Memorial Day brownie pops - no "cake pop" pan required!

 

 

I made these brownie pops for a pool party/BBQ yesterday, to celebrate Memorial Day! I should have made more than 12, because they were gone WAY before it was time for dessert.

I think I can safely say that they were a hit!!

Ingredients:
(note: if you want to make more than 12 brownie pops, you could make enough brownie mix for a 13x9" pan...but I'd double the amount of candy wafers needed to completely cover the brownie pops)

• brownie mix (that makes enough to fill 8x8" square pan)
• whatever ingredients the brownie mix calls for
• 12 cake pop sticks
• 1-1.25 cups candy coating wafers
• sprinkles

Instructions:

Step #1: Bake brownies according to instructions. Let cool completely (I put mine in the fridge to speed up the cooling process), then cut 1/4" away from the edges (the crusty edges - my favorite part!) and eat it/discard the edges. Though, really...who would discard??!

Cut brownies into 12 equal pieces:

Step #2: Using your hands, take each brownie and roll/smush tightly into a compact ball. Continue until all 12 brownies are rolled. I put them on a Silpat-lined cookie sheet, though waxed paper would work just as well. Stick the pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, which helps "firm-up" the brownies.

Step #3: In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup of candy wafers. Melt for 30 seconds, then stir. Melt in 30-second increments until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth when stirred. Don't overheat!

Step #4:  Dip the tip of each pop stick 1/2" into the melted wafers and insert into the center of each brownie ball. This helps secure the pop stick in the brownie. Then chill in the refrigerator 10 minutes or so.

Step #5: After chilling (the brownie pops, haha), remove brownie pops from the fridge for coating.
Add another 1/2-3/4 cup of wafers to already melted wafers and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until melted and smooth.

Step #6: Dip each pop into melted wafers. You'll need to tilt the bowl and use a spoon to cover the brownie pop completely. Allow excess to drop back into the bowl. Immediately sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles and place back on the mat/wax paper/cookie sheet to harden. (don't wait to sprinkle 'em...the candy wafers dry surprisingly fast!)

At this point, I thought they could be "E.T" pops...what do you think??:

YUM on a stick! You could make these for any occasion really...just switch out the color of your candy wafers and/or sprinkles!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Elephant Nursery Art

 

 

We've been busy working on Baby Biddle's nursery...and ran into an issue finding art for the room. After searching some local stores, etsy and Pinterest, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a one-of-a-kind picture for BB's room.

 

Here's how I did it:

 

Stuff you need:

• Canvas (whatever size suits your room)
• Paint - any kind should work
• I used low-VOC paint, leftover from painting the nursery walls
• foam paintbrush
• masking tape or frogtape
• a ruler (or cut a piece of paper/cardboard into a strip to use as a guide - to make sure your lines are evenly spaced and straight)
• Shaped vinyl stickers (if you have a Silhouette cutter, you can make your own!)

Step #1: Use masking tape to mark off stripes on your canvas. I chose a diagonal pattern, and had about 2.5" of space between each beige strip of masking tape. I cut a piece of cardboard into a 2.5" wide strip, and used it between strips of masking tape - to make sure my stripes were evenly spaced and straight.

 

Press down all edges to ensure a tight seal to the canvas.

 

Step #2: using a foam paintbrush, paint your first coat of paint over the canvas - painting over the masking tape. Make sure to paint your canvas edges too!

 



 

Once dry, paint a second coat.

Step #3: Once the 2nd coat is dry, carefully pull the masking tape off and throw it away. You'll be left with perfect stripes!

 

Step #4: Take vinyl stickers and determine where you'd like to place them on your canvas. I downloaded the elephant graphic and made these cuties on our Silhouette cutter. The color is a bit off on a computer screen, but the green is a lime green color and the blue is an aqua blue.

 

Step #5: Then, remove the backing from the sticker and adhere to your painted canvas. Repeat if you have several vinyl stickers...

Step #6: Hang up your masterpiece and enjoy your one-of-a-kind handiwork!