Oreo Truffle Pops! Spooky Ghosts, perfect for Halloween!!

Mr. Wonderful loves Oreos. He loves them!! So, when a friend of ours told him about Oreo truffles, Mr. Wonderful was amazed and called me to ask if I could: a) find out how to make them and b) make them right away! Well, they are the easiest truffles in the world and they taste great.
For the Oreo Truffle:
· A package of Oreos (or any chocolate sandwich cookie)
· ¾ of a softened 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese (that works out to be 6 oz.)
· A food processor (or blender). That’s it!
 
For the Ghost Pops:
· Some kind of truffle center (I used Oreo)
· 16 – 24 oz. of white chocolate (the candy melts would the best)
· 28 lollipop sticks
· Paramont Crystals (not needed, but they will make the chocolate smooth)
· edible black pen
 
Steps to Make the Oreo Truffles:
1) Process (or blend) the whole package of Oreos until it is a fine crumb. The finer, the better.
2) Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add softened cream cheese to the bowl. (I leave my cream cheese on the kitchen counter for several hours to get it nice and soft.)
3) With a spoon or hand mixer, mix the two ingredients together. That’s it
You can get really creative with your choice of Oreos. I love using the Mint ones or even the Chocolate Peanut butter. I have heard of people using Nutter Butters, but I haven’t tried that yet.
 
Steps to make the Ghost Pops:
1) Take your filling and form them into bell shapes. Keep the diameter to no more than one inch. You should get 28 out of the Oreo recipe.
2) Form small logs to be the arms, 2 per ghost. Place the bells and logs in the refrigerator to cool while you get the chocolate ready.
3) For the chocolate, add 16 oz. of white chocolate and a teaspoon of paramount crystals to a microwave safe bowl. Melt them according to directions on package or follow my steps (it's step #3)
4) Once the chocolate is ready, retrieve your Oreo filling from the fridge. Dip one side of logs (arms) into the chocolate and ‘glue’ them to the bells (bodies). Press them firm and hold it for a few seconds to make sure it is well ‘glued’. Place in the fridge for a few moments, until the chocolate has set.

5) Retrieve the ghosts again. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the chocolate and insert (that sounds dirty!) the stick into the bottom of the ghost. Repeat until all the ghosts have sticks. Return the ghost to the fridge for at least 5 minutes. You want the ghost very firm for the dipping. While you wait, make sure your dipping chocolate is deep enough to dip the ghosts without touching the bottom of the bowl. The arms are fragile until they are covered in chocolate.

6) Time to dip! I place my chocolate back in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power right before I dip. Take a few ghosts out of the fridge at a time. Allow the others to remain in the fridge. Dip the ghost in the chocolate. DO NOT STIR! They may break. If you have to, dip one side and then the other in chocolate. Gently tap off the extra chocolate and place the pop in the drying rack to dry. Repeat!

Caught you!! My monkey was trying to get a pop before they are finished!
7) I double dipped my ghosts to make sure they were a true white. I added more chocolate to my dipping bowl (about 8 oz.) to make sure I had enough. I allowed the first dipping to dry all the way. Then, I re-dipped them.

                    First Dip                                               Second Dip
8) Once dry, draw on faces with an edible black pen.

If the arms seem too hard to do, just skip it. The bells make great ghosts too!
Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!

Mr. Wonderful loves Oreos. He loves them!! So, when a friend of ours told him about Oreo truffles, Mr. Wonderful was amazed and called me to ask if I could: a) find out how to make them and b) make them right away! Well, they are the easiest truffles in the world and they taste great.
For the Oreo Truffle:
· A package of Oreos (or any chocolate sandwich cookie)
· ¾ of a softened 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese (that works out to be 6 oz.)
· A food processor (or blender). That’s it!
 
