brush and I was just all willy nilly shaking disco dust all over my house.  It was what I had, so I went with it.  So glad I got these. So is Hubby who is against glitter covering our house.  But what does he know.

  Anyway when I was finished ordering I thought, I would love to do a give away and wondered if Karen would like to host one.  And it was late at night, and I was tired so I sent her a quick email saying I had a blog and would she like to donate for a give away.  I forgot about it, and within a day or two she emailed me back.  Not only was she willing to host a give away, she visited my blog.  MY BLOG!!!! And she said she would send me something that would be cake pop related so that it would go with my blog.  People, she visited my blog! I know, I'm a dork.

Another great Target find.  I cannot wait till they come to Canada, they better be as good as the ones in the states.

  So what did the amazing Karen send me to give to you? Well you have to wait until the end of the post to see.  But I made my treats with the same things today, so you may guess it.  But if you do, don't tell, that would ruin the surprise!

So to get ready for Easter I thought I would make some cute bunny cake pops.  I also wanted to make some simple cake balls, because as much as I love my co workers, the balls are much faster.

To start I had Hubby make me a box cake mix, in chocolate, because really, chocolate is the best.  Hubby made it for me because I was working, and he did a good job.  Just don't tell him. Then the next night  I crumbled it up and mixed it with enough canned frosting to make it stick together.  Not too much or you will have trouble rolling and forming it.

It looks like dirt, but it's not.  You will have to trust me.

I got this super cute silicon pan at Target last spring when I was in Florida.  Can I just say it was the trip of a lifetime, and my Mom is the best for taking me and Pork Chop, and I want to go again.  Over and over again!  Okay sorry, off track there.  So I got this pan, and used my cake ball sized ice cream scoop to put some cake ball mixture into it, then pressed it down with my fingers.  The ice cream scoop was the perfect size.  I then froze them and rolled the rest into regular cake balls.

These are the regular cake balls, but I put spring sprinkles on them, so that totally makes them spring cake balls.  They also sort of look like boobs with weird nipple shields.  I cannot believe I just typed that, guess it's better than saying it out loud right?

 So after an hour or so in the freezer I took the pan out, and popped the bunny heads out and kept them in the fridge.  I worked 3 at a time and they held together well.

So cute right?  What if I made marshmallows in the mold and they would be like peeps, only better!

I sort of feel bad, but not really. They can't feel anything.

Once I was ready I melted white candy melts, and added paraffin crystals to make it thinner.  Then I dipped the lollipop stick into the melts, then stuck them into the bunny head.  And yes I know that sounds horrible, but remember it is cake, not a real bunny.   Then I dipped the whole thing and tapped off the extra candy melts.  I dragged the back of the cake pop on the side of the bowl to take off the extra drips then laid them on wax paper.  I let them dry while I dipped the regular cake balls.  Then I dipped them again so the cake ball mixture would not show through the candy melts.  This also covers any cracks that may happen.

Oh white candy melts, how I hate you!  Why won't you melt all nice like your chocolaty brother.

This is after only the first dip, you can see some of the brown showing through.  And that is not acceptable!

I then had to let them really dry, I put the fan on in the room.  Because if you want to decorate them they need to be dry.

By now I was getting tired, so I was just going to try making something cute.

When I was ready I took my Amereicolor food writing pens.  ( this may be a hint as to something I am giving away!)  And I started to draw, like a 4 year old.  As you will notice I have no artistic ability so I just did a few then gave up. It had been a long night, there was a play date going on, and a certain friend may have showered my floor with sprinkles.  So I did a few, took a crummy picture and called it a night.

I know.

I suck.

These are all I did, except I didn't show you the one where I tried to draw a bow on it and it looks like a really big blob of nothing.

I bet Pork Chop would have done a better job.

Okay, I know Pork Chop could have made these better.

So to give these away I would usually pack them in little cake pop bags and tie it with ribbon, and add a cute tag or something.  As it was they went in a plastic container and went to work with me the next day.

No one at work cared, they ate them and the regular balls like crazy.

Best part?

My friend saying "Oh my God!  I love your balls!!"  She said it really loudly and in front of other people sort of, and I just laughed and told her she had to think about what she said.  She blushed, and it made my day.  And yes, I am so a 12 year old boy, sue me!

That right there is an amazing prize!  Edible ink pens, lollipop sticks and sprinkles.

So now, on to the most generous give away from Karen's Cookies.  ( whom I have ordered from twice, and the shipping here to Canada is really reasonable, not like some places.)

