Cake Pops!

I'm not a kitchen gadget lover. No quesadilla machines, no magic bullets, no fancy schmancy do dads. But I must admit, I have fallen in love with my BabyCakes Cake Pop maker! Actually, it's Emily's. I've had the "real" cake pops that are cake mixed with frosting then dipped. Too gooey for my taste. These little babies are perfect!They are fun, delish, and easy to make. There are a few little tricks of the trade that I thought I'd share in case you decide to get one.

1. Use a squirt bottle of some sort to fill machine with batter - an old hersheys syrup bottle, or something like that lets you have more control when filling.

2. We cooked them only 4 minutes even though it says to for 5-7 minutes.

3. Certain cake mixes work better than others - or so I've read. We used Betty Crocker Super Moist White and it was perfect.

4. It makes approximately 50-60 cake balls. Freeze them so they are ready for dipping whenever. We take out 10 or so to decorate at a time.

5. A tiny little crockpot makes a great tool for dipping. Pop in your bakers chocolate or almond bark with 2 Tbsp shortening. Stir occasionally and it's ready for dipping in about 20 minutes. You need the shortening for the smooth consistency.

6. First dip your stick into a little bit of the melted chocolate, then into the frozen cake pop (they don't freeze hard through). This helps them stay on on the stick better and helps the chocolate set faster on the outside.

7. The machine comes with a little holder to stick the pops in while they dry. But it only holds about 12 or so. If you're doing these in masses, you'll want to pick up a piece of styrofoam at the craft store to stick the pop sticks into while they dry.

The possibilities are endless with these little guys. My mom hooked us up with these super cute toppings. Guess what I'm giving to the gals I visit teach for February's treat? March and April's too . . .

Maybe we'll just do a cake pop of the month!