Peppermint Candy DIY tray

 

 

Watching TV is something I never really have time for, but when I do have some time, I'll try to catch up on my favorite daytime cooking/talk shows.

Last year I saw an episode of The Chew on abc and they were showing how to do a DIY edible tray made from peppermint candies and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. And I said to myself that I was going to make one this year.

And that's what I did because that's what I do!

I love leaving cookies for Santa, even though my kids are teens and know the truth. I still believe in the spirit of Santa, and I still ask him for what I want for the new year, which every year is health, happiness and prosperity for my family and friends. 

This peppermint candy tray is simple and will bring a touch of whimsy to your holiday party. It's a great tray for displaying sweet snacks, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and more!

All you need is a baking sheet, parchment paper and some peppermint candies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place the parchment on your baking sheet and begin arranging the peppermint candies next to each other. It is ok to have them touching but do not let them overlap.

Place baking sheet in oven and let bake for 8-10 minutes. I let mine cool for 2 minutes then I trimmed it with a pizza cutter because it baked in a strange shape.

 Some people may have better luck and have it baked to perfection, but of course not me, so I trimmed it and it came out great!

Let cool compleatly before handling.

So easy and so cool! And the best part is that after all the guests have gone, you can eat it!

I will be using mine as a plate for cookies and milk for ol Saint Nick!

If you do make one, come back and let me know how it turned out!

Happy Holidays!

Our visit to Candy Warehouse

If you are planning a party and are looking to make that day special with a candy buffet which are all the rage right now.

You may be asking yourself where to find all that bulk candy and special treats! Well I stumbled upon a place called Candy Warehouse. It is located in the city of El Segundo, California  which is about 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles.

They work mainly through there website where you can order things for a fabulous candy buffet. Like these Tiny Twist Pops that are 6 inches long, taste like strawberry and come in a box of 48 for $12.00!

Or these pink Diamond Candy Gems that would look awesome as a filler to hold the twist pops in a glass container. They come in a quantity of 40 for $8.00

And if you want to have an awesome holiday party, they have these Squiggly Pops Petite Red & White Swirled Lollipops that come 48 to a box for only $12.00

And 5 Lbs of these Gummy Christmas Trees & Snowmen Candy for $19.50

Oh my the possibilities are endless! The marshmallows are amazing!

If you live close by, you can even order ahead by calling in and pick up at the warehouse.

We stopped in to check things out and they have candy right there for purchase. 

It is not only the home of the largest gummy worm,

 but they also have Fill-a-bag for $3.00

So if you are in the neighborhood, stop by or check it out online, your next big candy buffet will be a hit!

Hours: M-F 7AM-6PM PST

Tel: 310-343-4099

Fax: 310-615-9915

CandyWarehouse.com

Online Candy Store

215 S. Douglas Street

El Segundo, CA 90245

United States of America

Planet Earth

Working With The Wilton Chocolate Pro Electric Melting Pot.

I bought this melting pot so that it can help me with my cake pops; I usually melt candy melts in the microwave, but I kinda got tired of always reheating when the candy melts would start to cool, so I bought my Wilton Chocolate Pro Electric Melting Pot from michaels craft store with a 40% off coupon and I was thrilled with my purchase. It only holds about 2 cups of anything, and it looks a little small. It melted the candy melts in about 15 minutes with me stirring every 3-4 minutes or so. If you are melting candy melts, you will need to stir them as they melt. When they were nice and melted I started to prepare the cake pops for dipping. To make cake pops can be done with different recipes, and I have tried many different ones. Basically you bake a cake, let it cool, crumble in a large bowl until fine as you can get it. Then you add a bit of frosting (not to much) and mix together until you get a thick cookie dough consistency. Then what I do is get a tablespoon scoop full and roll it in your hands until you have a uniform ball. place them one by one on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let them sit for about ten minutes. again this is just my way, others have different methods that work for them. some people place them in the refrigerator for ten minutes, some place them in the freezer; so it all depends on what method works for you. I am still trying to experiment with these different methods.  After ten minutes, get a lollipop stick and you dip just the tip of the lollipop stick in the melted candy melts, and then stick it halfway in the cake pops, and they will look like this:

While the are like this, you need to let them sit for about 10 more minutes, either in the fridge or out, so that the candy melts can adhere to the cakepops.

Stir in the Wilton Chocolate melting pot very well before beginning to dip.

When you are ready to dip, simply take cakepop and insert slowly into candy melts. Make sure that your cakepop is completely submerged for a few seconds and then slowly lift it straight out land let the excess drip off.

If you need to, you can tap your wrist that is holding the cakepop to remove more excess. Then place cakepop on a parchment paper lined tray to harden. 

 I  was able to dip about 10-12 cake pops until I needed to add more candy melts to the Wilton Chocolate Pro Electric Melting Pot. So all in all I found it a wonderful little melting pot that I am sure can be used for so much more than just candy melts, like: chocolate or cheese for fondue, to make soap maybe or to melt wax or warm a liquid. It is very easy to clean and it is very light. So if you are interested in cake poppin, consider one. Here are some of the cak pops that I have made using the Wilton Chocolate Pro Electric Melting Pot:

If you are able to use one, let me know what you think!