For the Ghost Pops:
· Some kind of truffle center (I used Oreo)
· 16 – 24 oz. of white chocolate (the candy melts would the best)
· 28 lollipop sticks
· Paramont Crystals (not needed, but they will make the chocolate smooth)
· edible black pen
 
Steps to Make the Oreo Truffles:
1) Process (or blend) the whole package of Oreos until it is a fine crumb. The finer, the better.
2) Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add softened cream cheese to the bowl. (I leave my cream cheese on the kitchen counter for several hours to get it nice and soft.)
3) With a spoon or hand mixer, mix the two ingredients together. That’s it
You can get really creative with your choice of Oreos. I love using the Mint ones or even the Chocolate Peanut butter. I have heard of people using Nutter Butters, but I haven’t tried that yet.
 
Steps to make the Ghost Pops:
1) Take your filling and form them into bell shapes. Keep the diameter to no more than one inch. You should get 28 out of the Oreo recipe.
2) Form small logs to be the arms, 2 per ghost. Place the bells and logs in the refrigerator to cool while you get the chocolate ready.
3) For the chocolate, add 16 oz. of white chocolate and a teaspoon of paramount crystals to a microwave safe bowl. Melt them according to directions on package or follow my steps (it's step #3)
4) Once the chocolate is ready, retrieve your Oreo filling from the fridge. Dip one side of logs (arms) into the chocolate and ‘glue’ them to the bells (bodies). Press them firm and hold it for a few seconds to make sure it is well ‘glued’. Place in the fridge for a few moments, until the chocolate has set.

5) Retrieve the ghosts again. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the chocolate and insert (that sounds dirty!) the stick into the bottom of the ghost. Repeat until all the ghosts have sticks. Return the ghost to the fridge for at least 5 minutes. You want the ghost very firm for the dipping. While you wait, make sure your dipping chocolate is deep enough to dip the ghosts without touching the bottom of the bowl. The arms are fragile until they are covered in chocolate.

6) Time to dip! I place my chocolate back in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power right before I dip. Take a few ghosts out of the fridge at a time. Allow the others to remain in the fridge. Dip the ghost in the chocolate. DO NOT STIR! They may break. If you have to, dip one side and then the other in chocolate. Gently tap off the extra chocolate and place the pop in the drying rack to dry. Repeat!

Caught you!! My monkey was trying to get a pop before they are finished!
7) I double dipped my ghosts to make sure they were a true white. I added more chocolate to my dipping bowl (about 8 oz.) to make sure I had enough. I allowed the first dipping to dry all the way. Then, I re-dipped them.

                    First Dip                                               Second Dip
8) Once dry, draw on faces with an edible black pen.

If the arms seem too hard to do, just skip it. The bells make great ghosts too!
Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!

Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Truffle Pops!

 
I saw an adorable cake pop on Bakerella (Have you seen this site? It is amazing!!!). So, I made my own version of it. The filling is peanut butter crunch. But, you can use chocolate truffle, brownie balls, cake balls, rice cereal treats or even egg-less cookie dough (recipes to come!!).
Here are the tools you will need: lollipop sticks,toothpick, orange and red chocolate melts, Paramont Crystals (these make the chocolate very smooth and easy to work with), green sour straws and a edible black marker (Love this!! I can’t live without it!!)

Steps:
1)  First, roll into one inch diameter balls. I got 21 balls from my recipes for Peanut Butter Crunch.

2)  I then used a toothpick to make five grooves on the side of each ball. Make them pretty deep. Then put them in the refrigerator while you prepare the chocolate melts.

3)  Now, time to melt the chocolate. I used an entire bag of orange and ten red wafers. I also added a teaspoon or two of paramount crystals. Follow the instructions on your chocolate until it is melts. This can be tricky. You don’t want to do over heat the chocolate. For Wilton’s, I melt it for one minute at 50% power. Stir. Then, one more minute and stir. Then, another minute and stir. Next, (can you guess?) another 30 seconds to a minute if needed. It should be melted by now. Put a small drop on your lip. If you feel any heat, it’s too hot. Add a few more wafers to cool the mixture until you can’t feel any heat when you put a drop on your lips.

