Cake Pops

Lately I've started reading this blog called 'Bakerella'. She makes cupcakes. AMAZING cupcakes. Mostly though, her amazingness revolves around her cupcake pops. If you want to drool over her blog with me, check the links to your right.

I've been wanting to try them for a while but since I've been doing Weight Watchers, not such a good idea. Last weekend, Pete was going over to a friends' house for a BBQ and to watch the Gonzaga Basketball game. So I fully embraced the opportunity to make treats that wouldn't end up on my hips. Well, some did. But at least not all. I decided to make the cupcake bites into basketballs. C'mon, I need to hear a big group 'Awwwww!'. I'm listening! Thanks. They sorta turned out. I had some issues. But they were still good.

So, here we go!

First, you bake a cake. Yes, I realize there is no cake in this pan. I forgot to take a picture of it. But I think you can figure out what a cake looks like, right?

I always use a cake mix. I love Betty!

She makes it so easy.

Crumble the cake in a big bowl, then attack it with some forks. You are making cake crumbs. It's fun...trust me!

Try it!

You know you want to.

Time for some more Betty! Of course, if you wanted to be all Suzy Homemaker 'n' stuff, you could make a cake and frosting from scratch.

Just don't tell me.

I might feel inadequate.

Unless you bring me a sample, then I'd probably be ok with it.

Start with a half of a tub of frosting. I used cream cheese frosting to go with my spice cake but you could do lots of different combinations. Stir it up. Mix it in. C'mon, its fun! I used a fork and basically mashed it around.

This is how it looks when its all mixed in. If you want, put more frosting in.

Bakerella uses most of the tub, but I did that and it was too much. Next time, I'm sticking with a half of a tub.

You might want to take off your rings. Or they will be a goooooooey mess.

Take a cookie scoop and scoop some 'dough'. If you don't have a scoop, you should get one. If you don't want to get one, you could use spoons.

Then scoop some more with your scoop till its all scooped up.

ROOOOOOOOLL them into cute little balls and put on a waxed or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Once they are all done, put them in the freezer for an hour or so, till they get firm.

Like my abs.

When I was 2.

Here is what you need for decorating. The Candy Melts I got at Michaels, they have tons of different colors. You could also use Almond Bark.

Here's a step you can skip if you want :) While the balls were in the freezer, I made up some yummy cookie dough.

It's the best recipe ever. Oddly enough, its the Betty Crocker recipe. From scratch, not one of those bags, silly!

I told you I love her. Maybe I should have married her instead. Nah, Pete's a better kisser.

Not that I would know that, I'm just assuming.

I put in cinnamon, butterscotch and chocolate chips and decreased the flour and replaced it with some oatmeal. Yummy!

Using my handy dandy scooper, here are the cookies ready for the oven.

All ready to eat! These guys are the BOMB. Seriously the best Chocolate Chip cookie recipe ever. Its the only one I've used for about 7+ years now.

Ok, back to the balls...

Melt the candy wafer thingys per the package directions. I use the microwave directions. Easier. I'm all about things being easy. Then, go get your frozen balls.

Yours, not your husband's.

Dip the balls in the melted candy. Here is where things started going wrong.

Those candy dipper things? Absolutely worthless. Spoon? Made the candy pool at the bottom of the balls. Toothpick? Worked great to dip, but hard to get out of the ball. Fork? What I ended up using, but still not ideal. I really don't know how Bakerella does it. Hers are nice and round and purty. Mine are not.

Anyway, however you decide to dip, dip and place on waxed or parchment paper to dry. They dry VERY fast.

Now for the fun part. Using the Food Writers, I tried to make black lines like you would see on the basketball. Mine were all dried out, I guess that's what you get for buying them at Michaels. Needless to say, they are going back. I'll have to check a decorating store or something to see if I can find something better.

So those are the basketballs. All TWO of them. Yep, that's all I did. I sent Pete with a plate of cookies and a plate with 2 basketballs surrounded by orange blobs :)

I'm going to make the cupcake pops for Abby to bring to school as her birthday treat on Friday, I'll let you know how those go.