Christmas Tree Cake Pops

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Okay, so it has looked like Christmas ever since Halloween, but now, I have decked the halls at my house with 3 Christmas Trees, stockings hung by the chimney with care, and all that kinda of stuff!

Fa-la-la-la-la-La-la-la-la

These cake pops are inspired by the Queen of Cake Pops, Bakerella!

My stars are so tiny, or maybe the cake pops are just that big! Each cake pop is a minimum of 2-1/2 inches tall! I also flavored the candy coating with Cinnamon Candy Flavoring, reminiscence of Red Hots candies! The cinnamon flavored candy on these take cake pop flavors to a whole new level! The texture is made by running a toothpick through the candy coating, which makes this a very forgiving cake pop! The ornaments are Rainbow Chip Crunch Sprinkles and the star is actually a Daisy from a spring mix of sprinkles!

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

I'm gonna eat you right up!

So, whether you are Bah-Humbugging it or a Fa-la-la-la-er, the holidays are here, time to embrace it and have a cup of cheer...or a little spiked egg nog will work well too!

 

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These Pops are Shared at:

This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked, Frugal Wannabe Cooks: Foodie Wednesday, Rae Gun Ramblings: What We Wore and Made Wednesday, Hugs & Cookies XOXO: Wonka Wednesday, Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday, The Artsy Girl Connection: Pin'Inspirational Thursday, Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday, Mom on Timeout: Taking a Timeout Thursday

Hershey's Hot Cocoa

"...social protocol states when a friend is upset you offer them a hot beverage, such as tea"

-Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

....in this case...homemade hot cocoa!

Whether you have been out holiday shopping in the cold all day or just want to relax after a long and busy day, this cocoa is perfect for bringing friends and family together. Sure you could make hot cocoa from a package, but this is so much richer and you can adapt it adding more or less sugar and cocoa to suit your personal preferences, it is also relaxing just smelling the aroma of chocolate while stirring this hot sweet treat!

This recipe is an adaptation from the Hershey's Hot Cocoa Recipe and makes 5 to 6 large mugs of delicious hot cocoa!

 

Here is what you will need:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa

dash of salt

4 cups of 1% milk

1/3 cup hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla

  

In large saucepan, over medium heat, mix together cocoa, sugar, salt, and water, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add milk and vanilla stirring constantly until hot. Serve with whipped topping.

Enjoy!

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...and the Winner is...

....and the Winner is....

The winner of the one-of-kind- Twilight and foodie themed necklace sponsored by TLC Creations & Bacon Time is....

France Irish!

  

If I do not hear from you within 72 hours, prize will be forfeited, and a new winner will be announced. Please comment below and contact me via Email: cfox75@gmail.com, to claim your prize. I will then forward your information to the fabulous sponsor of this giveaway, Mindie!

 

Congratulations FRANCE IRISH!

and

Thank you TLC CREATIONS for sponsoring my first giveaway!

 

Even if you didn't win, you can get some great deals at TLC Creations' Huge Holiday & Clearance Sale! I have gotten some wonderful Christmas presents from there, shipping is quick, price is right, you can't go wrong! Every time I visit the shop, Mindie has added wonderful new items, so visit often!

Chance to claim prize within the 72 hour time frame has ended. A new drawing will be held soon.

Mint & Dark Chocolate Snowflake Candy

This candy is a tasty treat and is quick and easy to throw together for a last minute gift or party!

Here is all that you need:

1 package each Wilton  Dark Cocoa Mint Candy Melts

1 package Wilton Candy Cane Colorburst Candy Melts

Snowflake Mold by Martha Stewart Crafts

Shopping the Michael's Thanksgiving Sale, this all cost me only $4.20 and will make about 24 large pieces of candy! (Not including candy dish that was hiding in the attic!) Best of all, this takes only about a half hour to make, making 8 pieces at a time. If you need to make tons of these, you will probably want more than one snowflake mold!

Here is how you make them:

(Making 8 at a time)

1. Melt about 1 cup of Wilton Candy Cane Colorburst Candy Melts in the microwave for about 1 minute in microwave safe bowl.

2. Spoon about a tablespoon into the mold filling cavity about 1/3 full, tapping down after filling ever 2 or 3 cavities.

3. After all cavities in the mold have the first layer of candy place in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 minutes.

4. Repeat with Dark Cocoa Mint Candy Melts.

5. Let molded candy set up in the refrigerator an additional 5 minutes or until easily unmolds. If they dont pop right out, they aren't quite ready.

These candies could be wrapped individually with a pretty bow for a class party or stocking stuffer.