4)  Now, get your ‘pumpkins’ from the fridge. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the chocolate and insert it into the pumpkin (Don’t go more than half way through). Place them in the fridge for the chocolate to set. Now it’s time to dip!!

5)  Place your sticked pumpkin in the chocolate. DON’T STIR! Try to have the chocolate deep enough that you cover the whole thing in one dunk. If you can’t cover one side, flip it over and cover the other side. But, DON’T STIR the pop!!! Knock the stick on the side of the bowl very gently to knock off the extra chocolate. Once you are done covering the pumpkin, place it in a Styrofoam block to cool.

I made my drying rack, can you tell? I used a pan I never used and filled it with floral form. Then, I taped the entire surface to ensure it wasn’t going to fall out. Then, I cut holes in the tape for the sticks to push through.
6)  While the chocolate is still wet, place a small piece of green sour straw on top for the stem. Once dry, use a black food writer to make the face. And you are done! Even my little monkey loves them!

 
I saw an adorable cake pop on Bakerella (Have you seen this site? It is amazing!!!). So, I made my own version of it. The filling is peanut butter crunch. But, you can use chocolate truffle, brownie balls, cake balls, rice cereal treats or even egg-less cookie dough (recipes to come!!).
Here are the tools you will need: lollipop sticks,toothpick, orange and red chocolate melts, Paramont Crystals (these make the chocolate very smooth and easy to work with), green sour straws and a edible black marker (Love this!! I can’t live without it!!)

Steps:
1)  First, roll into one inch diameter balls. I got 21 balls from my recipes for Peanut Butter Crunch.

2)  I then used a toothpick to make five grooves on the side of each ball. Make them pretty deep. Then put them in the refrigerator while you prepare the chocolate melts.

3)  Now, time to melt the chocolate. I used an entire bag of orange and ten red wafers. I also added a teaspoon or two of paramount crystals. Follow the instructions on your chocolate until it is melts. This can be tricky. You don’t want to do over heat the chocolate. For Wilton’s, I melt it for one minute at 50% power. Stir. Then, one more minute and stir. Then, another minute and stir. Next, (can you guess?) another 30 seconds to a minute if needed. It should be melted by now. Put a small drop on your lip. If you feel any heat, it’s too hot. Add a few more wafers to cool the mixture until you can’t feel any heat when you put a drop on your lips.

4)  Now, get your ‘pumpkins’ from the fridge. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the chocolate and insert it into the pumpkin (Don’t go more than half way through). Place them in the fridge for the chocolate to set. Now it’s time to dip!!

5)  Place your sticked pumpkin in the chocolate. DON’T STIR! Try to have the chocolate deep enough that you cover the whole thing in one dunk. If you can’t cover one side, flip it over and cover the other side. But, DON’T STIR the pop!!! Knock the stick on the side of the bowl very gently to knock off the extra chocolate. Once you are done covering the pumpkin, place it in a Styrofoam block to cool.

I made my drying rack, can you tell? I used a pan I never used and filled it with floral form. Then, I taped the entire surface to ensure it wasn’t going to fall out. Then, I cut holes in the tape for the sticks to push through.
6)  While the chocolate is still wet, place a small piece of green sour straw on top for the stem. Once dry, use a black food writer to make the face. And you are done! Even my little monkey loves them!

Chocolate Mint Zombie Truffle Pops!

Happy Halloween!  Ok, so it’s not Halloween yet.  But, I celebrate Halloween from Labor Day to October 31^st.  It drives Mr. Wonderful nuts!!!  Maybe that’s why I do it?!?  Well, we were invited to a ‘get together’ and I decided to make something new and ZOMBIE POPS were born!! 

