Tag: chocolate

Cake Pop Turkey Treats

Post author By vickybarone
Post date November 20, 2015

It may not come as a surprise that we have a little obsession with candy eyeballs (see exhibit A, B, C, D, and E). We made no exception when decorating these cake pop turkeys for Thanksgiving! These delicious little treats take no time at all to put together (and they’re easier than they look!).

Supplies: cake pops, cake pop sticks, candy eyes, candy corn, pretzels, and dark cocoa candy melts.

Directions:
1. Bake cake pops using a mold or a machine. Let cool completely. Place in freezer overnight or until frozen.
2. Melt candy melts according to directions.
3. Dip a cake pop stick into the candy melts and then insert into center of cake pop.
4. Dip the cake pop into the candy melts and coat completely.
5. On a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, lay down pretzels. Lay the cake pop down directly onto the bottom center of the pretzel. The candy coated cake pop will adhere to the pretzel as the candy melts harden.
6. Immediately press a candy corn and two candy eyes onto the front of the cake pop. If the candy melts harden too quickly, add a little more from the bowl of melted chocolate to the back of the candy corn and candy eyes and press onto the face.

No cake pop machine or mold? No problem! You can also use a marshmallow! To make the candy corn feathers, first spread a small circle of candy melts onto the waxed paper before resting the coated marshmallow down. Then add candy corn to the circle and let harden.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

P.S. We are hosting a GIVEAWAY on Instagram! Head on over to this photo and check out how you can win TWO personalized ceramic ornaments!

??? G I V E A W A Y ??? Win TWO personalized ornaments, one for you and one for a friend (or two for you, we won’t judge). The winner of this giveaway will receive two ornaments of their choice plus personalization on each! See all 30 designs on vickybaronedesigns.etsy.com (direct link in bio). Vicky Barone’s original ceramic ornaments make adorable keepsakes, gifts, and stocking stuffers. Each ornament comes with ready-to-hang ribbon, plus every design is double-sided featuring a complimentary pattern opposite the personalized face. TO ENTER: 1. FOLLOW @vicky_barone on Instagram 2. LIKE this post 3. TAG a friend in the comments! BONUS: For additional entries, tag more friends! You will receive an extra entry for each friend you tag, but please only one tag per comment and no repeats. Giveaway will run starting right now until MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be contacted directly within 48 hours of the close of the giveaway. U.S. Entries only, please! GOOD LUCK! This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by Instagram. #giveaway #Christmas #ornaments #flashesofdelight #thatsdarling #christmasornament #gift #giftideas #giveaways #vickybarone #vickybaronedesigns

A photo posted by Vicky Barone | Greeting Cards (@vicky_barone) on Nov 19, 2015 at 4:59pm PST

Tags cake pop, cake pop sticks, candy eyes, candy melts, chocolate, DIY, marshmallow, thanksgiving, turkeys

Holidays Kids Recipes Things I Love

Happy National Candy Day!

Post author By vickybarone
Post date November 4, 2015

Happy National Candy Day! Just in time for all that Halloween candy you’re not sure what to do with, we’ve collected some delicious recipes where candy is the main ingredient. Here are 12 ways to “recycle” all those sweets (and maybe even package them up as gifts and get them out of the house!).

Tags candy, chocolate, halloween candy, round up, things i love

DIY Holidays Parties and Events Recipes

Halloween Graveyard Cake

Planning a Halloween party? We have the perfect (and most affordable) accessory for you…

We found these skeleton hands at Dollar Tree in the Halloween party section. They came in a pack of two and were labeled salad tongs! How hilarious is that?!

(We had a lot of fun with these guys during the photoshoot…how could we not?)

To create this graveyard cake you will need: chocolate box cake mix, chocolate frosting, and brownie box mix.

Directions:
1. Bake the chocolate cake and let cool completely.
2. Bake the brownies and let cool.
3. Frost the cake with the chocolate frosting.
4. Cut a square of brownie and crumble with your hands or in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the crumbled brownie on top of the cake to create the look of dirt. Sprinkle more crumbled brownie around the cake plate if desired.
5. Stick a skeleton hand in the center of the cake (the taller the cake, the more supported the skeleton hand will be!).

That’s it! You are just a few dollars away from a deliciously spooky graveyard cake.

Stay tuned for more Halloween party ideas! And don’t forget to follow Vicky Barone on Instagram to catch more skeleton hands in action 🙂

Tags cake, chocolate, DIY, dollar store, dollar tree, graveyard, halloween, party, pumpkin, skeleton, skeleton hands

Kids Recipes

Simple Smoothies for Kids

Post author By vickybarone
Post date September 10, 2015

Looking for that perfect after-school snack that will tide your kiddos over until dinner? These three smoothie recipes are healthy and filling, while still satiating your little one’s sweet tooth. Mix and match the ingredients to make them your own and go ahead and sneak a sip for yourself (you deserve it!).

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Serves 1
In a blender, combine the following:
5 strawberries
1/2 a banana
2 scoops yogurt
1/2 cup milk (regular or almond milk)
1 handful of ice

*skip the ice and use a frozen banana and frozen strawberries

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Serves 1
In a blender, combine the following:
1 scoop chocolate Ovaltine powder
2 scoops of creamy peanut butter
2 scoops yogurt
1/2 cup milk (regular or almond milk)
1 handful of ice

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Serves 1
In a blender, combine the following:
1/2 a banana
2 scoops peanut butter
2 scoops yogurt
1/2 cup milk (regular or almond milk)
1 handful of ice

*skip the ice and use 1 whole frozen banana.

