Day 21: Christmas Cake Pops - Santa's Bag

Come check out Santa's swag!

I shaped these like I did the Chef Hats, but turned them upside down. And I filled them the same way I did the Christmas Stockings.

Santa's got a brand new bag!
Oh yeah!

Day 20: Christmas Cake Pops - Christmas Angels

These angels won't end up on top of my tree, but I guarantee they'll be on my dessert tray this Christmas!

I made angels earlier this year for Be An Angel Day, but wanted to try something different this time around.

The body is made from an ice cream cone cut in half,

then dipped in white candy melt.

I coated the top and bottom of the cone with sugar sprinkles. The wings are made from candy melt,

which was poured onto wax paper and then cut

with a tulip shaped cutter.

The head is a mini cake ball. I piped on the hair

and drew on the eyes and mouth.

The halos are Rip Whips candy.

I kind of made these up as I went along. They took longer than I was hoping, but I think they turned out pretty cute!

Day 19: Christmas Cake Pops - Santa Claus

You better watch out, you better not cry.
Santa cake pops are here, that's the reason why!

I just couldn't wait until the end of the month to see
Jolly Old St. Nick, so here he is...
12 days ahead of schedule!

Here's a quick run down on how I made Mr. Clause:

Using a basic round ball shape, I dipped it in peach candy melt. To create the point for the hat, I placed a chocolate chip on top, and then I re-dipped the top part in red.
I drew on the eyes and eyes with a food writing pen.
I brushed on the beard and brim of the hat by using the tip of a lollipop stick, and texturing it.
The nose, eyebrows and mustache were all applied
with the tip of a toothpick.

That's all there is to it!
I'm making my list and checking it twice.
Santa cake pops? Check!

Get even more instruction on these in my book
Pop.O.Licious Cake Pops!

Day 18: Christmas Cake Pops - Gingerbread House

Today is National Gingerbread House Day - perfect timing!

Once I started making this cake pop it began 

to take on a life of it's own.

I was really excited to use Andes Mints for the roof, but to give the pop a three dimensional look I had to use four mints. As I started adding Necco candies and all of the icing, I realized that the pop itself was getting quite heavy.

I weighed it after it was completely decorated, and indeed this monster of a cake pop weighed 12.5 oz.

More than four times the weight (3 oz.) of an average pop!

So let your kids play decorator today and help them celebrate National Gingerbread House Day!

Building and decorating these traditional, tasty treats is the perfect way to get the entire family working together.

Day 17: Christmas Cake Pops -The Elf on the Shelf Helps Out!

Trying to lend a helping hand...

The shelf life of a cake pop is only a few days, and it appears that our Elf on the Shelf pops have caught on. This morning they were spotted in my sprinkles cabinet trying to put together some new friends.

I think they know their time is up!

Day 16: Christmas Cake Pops - Mr. Santa Potato Head

It's Mr. (Santa) Potato Head!

Mr. Potato Head has been on my "to-do" list for a long time, so I thought I'd bring him into the mix by putting a holiday spin on it!

I did these fairly quickly so I'll be the first to point out the imperfections, but, the pieces are all there...

The familiar shape, a red jelly bean for the big nose, 

candy eyes, licorice rope for the arms, mini M&M's for the feet, white candy melt for the beard, and to top 

it all off with a Santa Hat.

He may not be perfect, but Mr. Potato Head is a classic, 

and he was made with love!

Day 15: Christmas Cake Pops -The Elf on the Shelf Returns!

Caught in the act!

The Elf on the Shelf and his mischievous little helpers were spotted this morning trying to hang Christmas lights on the gingerbread house. They're doing a fine job, but it looks like they came across one of those tangled light cake pops.

Looks like they'll be there for a while...

Day 14: Christmas Cake Pops -It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Is it beginning to look like Christmas around your house?
It sure is around here!

We're nearly half way through our 30 days of

Christmas Cake Pops. Time sure flies!

Let's take a quick look back at all of the holiday cheer that has filled this blog for the past couple of weeks.

What has been your favorite so far?

Day 13: Christmas Cake Pops -The Elf on the Shelf

It's our Elf on the Shelf!

