Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Snowman Cake Pops!

I made Snowman Cake Pops for my family this weekend, and I pretty much love them!

One of the gifts I gave a few people this year was membership in my inaugural "Cake Pop Club". This means I am committed to making cake pops at least bimonthly and making sure they're delivered on time (yikes!). I saw these snowmen on Pinterest (where else?) and made these as their introductory pops.

I know there are several ways to make cake pops, but I've only tried one way. Bakerella is the one who introduced me to cake pops and inspired me to make my own, and I use her method faithfully. She has a great video tutorial here that you should definitely watch if you have any interest in cake pops! I'm going to share a mini-tutorial on how I made these, but trust me, Bakerella is the expert.

1. Start with a box of cake mix, whatever brand you can get on sale. I usually use chocolate or vanilla, but the fun part is you can use whatever floats your boat. I bake it per the directions on the box, but I pull it out of the oven a few minutes early. You want the cake to be cooked through but not burnt at all on the top, because that makes the next step harder.

2. Once the cake is cooled, crumble it up into a big bowl.

3. Add frosting. Some recipes say a whole can, I have found that I usually use a little less than half a can. Mix the frosting into the crumbled cake a little at a time, until it forms a dough.

4. Using your hands, roll the dough into balls and set on a cookie sheet. I aim for about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; the bigger the cake balls, the harder they are to dip. Place the cake balls into the refrigerator for at least an hour.

5. Now comes the fun part! Place two balls on each lollipop stick. The stick should go all the way through the top ball, and about halfway through the second.

6. Melt your  white candy coating. I use Wilton Candy Melts, because they're readily available at craft stores in a variety of colors. You can melt them in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. For the snowmen, I used a tall coffee cop to melt the candy, so it would be deep enough to dip the entire snowman. One trick I learned from Bakerella is to add vegetable oil to the melted candy. It makes it so much easier to dip. I added about 1 tbsp for the 12 oz bag of candy melts.

7. Gently dip each snowman into the melted candy. If it the candy doesn't make it all the way over the top of both cake balls, tip the cup or gently tip the snowman. Don't stir--it'll make the cake balls slide off the stick. Trust me, I've lost many a cake ball in a pool of melted candy.

8. Set the dipped snowmen on foil or wax paper to harden. Aren't they adorable?
9. As the candy hardens, it turns matte instead of shiny. Once they're set, you can add their facial features and give them some personality! I used candy sprinkles for their noses, using a little extra melted candy to attach it. For the eyes and mouth, I tried an edible marker for some of them.

Add a plastic treat bag and some ribbon, and you're all set!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

"For unto you this day is born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11




Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas from Josh and I.

May the joy of Jesus fill your life today, and the rest of the year.





Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas Eve!

While tomorrow might be the "big day," Christmas Eve feels like a holiday in and of itself to me.

I grew up with Santa coming on Christmas Eve, opening presents late into the night, and sleeping by the fireplace. Christmas Eve was (and is) just as important to me as Christmas Day.

This morning, Josh & I opened our stockings and ate a yummy Crockpot Breakfast Casserole. Our puppies got to open their stocking too, and loved their new toys...


June's favorite thing in the world is chewing, so she got a new Nylabone that should (hopefully) last her while.


 Both girls got new stuffed toys too, which will probably survive for about 24 hours before being reduced to a piece of fabric. But it's Christmas, so if they want to rip all the stuffing out of their toys, it's okay by me.

This afternoon, we will head to the Christmas Eve service at our church, where I am looking forward to singing Christmas carols and reflecting on the birth of our Savior.

Hope everyone is enjoying Christmas Eve as much as we are here!


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmastime Is Here...

I guess we can't avoid it any longer...it's officially almost Christmas! Not that I'm complaining. I, unlike a certain man I happen to be married to, really enjoy Christmastime. I actually think I may enjoy the time leading up to Christmas more than Christmas itself.

I love Christmas shopping. It sounds crazy, right? Especially since Josh and I are not exactly at a point where we have tons of money to spend. Most of the year, I hesitate to spend money on anything we don't need. At Christmas, I feel a little justified to spend more than I usually would. The thing is, I really enjoy picking out gifts for people I love. It's important to me that I put thought into gifts, that I know the recipient will really enjoy what I picked out. Sometimes I am so set on finding the perfect gift that I drive myself a little bit crazy. I'm not satisfied picking out something generic! I am proud to say I have successfully found "the perfect gift" for everyone on my list this year. (After Christmas, after everyone opens their presents, maybe I will do a little post on what everyone got & why...)

I also loooooooove Christmas lights. Poor husband hates it, but I like to drag him out to drive around and look at light displays. Growing up, my family always went out to see Christmas lights on Christmas Eve, and when we got back, Santa had come! (We opened presents on Christmas Eve, which is the German tradition.) This year I researched the best light displays in our area, plugged them into my phone, and we went to see them all. I especially love large old fashioned multi-colored lights, and silhouette nativities.

Another thing I really, really, really love about Christmas is the music. I have a playlist on my iPod titled "Happy Birthday Jesus" and I have to force myself to wait until Thanksgiving to start playing it on repeat. This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. My dad always played this for us, along with a German version of "O Christmas Tree". This isn't exactly a classic, and you've probably never heard it before, but give it a listen. I guarantee it'll put a smile on your face! 



Since I've gotten older, I've always really learned to enjoy traditional Christmas carols. O Holy Night is my all time favorite, especially this line:


Long lay the world,
in sin and error pining, 
till He appeared...
and the soul felt it's worth.

You can't get much closer to the meaning of Christmas than that.