YUMMY.... BACK TO SCHOOL TREAT

Candy Apples… minus the apples.

It's back to school time already, so I thought I'd show you these super cute apple cake pops to celebrate. I'll try to showcase some new ones here and there in between baking other fun stuff.

Anyway, I thought these would be good today - and a great way to earn your kids brownie points right off the bat. Hmmm… brownie points with cake pops. I like it. They're also a fun way to just say "Thanks, Teach!" You can save the idea for later and they'll make great Teacher Appreciation gifts, too. You could even make tags for the lollipop sticks and they'll be extra special. Or maybe I'll make some for you that you can download. Wait, did I say that. Yikes. Okay, I'll do it. But not today. Or tomorrow… Soon, though.


Okay, I think you all know the drill by now. We need red candy melts. White works too if you add red "candy" coloring. I used chocolate cake for these, but use any flavor you want. Apple even. Follow the basic cake pop instructions and instead of shaping the cake and frosting into round balls, make them a little wider at the top than the bottom. Then press in the center of the top and the bottom with your fingers a little bit to make subtle indentions. You can also use a lollipop stick to make a spot for the stem.

And for the stem, you'll need pretzel sticks.

Not this many however … about 25 will do if you use the rounded ends. And if you don't care about the ends being pretty and round, then you can break each stick down into several pieces and use less sticks. Each stem piece only needs to be about 1/2 inch at the most. While the candy coating is still wet, attach the pretzel piece and leaf and then place in a styrofoam block to dry.

For the leaves, I used jumbo diamond sprinkles … the green ones. But, feel free to use anything you think will work. Check out the candy aisle for inspiration.

And voila… candy apples.

No… candy covered apple-shaped cakes.

Okay, how about just apple cake pops. Simple and cute.