What you will need:

For the centers:  12 oz of Milk Chocolate chips or milk chocolate candy melts, 1/3 cup of heavy cream,  ½ to 1 teaspoon of mint extract (I like things minty! ) Note: Usually when you flavor chocolate, you need to use a special candy flavoring.  This is different!  You can use the regular extracts that you use for baking

For the ZOMBIES: 15 to 25 lollipop sticks (It depends on how big you make the heads), Spooky green candy melts (If you can’t find those, use half green and half white and a few yellow (like 5)), Paramont Crystals (it smoothes out the chocolate to make it easier to dip.  But, it’s not needed), Candy Eyeballs and a Edible Black Marker

The Steps:

For the centers: 

              1) In a medium size saucepan, melt the chocolate on low heat.  Stir all the time!  Don’t look away.  It will burn. 
 
              2) Once it is melted, add the cream.  You may need to whisk it to combine. 

              3)Then, add the mint extract and stir to combine. That’s it!! 

              4)Put it in a plastic container and let it cool in the fridge.  You want it to cool to a ‘fudge’ state.

For the zombies: 

1)Roll the centers into balls (about 1 inch diameter).  Place them back in the fridge.

2) Prepare the chocolate.  Follow the package or look at my instructions here. 

3) Get your truffle balls out of the fridge.  Dip the end of the lollipop sticks into the chocolate and insert it into a ball.  Repeat until they all are on a stick.  Then, return to the fridge for just a few minutes.  We are looking for the chocolate on the sticks to harden

4) Get three lollipops out of the fridge at a time.  Dip one into the chocolate.  DO NOT STIR!  Just dunk it into the chocolate.  Gently tap off the extra chocolate by tapping the stick on the side of the bowl or your wrist.  Place in a Styrofoam holder to dry.  Repeat until they are all covered.  If your dipping chocolate gets cold or hard, place it back in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.

  

5)  Once they are dry, ‘glue’ on eyes with the left over chocolate.  It’s ok to be messy.  It looks like pus.  Now, draw on a nose and mouth with your edible pen.  You have a ZOMBIE!

Happy Halloween!  Ok, so it’s not Halloween yet.  But, I celebrate Halloween from Labor Day to October 31^st.  It drives Mr. Wonderful nuts!!!  Maybe that’s why I do it?!?  Well, we were invited to a ‘get together’ and I decided to make something new and ZOMBIE POPS were born!! 

What you will need:

For the centers:  12 oz of Milk Chocolate chips or milk chocolate candy melts, 1/3 cup of heavy cream,  ½ to 1 teaspoon of mint extract (I like things minty! ) Note: Usually when you flavor chocolate, you need to use a special candy flavoring.  This is different!  You can use the regular extracts that you use for baking

For the ZOMBIES: 15 to 25 lollipop sticks (It depends on how big you make the heads), Spooky green candy melts (If you can’t find those, use half green and half white and a few yellow (like 5)), Paramont Crystals (it smoothes out the chocolate to make it easier to dip.  But, it’s not needed), Candy Eyeballs and a Edible Black Marker

The Steps:

For the centers: 

              1) In a medium size saucepan, melt the chocolate on low heat.  Stir all the time!  Don’t look away.  It will burn. 
 
              2) Once it is melted, add the cream.  You may need to whisk it to combine. 

              3)Then, add the mint extract and stir to combine. That’s it!! 

              4)Put it in a plastic container and let it cool in the fridge.  You want it to cool to a ‘fudge’ state.

For the zombies: 

1)Roll the centers into balls (about 1 inch diameter).  Place them back in the fridge.

2) Prepare the chocolate.  Follow the package or look at my instructions here. 

3) Get your truffle balls out of the fridge.  Dip the end of the lollipop sticks into the chocolate and insert it into a ball.  Repeat until they all are on a stick.  Then, return to the fridge for just a few minutes.  We are looking for the chocolate on the sticks to harden

4) Get three lollipops out of the fridge at a time.  Dip one into the chocolate.  DO NOT STIR!  Just dunk it into the chocolate.  Gently tap off the extra chocolate by tapping the stick on the side of the bowl or your wrist.  Place in a Styrofoam holder to dry.  Repeat until they are all covered.  If your dipping chocolate gets cold or hard, place it back in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.

