Sunday, October 27, 2013

Spooky Cute Halloween Brownie Pops!

Eeeeeeeeek! Halloween is right around the corner! I have a really fun project to share with you today!

I made some adorable and delicious Halloween Brownie Pops to give out as spooky gifts for Halloween.  I made the cute box the pops are standing in too - the box displays them so nicely!


Believe it or not, the hardest part of making the pops is the time spent deciding how you want to decorate them and shopping for the supplies.  Many of the ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store or Target.  For more variety in decorating supplies, I recommend taking a trip to your local Michael's or Joann's as well.

Ingredients:

  • Box of Brownie Mix & Ingredients to Make Brownies per Box
  • Lollipop Sticks
  • Wilton Candy Eyes
  • Wilton Candy Melts - I used melts in Black, Vibrant Green, Orange, and Lavender.
  • 2 Boxes of Baker's Premium White Chocolate Baking Bar (4oz Box)
  • Twizzler's Black Licorice Nibs (For Frankenstein's Bolts)
  • Wax Paper
  • Mini Pretzel Twists
  • Styrofoam Square
  • Toothpicks


  • Instructions:

    To make the brownie pops, I used the Brownie Pop Recipe by Betty Crocker linked here.  Below, I have listed some helpful tips/tricks when making the brownie pops (incorporate these into the recipe's instructions if you would like).  Also, I have listed specifics on how I made each pop into a Halloween character - Mummy, Frankenstein, Jack-O-Lantern, and Three-eyed Monster, and how to make the cute gift box to display the pops:

    Tips/Tricks:

    1) I recommend adding an extra egg to the batter.  It will help with forming the cake pops later.

    2) After the brownies have cooled, remove any hard edges from the brownie pan.  I did this by cutting one large rectangle in the pan excluding 1/4" from each side of the pan.

    4) Cut the brownies while in the pan into 1.5" squares - each square can be rolled into a ball and ensures each pop will be the same size.

    5) Add additional flavor by adding a few butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips to the melted candy mixtures.

    6) Use white chocolate with food coloring instead of colored candy melts.  If using chocolate chips, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for every cup of chips when melting.  See additional info on melting chocolate here.

    7) Cover decorated pops with mini clear treat bags and close using twine or ribbon.

    Decorating Pops as Halloween Characters:


    Mummy - Dip pops into melted white chocolate.  Add candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add strips of melted white chocolate to create the mummy (tip: over a bowl, let the melted chocolate drip off a spoon onto the pops while you turn them).  Cool in refrigerator for another 30 minutes.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

    Frankenstein - Cut Black Licorice Nibs into two pieces using a scissors.  Dip pops into melted green candy.  Add bolts (Nibs) and candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add strips of melted black candy to the top of the pops to give Frankenstein hair.  Add the mouth and scars using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

    Jack-O-Lantern - Break mini pretzel twists into pieces that look like pumpkin stems.  Dip pops into melted orange candy.  Add pretzel stems and candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

    Three-Eyed Monster - Dip pops into melted purple candy.  Add candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

    Lollipop Gift Box:


    The box, fence, bat, and pumpkins are digital die-cuts (SVGs) by SVG Cuts.  If you don't have a electronic die-cutting machine, you could use a small gift box and pop small holes in the top to place the pops - just make sure you place Styrofoam inside the box to hold the pops in place.

    For SVGs users, cut and assemble the box, bat, and pumpkins based on the default size setting of the file.  The box is from the For My Valentine SVG Kit.  The bat and pumpkins are from the Spooky Cuties SVG Collection.  To make the fence that goes around the box, I used the fence from the Elmhurst Hollow SVG Kit and resized it to 7.25W x 3.862H in SCAL (note: delete the extra wood strips before sizing as you don't need these).  Cut the fence out twice and glue around the box so the ends come together on each side of the box.

    Add brads or black pearl stickers to the middle of the bat's and pumpkins' eyes - this makes them look like the candy eyeballs on the brownie pops!  Also, add a sentiment to the box if you would like.


    Your brownie pops and gift box are ready for someone special to take home!  I hope you enjoyed this project and give these pops a try!  They are sure to make someone smile!

    Melanie

    Saturday, October 19, 2013

    EEK! Crafting with My Nephew!

    Spooky Greetings All!

    I have been so busy researching my family heritage that I haven't had much time to craft or blog.  I have really missed playing with paper and staying connected with all of you, my crafty friends. 

    I got a little time to craft with my nephew yesterday and thought I would share the card he and I made for his mom/my sister.

     
    My nephew really liked the spider web and spider SVGs from the Lettering Delights Little Boo-ligans Accent Cut It Set so we made those the focus of the card.  He also picked out the colors - hence the orange eyes!!!!  :)


    I made the card a circle shape so the spider web would really pop on the card and we added a little EEK! flag.  To make the flag, we used a little flyer and alpha stickers from the October Afternoon Witch Hazel collection and some twine from the Farmhouse collection.

    Check out the super creative note on the inside:


    Don't you just love what my nephew did with the letters to bring them to life in a spooky way?  This was totally his idea and it turned out so cute!  The "e" is supposed to be a zombie!  BTW - I didn't help him with spelling - that would take away some of the cuteness factor!

    Here is a pic of my nephew with the completed card!  :)


    Thanks for stopping by to see our card and Happy Holloween!  :)

    Melanie