Karen sent me a whole set of Amerecolor food writer pens, the best ones out there!  And some cake pop sticks and some super cute spring sprinkles.  Do you know how hard it is going to be for me to send those sprinkles away, because I don't even have them? Well do you?  Well I may cry a little at the post office, just saying.

So here are your rules and the rest, and yes I know it is a wordy bunch of rules, but from what I have read to do a contest in Canada there must be a skill testing question, and you know, I don't want to be sued over a blog contest okay.  ***7+7+?*** this is the skill testing question!

There are a four ways you can enter, the first is to just leave a comment with the answer to the skill testing question, 7+7=?

For additional entries: Please leave a separate comment letting me know what you did with the answer to the skill testing question for each one.

-visit Karen's shop and tell me what you like best in the shop
-become a follower of my blog and let me know, and if you are already a follower let me know
-become a fan of my face book page and let me know, and if you already are, again just let me know


Other info:
This is open to international readers, Canadian (except Quebec, sorry) and USA readers.  Prize was supplied by the amazing Karen at Karen's Cookies.  I am not being compensated in any way, but I love her stuff!  The contest will close on March 12, 2012 at 12 noon Toronto time.  As  I have to approve all comments any comment that hits my mail box before noon will still be published and counted, even if I cannot publish them until after the time. The winner will be chosen on March 13, 2012, and will be listed on this blog and will have 48 hours to get in contact with me.  So please leave me a way to contact you when you comment. If the winner does not contact me within the 48 hours I will choose another winner.  All winners will be chosen by Random.org. Any entries that do not have the answer to the skill testing question will not qualify.  So I will count all qualifying entries starting at the top and working down.  The winner will be responsible for any duty that they may incur when the item is shipped to them.  The value of the prize is approximately $30 US.  Good luck all.
I'm Linking up here

Easy Pie's For Kids

Look at how cute he is!

Before I get really into this post I wanted to share with you the adorable cupcake charm that my winner designed with Peggy of The Glass Chef.  My winner wanted a pink cupcake with vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles.  She said she was thrilled to see this, and so am I.  And now I think I want another one, darn it!  Thanks again to my readers and to Peggy for being so awesome and working with us on this.

How cute is that?

And just to let you know my next post will be another give away, this time a baking related one, you won't want to miss it!

Okay now back to our regular stuff.

So Pork Chop had a little play date on Friday night, you know the night when I like to do my baking.  And this play date was with the little friend who had preciously informed me that anything other than a baking craft was unacceptable.  Yeah, it was going to be one of those nights.

  So on the way home I hit the bulk store and grabbed a few tubs and got a little bit of different pie fillings.  Then I got some pre made pie crust at the grocery store.  And I was all set.

  I thought how fun and easy this would be for the boys.  It was, but poor Pork Chop was upset at how messy his were, but I told him they were great and that Daddy would love them.  When I told Hubby, he was not happy, he didn't want to eat them.  So we had to toss them and tell Pork Chop that Daddy ate them all.  Seriously; poor kid.

  Anyway to do this all you need it the pie filling, pre made crust, a cookie cutter, fork and egg wash.

I used a heart cutter and let the boys cut out whatever they wanted.

So I rolled out the crust and helped the boys by cutting them out each 5 hearts.  This was just before Valentines if you have not figured that out yet.  Then I gave them a few fondant cutters so they could make designs in the crusts.  Once they were done I gave them 5 more crusts and let them put in the filling they wanted.  I had blueberry, cherry and apple.  I did dice the apple filling up because it was full of huge apple chunks.  

See how serious he is.

Here he is painting his pies and telling me how horrible they look.  Poor guy.

Pork Chops friend was so neat, and poor Pork Chop was all over the place.  Then I helped them put the tops on and we used a fork to seal the edges.  Then I let them paint their pies with egg wash,  and put the cut out bits back on to decorate and into the oven at 350 until they were done, I think it was about 12 minutes.  I forgot to time it.

These are his friends.

These are mine.

Bet you cannot guess who made these ones.

They turned out really great, Pork Chop tried a bite and said it was gross.  His friend was happy and I hardly had to do anything.  I may have to rethink these play dates.  I didn't have kids to be involved with them.  Right?

Sorry, you all just need another picture of Pork Chops work.  At least I learned and put down parchment paper, easy enough to clean.

No?  Fine, well at least he still likes doing things with me, I bet I will be complaining about how he doesn't want to be seen with me in a few years.  I sort of can't wait, I have so many plans to be "that" Mom.  You know the one, the one who wears pink sweat pants and a sweat band to school.  Oh and I will sing the current songs really loud in the car, with the window open when I go to pick him up anywhere.