  

5)  Once they are dry, ‘glue’ on eyes with the left over chocolate.  It’s ok to be messy.  It looks like pus.  Now, draw on a nose and mouth with your edible pen.  You have a ZOMBIE!

Homemade Candy Corn!

I am a CANDY CORN FREAK!  I love it!!!  So, I thought that I would try to make some homemade ones.  I found a recipe from Alton Brown on the food network (A true genius!).  It was good, but it didn’t turn out for me.  So, I started to play around a bit and found a recipe that works for me.  I hope it works for you too!

Candy Corn (Adapted from Food Network’s Alton Brown)

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 6 1/2 teaspoons nonfat dry milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup ( I added two tablespoon of Honey in the bottom of the 1/3 cup and filled the rest with the light corn syrup)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 drops yellow and orange gel paste food coloring

Steps:

1)      Put powdered sugar, dry milk and salt into a food processor and pulse until smooth (any clumps will make parts of your candy lumpy)

2)      Place Corn Syrup, honey, granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan.  Over medium heat, heat the mixture, COVERED, for 4 minutes

3)      Stir in butter and clip on Candy Thermometer.  Heat mixture UNCOVERED for about 6 minutes (The original said 230 degrees, but I got a rock when I did that.  So, I went to 220 degree, which took me 6 minutes.)  You DO NOT want your sugar to change color (start to caramelize or turn brown)!

4)      Stir in vanilla.  Then, use a hand mixer to beat in Step #1 mixture.  You want it smooth, but act quickly.  Be super careful!  The sugar can burn you so start on the lowest setting.

5)      Pour it onto a nonstick surface (I used a Silpat Baking Liner).  Wait for it to cool for a few minutes.  Once it is cool enough to handle, cut into three pieces.  Color one yellow, one orange and leave one white. 

6)      Roll out snakes in each color and layer them together.  Now cut your triangles! 

7)      Allow them to dry separately for at least a day and enjoy! I made mine into jumbo corn!

  My Candy Corn could beat up yours!!  They are huge!

You can also make pumpkins.  Just color 90% of the mixture orange and 10% green.  Then, roll the orange into pumpkins and stick a green ‘stem’ on the tops!

I am a CANDY CORN FREAK!  I love it!!!  So, I thought that I would try to make some homemade ones.  I found a recipe from Alton Brown on the food network (A true genius!).  It was good, but it didn’t turn out for me.  So, I started to play around a bit and found a recipe that works for me.  I hope it works for you too!

Candy Corn (Adapted from Food Network’s Alton Brown)

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 6 1/2 teaspoons nonfat dry milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup ( I added two tablespoon of Honey in the bottom of the 1/3 cup and filled the rest with the light corn syrup)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 drops yellow and orange gel paste food coloring

Steps:

1)      Put powdered sugar, dry milk and salt into a food processor and pulse until smooth (any clumps will make parts of your candy lumpy)

2)      Place Corn Syrup, honey, granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan.  Over medium heat, heat the mixture, COVERED, for 4 minutes

3)      Stir in butter and clip on Candy Thermometer.  Heat mixture UNCOVERED for about 6 minutes (The original said 230 degrees, but I got a rock when I did that.  So, I went to 220 degree, which took me 6 minutes.)  You DO NOT want your sugar to change color (start to caramelize or turn brown)!

4)      Stir in vanilla.  Then, use a hand mixer to beat in Step #1 mixture.  You want it smooth, but act quickly.  Be super careful!  The sugar can burn you so start on the lowest setting.

5)      Pour it onto a nonstick surface (I used a Silpat Baking Liner).  Wait for it to cool for a few minutes.  Once it is cool enough to handle, cut into three pieces.  Color one yellow, one orange and leave one white. 

6)      Roll out snakes in each color and layer them together.  Now cut your triangles! 

