Cupcake Pops

Cupcake Pops and Cupcake Bites

1 13X9 baked cake (from a box cake mix or from scratch … any flavor)

1 can cream cheese frosting (or about 2 cups equivalent from scratch)

1 flower shaped cookie cutter (1.25″ wide X .75″ tall)

1 package chocolate bark or chocolate candy melts

1 package pink candy melts or white chocolate bark

bowls for dipping

wax paper

aluminum foil

lollipop sticks

sprinkles, m&ms or something similar for top of cupcake

small plastic treat bags and ribbon to package the Cupcake Pops

candy cups and truffle boxes to individually package the Cupcake Bites

styrofoam block

1.  Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.

2.  Crumble cooked cake into the food processor until it is a fine consistency like dirt.  Yes dirt

3.  Add can of cream cheese frosting or homemade frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon or your hands. Blend thoroughly.

4.  Roll mixture into 1.25″ – 1.5″ size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. You might have to rinse and dry your hands off in between it's pretty messy.

5.  Cover them with foil or plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for a few hours or the freezer for about 15 minutes.

6.  Remove. Begin to shape into cupcakes using a small flower-shaped cookie cutter. The one from Williams Sonoma is the best - see below

 Take the chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval and then slide into the flower cookie cutter. Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound. Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue with remaining balls.

You can also just roll into balls and dip - that is the easiest way.  They look cute either way!

7.  Once shaped, cover and return to freezer. (5-10 minutes)

TIP: You can leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight if you want to do the dipping on the following day.

8.  While cupcake shapes are chilling, begin to heat up your chocolate bark.  Brown chocolate bark for the bottoms. Pink, white or red chocolate for the tops.  Follow the instructions on the package for melting. Most recommend heating for 30 second intervals at a time and stirring in between. You can also do the double boiler method.

9.  When you are ready to dip, remove from freezer and set up another wax paper covered cookie sheet.

10.  Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip bottoms into the melted chocolate – just to the point where the mounded shape starts. Then lay on the wax paper upside down. If you want them to be lollipops, then go ahead and insert the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is still wet. Continue with rest of the cupcakes. You can also leave some without the sticks. They’re just as cute as Cupcake Bites. 

TIP: Dip end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting into chocolate bottoms. Not sure if this helps a lot, but it couldn’t hurt.  DON’T – get water in the chocolate. Make sure your hands are completely dry. Water will cause the chocolate to separate and mess up all your hard work

11.  Dry completely. (15-20 minutes)  Once dry, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the pink or white chocolate. You may need to move it around a little to cover all the exposed areas.  
TIP: Let the colored chocolate sit for a few minutes after heating to thicken. This will help it from dripping down the sides of the cupcake 
TIP: You can use a toothpick to help cover any areas the melted chocolate didn’t cover.

*For the Cupcake Bites – just turn right side up and rest on the wax paper. Then go ahead and put a m&m on the top and add sprinkles while wet.

*For the lollipops, Continue holding and place an m&m on the top and add sprinkles. Let them dry in a styrofoam block that you have already poked holes into.

*When completely dry, cover the lollipops with small plastic treat bags and tie with a ribbon. 

Makes about 50.
You can store these in an airtight container and they will last for several days. You can also store in the refrigerator if you would like them cold.

recipe courtesy of www.bakerella.com