 Placed on a nice candy tray and wrapped in cellophane and a bow, this would make a cute gift for a teacher, a hostess gift, or a last minute item to bring to a last minute Christmas party!

 

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These Snowflakes are Shared at:

The Southern Institute: Creative Me Monday, Home Savvy A to Z: Savvy Homemade Monday,  Chef In Training: Tuesday Talent Show, Sweetology: Tea Party Tuesday, Crumbs and Chaos: Crazy Sweet Tuesday, The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials, Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me, Sew Stylish Boutique: Crafty Lassy Tuesday, Sew Rugged at Bear Rabbit Bear: Things I've Done Thursday, Mom's Crazy Cooking: Twelve Days of Christmas Goodies

These Snowflakes are Featured at:
Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me


Pink Princess #25- Cool Peppermint Cupcakes

Cool Peppermint

Only 3 more designs to go of the 28 designs from the Pink Princess Cupcake Book by Barbara Beery! This one is super easy, pretty straight forward. I did try something new with this one though...a little over a week ago I was making red velvets, for the Twilight Breaking Dawn Cupcakes, and I was using a box mix and didn't want to make 24 cupcakes and I knew that I would be making these cupcakes soon. I have frozen unfrosted baked cupcakes before, but after thawing the liners were falling off as I tried to decorate. It just so happened when I was making the Twilight Cupcakes, that Hoosier Homemade posted about freezing cupcake batter, so that is what I did!

I didn't have any small freezer bags, so I divided the rest of the batter, which should be enough for about 12 cupcakes, into 2 zipper sandwich bags. (I put the bags into a coffee cup to make it easier to pour the batter into) Once the bags were filled, I squeezed out as much air as I could without getting the batter on the zipper part. I then put them side by side flat on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for a few hours until frozen. Since I wasn't using freezer bags, after the batter in the sandwich bags were frozen, I stacked them, wrapped in foil and then put them together in a larger freezer bag. The day before I was ready to bake, I put the cupcake batter into the refrigerator to thaw. When I was ready to bake, I just snipped off the corner and filled my cupcake liners straight from the sandwich bags. It was very easy to fill the liners this way too! I baked the cold batter as I usually would if I had just made it. The cupcakes rose, and turned out perfect, if not better than the first batch from this batter! For more information and ways to freeze cupcakes visit Hoosier Homemade or The Kitchn.

The cupcakes are topped with red sugar, crushed peppermint candies, a whole peppermint candy, and a red mini M&M glued on with a dab of icing!

The Next Pink Princess Cupcake I will be making:

Be Mine Cupcakes

(Yes, a very early Valentine design...only 3 to go!)

 

Be sure to check out the other 24 Pink Princess Cupcakes that I have made!

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These Cupcakes are Shared at:

Talking Dollars and Cents: Muffin (and Cupcakes) Monday, Home Savvy A to Z: Savvy Homemade Monday, Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday, Chef In Training: Tuesday Talent Show, Sweetology: Tea Party Tuesday, Crumbs and Chaos: Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Mini Maple Pumpkin Pies

I made these Mini Maple Pumpkin Pies with the Babycakes Mini Cupcake Maker for Thanksgiving! I didn't have a recipe to follow made for the cupcake maker and wasn't really sure if this would work out or not so I made a regular pie also. This recipe was enough to make 10 mini pies and 1 regular pie.

   

Easy Maple Pumpkin Pie

(adapted from Taste of Home)

3 eggs

1 cup of canned pumpkin

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1-1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 deep dish or 2 regular 9" frozen pie shells for regular pies

or

2 roll out refrigerated pie crust for mini pies

Mix together first 7 ingredients in mixer until fully mixed.

For Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour mixture into 1 deep dish or 2 regular 9" pie shells. Bake for 10 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil to prevent burning. Decrease temperature to 350 and continue baking for 40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. If desired, use additional pastry shell and small cutters to cut out leaf shapes, dip cut out pastry shell in sugar. Place cut outs on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 5 to 7 minutes or until they start to brown.

I made one regular sized pie like this and used the rest of the mixture for the mini pies.

   

For Mini Pumpkin Pie Preparation:

Roll out Refrigerated Pie Crust and use the pie shell cutter that comes with the Babycakes Mini Cupcake Maker to cut out pie shells, using larger side. Place in cool cupcake maker, and use the pie tool to press in the shell.  Cut off excess shell using the small side of the pie cutter tool.

Fill the shells with pie mixture, each pie takes about 1-1/2 tablespoons of mixture. I used a coffee scoop, which worked perfect to prevent drips.

Close the cupcake maker and set timer for 20-22 minutes. Check doneness with toothpick.