7)      Allow them to dry separately for at least a day and enjoy! I made mine into jumbo corn!

  My Candy Corn could beat up yours!!  They are huge!

You can also make pumpkins.  Just color 90% of the mixture orange and 10% green.  Then, roll the orange into pumpkins and stick a green ‘stem’ on the tops!

Easiest Pumpkin cookies ever!!! No eggs added!

These are the easiest cookies I have ever made! They are great for Fall. Plus, they are pretty low in calories and fat. So, I think that means you can eat a dozen and not feel guilty, right?!?

What you will need: A box of Spice Cake mix, one 15 oz can of Pumpkin Puree (not the pumpkin pie mix!) and one cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. That’s it! Now, I like things extra spicy, so I also add 1/8 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.

I forgot the cinnamon in the picture!!

Steps to make them:

1)      Mix everything in a bowl.  Hard step!  I just dump it in and stir.  That’s it!

2)      Place small spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet.  I use a Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Liner, 11 5/8-Inch by 16 1/2-Inch (See all Baking Mats)
to make it easier.

 Tip: You don’t want big cookies.  If they are too large, the middle won’t cook and the outside will burn.  Keep them small. 

3)      With a little water on your fingers, press them down a bit.  The way they look going into the oven is the way they will look coming out.  Not much expanding.

Pan on the left is the small spoonfuls.  Pan on the right is the cookies after I pressed them down.

4)      Bake on 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  (If I use two pans, I switch them around half way through)

5)      Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely on the pan.  They will be a pain to remove from the pan unless they have cooled.  Once cool, they pop right off. 

6)      Enjoy your little bits of Fall!

These are the easiest cookies I have ever made! They are great for Fall. Plus, they are pretty low in calories and fat. So, I think that means you can eat a dozen and not feel guilty, right?!?

What you will need: A box of Spice Cake mix, one 15 oz can of Pumpkin Puree (not the pumpkin pie mix!) and one cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. That’s it! Now, I like things extra spicy, so I also add 1/8 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.

I forgot the cinnamon in the picture!!

Steps to make them:

1)      Mix everything in a bowl.  Hard step!  I just dump it in and stir.  That’s it!

2)      Place small spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet.  I use a Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Liner, 11 5/8-Inch by 16 1/2-Inch (See all Baking Mats)
to make it easier.

 Tip: You don’t want big cookies.  If they are too large, the middle won’t cook and the outside will burn.  Keep them small. 

3)      With a little water on your fingers, press them down a bit.  The way they look going into the oven is the way they will look coming out.  Not much expanding.

Pan on the left is the small spoonfuls.  Pan on the right is the cookies after I pressed them down.

4)      Bake on 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  (If I use two pans, I switch them around half way through)

5)      Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely on the pan.  They will be a pain to remove from the pan unless they have cooled.  Once cool, they pop right off. 

6)      Enjoy your little bits of Fall!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Crunch Truffle Filling! So many candy options with this filling!!

I have a friend that is gluten intolerant and I wanted to make her a treat.  But what can I make???  Cookies, cupcakes and even rice cereal (this was before Rice Krispies came out with a gluten free version.) treats are out of the picture!  So, I thought of this mixture to be the filling for so many different treats!  And it is super easy too! 

What you will need:  2 ½ cups of Rice Chex cereal,  1 cup creamy peanut butter,  ½ cup powdered sugar and ¼ cup honey

First, you need 2 ½ cups of Rice Chex.  Turn it into the smallest crumb possible (I used a small food processor).  You should get a cup of crumbs.  (Like my chex equation?  Can you tell I’m a math teacher?!?)

Next, mix the crumbs with one cup of creamy peanut butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and ¼ cup honey.

The end result should hold together easily when you roll it into balls.   If it’s too soft to form into a ball, add up to ¼ cup more powdered sugar.

Look for my post on using this filling to make Jack O' Latern Truffle pops!