Each smoothie uses the same core ingredients (yogurt, milk, and ice) but the possibilities of flavor combinations are endless! Which one is your favorite?

Tags chocolate, Kids, peanut butter, recipes, smoothies, snacks, strawberry

Holidays Recipes

White Chocolate Fruit Cups

Post author By vickybarone
Post date May 22, 2015

Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, we have an impressive, yet easy dessert that you can throw together in no time! All you need are some mini muffin tin liners, candy melts, and assorted fruits and you’ll be wowing your friends and family (and your taste buds!) all weekend.

Supplies: mini muffin tin liners, white candy melts, and assorted fruit.

Directions:
1. Melt the candy melts in a bowl according to directions on package. Stir frequently until smooth.
2. Place a spoonful of melted chocolate into a baking cup and spread it around to coat the bottom and sides.
3. Turn the baking cup upside-down and either tap it or drop it onto the counter top. This will spread out the chocolate more and keep it from puddling too much into just the bottom.
4. Place baking cups onto a cookie sheet and into the fridge.
5. Once the chocolate is hardened, peel away the baking cup and discard.
6. Fill each cup with fresh fruit for a bite-sized dessert!

If you’re going for a Memorial Day Red, White, and Blue theme, use fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

These chocolate cups are perfect for lots of other desserts like mousse, pudding, or cheesecake. You can also mix and match with different flavors of candy melts. Think: a dark chocolate cup with cherry pie filling and a dollop of whipped cream. YUM!

For more Memorial Day ideas, check out our Red, White, and Blue Pinterest Board or follow Vicky Barone on Twitter or Facebook.

Tags candy melts, chocolate, dessert, fruit, memorial day, recipe, red white and blue, white chocolate

DIY Family Holidays

Candy Flowers for Mother’s Day

Post author By vickybarone
Post date May 1, 2015

Today we’re combining everyone’s go-to gifts, candy AND flowers, into one sweet and thoughtful Mother’s Day present.

Supplies: colorful cardstock, floral wire, scissors, felt, glue, and wrapped chocolate candies.

Directions:
1. Cut flower shapes out of the card stock. Poke a small hole into the center of each flower.
2. Cut a length of wire and fold the end a few times to make a loop or knot.
3. Stick a piece of wire through the center of a flower. The loop you made on the end will stop the wire from going all the way through. Fold the wire coming out the back of the flower down.
4. Fold a piece of felt in half and cut a leave shape out of it, leaving the fold intact.
5. Fold the felt leaf around a wire stem and glue to hold in place.
6. Glue the chocolate candies to the centers of the flowers.
7. Carefully fold the flower petals upwards to give them a little depth.

Tada! A chocolately treat for moms to put on display (and eat of course!).

If you’re looking for more Mother’s Day ideas, check out these past posts:
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
DIY Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother’s Day Gifts on Etsy

Tags chocolate, DIY, flowers, Gift Ideas, mother's day, paper

Holidays Kids Recipes

Chocolate Easter Gardens

Today we’re sharing some delicious “Easter Garden” desserts! They’re a spin on the classic “dirt cup” complete with yummy “carrots” and they’re just in time for some Spring celebrations.

Supplies: chocolate pudding, Oreos, strawberries, orange candy melts, and gummy worms.

Directions:
1. Make the chocolate pudding according to the directions on the package.
2. Put some Oreos in a plastic Ziploc bag and crush them to make the “dirt.”
3. Melt the orange candy melts in the microwave according to the directions on the package.
4. Dip the strawberries into the candy melts to coat them, then place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to set.
5. Spoon alternating layers of pudding and cookie crumbs into a glass.
6. When the strawberries are set, place them into the dirt cups and add gummy worms.

Now you have individual “gardens” full of tasty treats!

Happy Spring!

Tags chocolate, dessert, dirt cup, easter, recipe, strawberries, treat

Recipes

Mini Cakes

Post author By vickybarone
Post date January 12, 2015

Who needs one big cake when you can have multiple miniature cakes? These adorable, three-layer treats are easy to assemble and delicious when devoured.

Ingredients: box cake, frosting, fruit preserves, and fresh fruit.

Directions:
1. Bake a box cake according to the directions in a 13×9 pan. Let cool.
2. Remove cake from pan and use a glass and a knife to trace circles out of the layer cake.
3. Place one circle layer on a plate. Spoon frosting into a decorator’s bag or a plastic bag and snip off the end. Outline the edge of the circle with frosting.
4. Fill the inside of the frosting circle with fruit preserves.
5. Top with a second layer of cake and repeat steps 3 & 4.
6. Top with the third and final layer and frost the entire cake.
7. Cut fresh fruit for garnish.

White layer cake with white frosting, peach preserves, and fresh peach slices

White layer cake with nutella frosting, strawberry preserves, and fresh strawberries

Do you know anyone who would LOVE a mini cake for their birthday? These would make great mini-wedding cakes as well! Enjoy 🙂

Tags cake, chocolate, dessert, fruit, mini cakes, nutella