Have you started this Holiday tradition yet?

If not, you definitely should.

We were recently introduced to this adorable story

and it's quickly become a family favorite!

The story goes that this mischievous little elf watches your family during the day and reports back to Santa each night. But when he comes back he's always hiding in a new spot.

Today, our elf (Buddy) was spotted in the kitchen around the stand mixer, and it looks like he whipped up some

cake pop friends!

We do have three rambunctious boys running around our house, so I'm guessing he needs all the help he can get.

I wonder, though, how they'll report back to Santa

if they get eaten...

Either way, they're keeping an eye on you!
I wonder where they'll pop up next?

Day 12: Christmas Cake Pops - Holiday Owls

Owls are some of my favorite cake pops to make, and this time around they're getting in on the holiday fun!

I dressed them up in red and green for the occasion.

I added a little flair with some holly, Santa hats,

and even a yellow scarf.

Festive and tasty!

Whoooooo wants one???

Day 11: Christmas Cake Pops - White Elephant

Okay, I've got the perfect White Elephant gift idea...

White Elephant Cake Pops!

How perfect is that?!?

They're actually not as difficult to make as you might think.

The nose and ears are just rolled out fondant. Draw on the mouth and eye brows, place the candy eyes and

you're pretty much done.

I modeled these after the cake pops I made for

Elephant Appreciation Day earlier this year.

If you don't give these White Elephants as a gift, you should definitely think about serving them. They'd make a wonderful addition to any dessert table this holiday season!

Day 10: Christmas Cake Pops -Trip to the Tree Farm

Have you gotten your Christmas Tree yet?

In honor of our trip to the tree farm today I just had to make these little cars with trees strapped to the top!

I shaped the cake and dipped them first. After they dried I placed mini chocolate chips for the wheels and piped on extra candy melt right above them.
I took another stab at using Confectionary Paints and was pleasantly surprised at how well the black worked on these.
To top it all off, I found the perfect Christmas tree candies at my local grocery store, which is actually where the inspiration for these cake pops came from in the first place.

I tried to make the cars look like VW Bugs (my favorite kind of car). I wonder if my husband will get the
hint...

Here we are, out on our adventure today!

Day 9: Christmas Cake Pops -Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You can't do Christmas without showing some love

to everyone's favorite reindeer!

If you've seen one Rudolph cake pop then maybe you've seen them all. But for these particular pops I tried to do something somewhat original while keeping it

fairly basic and traditional.

I was really excited to use the mini candy canes for the antlers, and I trimmed a chocolate candy melt for the ears.

I used a red jelly bean for the nose, but I suppose you could use any kind of round red candy for that.

Grandma didn't get run over by this reindeer...

She got her revenge and ATE this one!

Get even more instruction on these in my book
Pop.O.Licious Cake Pops!

Day 8: Christmas Cake Pops - Gingerbread Men

Run, run, as fast as you can.

You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!

Every holiday I'm always sure to pick up Wilton's set of seasonal mini cookie cutters.

I used their gingerbread man cutter to shape these pops. I drew on the buttons, eyes, and mouths with AmeriColor food writing pens. The bow ties are heart sprinkles.

For the first time I experimented with Confectionary Paints. I've never used them before so I'm still getting the hang of it. I honestly wasn't that impressed with how the white painted on for the lines and the hair. But it'll do for now and I'll have to keep practicing!

Day 7: Christmas Cake Pops - Santa Penguins

Penguin cake pops are cute by themselves, but put a
Santa hat on them and they're downright adorable!

 These playful little penguins require a few different steps, but having a little patience definitely pays off.

After molding the pop into a pear shape, dip the whole thing in white candy melt until completely coated. Let it dry, and then dip in black twice at different angles to create the tuxedo look. After that dries, place a chocolate chip on the top to create the shape of the hat. Then dip the top in red.

I used Karo syrup to apply the white sprinkles for the brim of the hat. For the rest of the features I dabbed a little bit of chocolate on the back of each piece before placing.
I suppose the penguins could have also used fins,
but I didn't have any mini black M&M's today,
so I guess they'll have to do as is!

Grab one before they waddle away!