Unplug cupcake make and let cool in cupcake maker, until comfortable to touch and remove. I used a plastic spatula to remove and let finish cooling on wire rack.

They turned out perfect! These mini pies turned out to be quite popular, perfect just to grab and go!

Compared to the regular pie, the mini pies baked up tasting just the same, same texture, same doneness.  I really like the extra flavor of maple in the pumpkin pie too!

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These Pies are Shared at:

Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday, Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration, Tatertots & Jello: Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Blissful & Domestic: Feature Friday, Serenity You: Serenity Saturday, Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday, A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday


Flashback to Christmas 2010!

It's Flashback Friday!

  

This is a once in awhile segment that I created to show you some of my past adventures before I began blogging!

  

The day after Thanksgiving, traditionally known as "Black Friday." I have already gotten a good start on Christmas shopping and there really isn't a sale going on that is worth braving the crowds for me. Are you going out to brave the crowds? I actually went to the Michael's Thanksgiving Sale and got lots of fun goodies yesterday, as well as did a little internet shopping! Instead of going out shopping today for Black Friday, I plan to spend this day decorating for the Christmas holidays! Here is what I was baking up last year!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with little Gingerbread Men on top

Peppermint flavored cupcakes, topped with crushed candy cane, with cute Snowmen liners and picks

Low fat/Low cal cupcakes made with box mix + 1 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1 cup water, with very little icing.

As you know I am not much of a cookie person, so in the past that task has fallen on my husband and daughter. This is a sampling of what my daughter Kaitlyn made last year for Christmas, all decorated with buttercream.

Funfetti Brownies with a Snowflake pattern drawn on with Wilton Cookie Icing and M&M's

Peppermint and Vanilla Cupcakes that I made for my Husband's office- The Peppermint has peppermint buttercream topped with crushed candy cane, the vanilla has vanilla buttercream topped with Christmas jimmies

Christmas Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies that we threw together in minutes and topped with buttercream and sprinkles

Wilton Gingerbread Christmas Tree made by my daughter Kaitlyn. The little Wilton Gingebread Houses were a joint effort between my daughter and I. The kit was incomplete, so we had to use crackers for some of the roofs.

This wasn't my favorite, but this was the final Christmas dessert, a "Hello, Cupcake!" design. I totally messed up the drawing of the body! You can view what they should look like at Duncan Hines Holiday Cupcakes. The good thing about not-so-pretty cupcakes is they still taste good!

 

2011 will be my first Christmas as a "blogger" and I am really looking forward to sharing what I make this year with you! I have already gotten a start on my baking shopping, 5 new Christmas Cookie Cutters, lots of new cupcake liners and some picks. My youngest even had some influence and had to have some mini liners and snowmen candy that I will be making cupcakes with!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...next milestone...Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

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Mrs. Fox's Sweets 2011 Thanksgiving Recap

It's here...
Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving begins such a wonderful time of year, the air is cool, a relief from the hot summer! Most of all, this time of year is all about being with friends and family! By now, I am sure you all already have your menus planned and the turkey is probably in the oven, but if you are looking for an extra sweet for the table, this is what I made for 2011!

Turkey Cake Pops

Fall Harvest Cake Pops

Fall Harvest Cookies with 3 Different Easy Ways to Decorate

Turkey Cupcakes

Fall Leaves Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Maple-Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Oreo Turkeys

Tiny Turkey Dinner Cupcakes

Fall M&M's Cupcakes                       Fall Brownies

 

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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Tiny Turkey Dinner Cupcakes

Hold the Gravy?

Thanksgiving Dinner with all the fixings!

Time is running out, tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

I had wanted to make these cupcakes for last Thanksgiving, but I couldn't find the cookie that was in the design on Disney Family Fun, so put the idea aside. Once again this year, I wanted to make them, even Pinning them when Pinterest came out to my Thanksgiving & Fall Board, but I still couldn't find a comparable cookie and once again thought I would put the idea aside. Then it hit me, when I was making the Christmas Oreo Pops to use the Golden Oreos or Golden Creme Filled Sandwich Cookies! They are a little smaller, but they worked!

I decorated the cookie before putting it on the cupcake.

First I frosted the the cookie, then added a little white icing for the mashed potatoes. I put a little yellow circle sprinkle in the center for butter, and then a little yellow piping gel since the sprinkle wasn't enough. For cranberry sauce I used red colored sugar. The green beans are made with green jimmies and the turkey was made with coffee flavored fondant (from Fondarific).

The question then became...

Gravy or no gravy?

I used melted canned chocolate frosting for the gravy and made half with and half without.

These would be a great cupcake to make together with the family, create a little assembly line, each person adding another item to the dinner plate. I think in the end I liked the turkey without gravy.