That right there, that is how you justify all the stuff you do for them, because eventually they are going to be too cool for you.  And you can come up with ways to prove them right.  I think that will be a good time in my life, no play dates, lots of sweat pants and singing.

Irish Cream Glazed Donuts

Well hello there, my drunken donut friends.

  So if the words Irish Cream drew you in, then you are not alone.  I have to admit, that Irish Cream is one of those things I could drink for ever.  And I am not even really allowed to drink, so you know I have to get a little bit in some how. Let me share the most amazing story ever!

One day I was in Micheal's, and I had a coupon, nothing was speaking to me.  I was looking and had to use it, it feels wrong to go in there and not use your coupon  So I settled on a donut pan. I was all excited, thinking donuts are going to be awesome and how I could not wait.  Then I forgot about it for about 6 months.  The end.

  I know right?  Classic me, I seriously need to think about the things I buy and how to justify them.  Or at least use them, because nothing beats the 10 year old candy thermometer I had, still in the package.

  So I looked around for some donut recipes and just didn't really find anything amazing. Well I found lots of great stuff, but I wanted something super easy, because it was Friday night and I just wanted a donut, I gave up and just used the recipe on the back of the pan.  I mean it is by Wilton, so you know it could not be that bad.

  The only problem was that the recipe was for a regular donut, and Pork Chop only eats Chocolate.  So I made a judgment call, and added some coco powder.  I think it worked okay.  But I think next time I will use melted chocolate or something.  I didn't get the strong chocolate flavour I wanted, but it wasn't bad.

So here you go.

Irish Cream Glazed Donuts:
Adapted from Wilton

-2 cups cake flour sifted
-3/4 cups sugar
-2 TSP baking soda
-1 TSP salt
-1/4 TSP nutmeg
-1/4 cup cocoa
-2 eggs
-2 TBPS melted butter
-3/4 cups buttermilk*


Glaze
-icing sugar **
-Irish cream***

*I made my own butter milk, just put 3/4 TBSPs of white vinegar in a measuring cup, add milk up to the 3/4 cup line, mix and let sit for 5 minutes

** & *** I did not measure, I just wanted enough to cover my donuts, so I just dumped stuff into a bowl and mixed, it worked.

Set oven to 400

Sift all your dry ingredients together.  Stir your eggs, milk and butter and mix into the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined, but do not over mix,

Then put the mixture into your pan.  Now I thought I was smart and put my stuff in a measuring cup and was going to pour it in.  No way, it was so thick I had to use a disposable piping bag.  Not the end of the world, but it meant I had one more thing to wash. GRRRR.

So I pipped my filling into the pan, after spraying it with cooking spray and put it in the oven.  I think I under filled some and over filled others, but it's all good.  Maybe not everyone likes big donuts, who they are I have no idea, but it could happen.

Please ignore the fact that it looks like poop in a pan.  I was really turned off at this point, almost tossed it out.

Okay this is a bit better!

 I baked them for 8 minutes, maybe a minute too long really then let them sit for a minute before I took them out and put them on a cooling rack.  I then filled my pan again and repeated the whole thing.  I got 12 donuts, some bigger than others, but all tasty.

 When I was ready to glaze them I took a bowl and put some icing sugar in then slowly added the booze until I got a nice thick glaze. I did have to add a bit more sugar because I got a little too eager with the booze.  You can't really blame me.

I don't know why but this picture makes me want to sing "Shot's, shot's , shot's everybody!"  And then I remember I am supposed to be a gown up, and just write it on my blog instead.

Now pay attention, this is scientific!  Just dump some sugar in the bowl, and add some booze.

Then mix it up.  I know, I should teach or something!

So once the glaze was smooth I took a donut and dipped the top into the glaze, sort of twisted it and lifted it up. I rolled the donut around a bit to make the glaze cover the top, then put it on a cooling rack.  I sprinkled on some sprinkles, and then figured out what I forgot to do.

  So if you are going to do this please put a cookie sheet or the very least some wax paper to catch the drips and the sprinkles.  Because the sprinkles just fell off.  So my donuts looks really sad, but they tasted good.

Sad donuts, you can totally see when I gave up and just plopped the glaze on.

And for Pork Chop I asked him if he wanted to decorate some, he said yes, then when I had everything ready for him he changed his mind.  I swear I may kill him one day.  Anyway, I just drizzled melted chocolate on his because he is so young, and I didn't want to share my boozy donuts with him.

Just for Pork Chop, who by the way didn't even eat one, not even a bite.

But at least they look pretty!