I have a friend that is gluten intolerant and I wanted to make her a treat.  But what can I make???  Cookies, cupcakes and even rice cereal (this was before Rice Krispies came out with a gluten free version.) treats are out of the picture!  So, I thought of this mixture to be the filling for so many different treats!  And it is super easy too! 

What you will need:  2 ½ cups of Rice Chex cereal,  1 cup creamy peanut butter,  ½ cup powdered sugar and ¼ cup honey

First, you need 2 ½ cups of Rice Chex.  Turn it into the smallest crumb possible (I used a small food processor).  You should get a cup of crumbs.  (Like my chex equation?  Can you tell I’m a math teacher?!?)

Next, mix the crumbs with one cup of creamy peanut butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and ¼ cup honey.

The end result should hold together easily when you roll it into balls.   If it’s too soft to form into a ball, add up to ¼ cup more powdered sugar.

Look for my post on using this filling to make Jack O' Latern Truffle pops!

White Chocolate Popcorn! Easy and Impressive treat to take to any party!!

What you will need:  1 bag of microwave popcorn popped (You can use a stove top popcorn or an air popped.  It tastes the same), 8 ounces of white chocolate melts (you could use white chocolate chips), decorations (think sprinkles, cookie crumbs, colored chocolates or even dry drink mix) and wax paper.

This was a trick of mine when I was in Weight Watchers (Lifetime member!!!!!).  It is a big serving of yummy chocolate without a ton of calories. 

Step 1:  Pop the popcorn and pick out all the un-popped kernels. 

Step 2:  Melt your chocolate in a large bowl.  Follow the package instructions.  If you don’t have any, try this:  Melt at 50% power for one minute in the microwave. Stir. Melt for another minute at 50% power.  Stir.  Melt one more minute at 50%.  Stir.  If needed, put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  That should be nice and melted.  (I added teaspoon of paramount crystals to make sure my chocolate is super smooth. But, it’s not needed).

Step 3:  Put the popcorn in the chocolate bowl and gently toss to coat.  Once it’s coated, pour it onto the wax paper.  Add toppings right away so they will stick to the popcorn!

Step 4:  Enjoy and tell everyone that it was really hard.  Remember the first Rice Krispies treats commercials from way back?  The mom would come out of the kitchen after making them, covered in flour and sweat.  You should do that!!

I made a pumped up version.  I did the above, but while the chocolate was still wet on the popcorn, I sprinkled it with chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs.  So, COOKIES AND CREAM POPCORN!  Easy Peasy!

What you will need:  1 bag of microwave popcorn popped (You can use a stove top popcorn or an air popped.  It tastes the same), 8 ounces of white chocolate melts (you could use white chocolate chips), decorations (think sprinkles, cookie crumbs, colored chocolates or even dry drink mix) and wax paper.

This was a trick of mine when I was in Weight Watchers (Lifetime member!!!!!).  It is a big serving of yummy chocolate without a ton of calories. 

Step 1:  Pop the popcorn and pick out all the un-popped kernels. 

Step 2:  Melt your chocolate in a large bowl.  Follow the package instructions.  If you don’t have any, try this:  Melt at 50% power for one minute in the microwave. Stir. Melt for another minute at 50% power.  Stir.  Melt one more minute at 50%.  Stir.  If needed, put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  That should be nice and melted.  (I added teaspoon of paramount crystals to make sure my chocolate is super smooth. But, it’s not needed).

Step 3:  Put the popcorn in the chocolate bowl and gently toss to coat.  Once it’s coated, pour it onto the wax paper.  Add toppings right away so they will stick to the popcorn!

Step 4:  Enjoy and tell everyone that it was really hard.  Remember the first Rice Krispies treats commercials from way back?  The mom would come out of the kitchen after making them, covered in flour and sweat.  You should do that!!

I made a pumped up version.  I did the above, but while the chocolate was still wet on the popcorn, I sprinkled it with chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs.  So, COOKIES AND CREAM POPCORN!  Easy Peasy!