What do you think?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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This Tiny Turkey Dinner is Shared with:

Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday

Sew Stylish Boutique: Crafty Lassie Tuesday

This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked

Frugal Wannabe Cooks: Foodie Wednesday

Rae Gun Ramblings: What We Wore and Made Wednesday

It's a Blog Party: Delicious Dishes

Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday

 

This Tiny Turkey Dinner is Featured at:

Cupcakes Take the Cake

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Christmas Dipped Oreos Pops

Christmas stuff is out everywhere, and I am about convinced that I am one of the few people in the neighborhood not yet decorated. It has become tradition to always try and get through "Thanksgiving First." Growing up in the South, our family tradition was always put up the tree on Thanksgiving or the day after. My husband grew up in the North with a real tree and their tradition was to put it up the week before Christmas. As a partnership and family, we must compromise, so of course, the tree goes up as soon as the table is cleared on Thanksgiving Day and we eat early for that reason! I did pull out my little tiny tree today, just for photos of the Oreo Pops of course, and since it is out, why should I waste all that energy to take it back upstairs and put it back in a box? This tiny tree has been with us since our very first Christmas 18 years ago, we were going away for Christmas, but I still needed some sort of tree and this tiny tree is what I got and even though we have had many trees since then, the tiny tree is displayed every Christmas.

Recently my Holiday Peppermint Patties were featured on Miss Candiquik, something that I am quite proud of! I am always excited to see my sweets featured! Anyway, on the post with my Peppermint Patties, Miss Candiquik made Vanilla Dipped Peppermint Oreos and that was something that caught the eye of my kids! Having some leftover plain Double Stuffed Oreos from the Oreo Turkeys that I just made, today was the perfect day to make Dipped Oreo Pops, before they disappeared!

I did try and make some of mine a little different from Miss Candiquik's, but I love the swirls she made too and had to make some like that! These are really quick and really easy to make following the tutorial from Miss Candiquik! I am talking about the Dipped Pretzel kind of EASY!

Something about a Double Stuffed Oreo dipped in Vanilla Candiquik and on a stick...makes them soooo much more fun and taste even better! YUM!

 

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These Oreo Pops are Shared at:

Crazy for Crust: Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Chef In Training: Tuesday Talent Show, The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials, Celebrating Family: Family Time Tuesday, Rook No 17: A Little Birdie Told Me, Sew Stylish Boutique: Crafty Lassie Tuesday, This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked, Frugal Wannabe Cooks: Foodie Wednesday, Rae Gun Ramblings: What We Wore and Made Wednesday, Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday, The Artsy Girl: Pin'Inspirational Thursday, Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday, Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday, Bacon Time: Anything Goes, Bacon Time: Ongoing Winter Linky, Tatertots & Jello: Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Blissful & Domestic: Feature Friday, Happy Go Lucky: Shine On Friday, Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday, Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration, Serenity You: Serenity Saturday, Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your stuff Saturday, A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday, Living Life Intentionally: Holiday Traditions- Christmas Cookies, The Southern Institute: Creative Me Monday

 

 These Oreo Pops are Featured at:

Frugal Wannabe Cooks: Foodie Wednesday

The Artsy Girl Connection: Pin'Inspirational Thursday

Serenity You: Serenity Saturday



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Oreo Turkeys

Worried you won't have something fun to make for the little kids (and big kids) at Thanksgiving?

Double Stuffed Oreos + Reese's Peanut Butter Cups + Whoppers + Candy Corn + Melted Chocolate= FUN

As soon as I saw these Oreo Turkeys they were put on my to-do list for Thanksgiving! These little guys are quick and easy to make and the kids had lots of fun helping! You can find an easy tutorial at Our Best Bites. Instead of frosting I used yellow candy melts to make the eyes, feet, and while I was at it, I drew on hands too!

Our Best Bites inserted a name pick out of the top of the Oreo Turkeys to use them as place cards! Such a cute idea! I decided to make the Oreo Turkeys as place cards too, writing everyones name on the back of the Oreo Turkeys with the extra melted candy melts that were left from drawing the hands and feet, and gluing on the candy corn beak and candy coated sunflower seed wattle. Kids love seeing their names on things, and this way there is sure to be some left for Dad and Mom too!

These were also a hit at The Sweet Swiper's Thankgiving Table last year and they have been made by quite a few already this year! All these people can't be wrong! These are sure to be a hit with your friends and family too!

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This Fun Treat is Shared at:

Cupcake Apothecary: A Themed Bakers Sunday
Home Savvy A to Z: Savvy Homemade Monday
The Southern Institute: Creative Me Monday
Sweetology: Tea Party Tuesday

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