Graduation Cap Candy Pops {New & Improved}

It's graduation season, so when I first tried making my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups as Graduation Caps, I thought they were pretty tasty. Eating them, however, without making a total mess... not so easy.

Then, it occurred to me... Put them on a stick! And use different flavors of filling. So, when I paid a visit to my old friends at the local TV station, that's exactly what I did.

But I didn't feel like I got a chance to fully explain it all, so this post is a better explanation (hopefully).

What You Need:
12 oz. bag of Chocolate Candy Melts or Chocolate Chips*
Lollipop Sticks
Mini-muffin pan
Mini-cupcake liners
Food-safe paintbrush
Colored Tootsie Rolls (Buy in bulk if you want a specific color. I wanted yellow and the bag had one yellow one. Just one. But you could also use Starburst candy or licorice ropes.)
M&Ms
Filling:
- Marshmallow Cream & Crushed Graham Crackers
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Filling
- Cooled Chocolate Ganache
- whatever else you can dream up! Icing? Fruit? etc...

*Note: I use a combination of Wilton's Light Cocoa and Dark Cocoa Candy Melts. If you use chocolate chips, you will need to either temper the chocolate, or try to keep the treats refrigerated. You can also use any other color of Candy Melts to match with your school's colors. 

Begin by melting the chocolate. I use the microwave on 30% power for about 2-3 minutes, then stir... then again in 30-second intervals at 30% power until the chocolate is smooth.

Brush the chocolate, using a food-safe paintbrush, up the sides of a cupcake liner. Fill the pan, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes to firm up completely.

Prepare your filling.
I used my Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Filling and Chocolate Ganache Filling (which I made as described in the icing recipe, but then placed in the refrigerator for an hour or so to get it nice and set).
I also crushed up a graham cracker to add with some marshmallow cream - these ended up a little too messy. If I did it again, I may mix the graham cracker crumbs with a little melted butter to make it more of a crust in there that would stick together better. (Let me know if you try it that way and like it!)

When the chocolate cups are set, fill each cup with about 1-2 tsp. of filling. My trusty scoop that I use for everything (cake pops, especially) was the perfect size.

You then will want to press the filling down to flatten it. Be careful here that you don't press too hard when flattening or you can crack the chocolate cup.

Cover the top of the filling with melted chocolate, and again use the paintbrush to help spread it to look nice and smooth.

Insert your lollipop stick immediately into the candy. Because your fillings are likely cool from the refrigerator, you need to be sure to put that stick in immediately or the chocolate will set, and you can't get a stick in there.

Once you get all of them covered and stick-ed (stuck??)... put them in the refrigerator again for about 10-15 minutes to be sure the sticks stay in well.

To make the 'mortarboard' or top part of the hat, spread the candy on waxed or parchment paper, and cut into about 2" squares.

To assemble the caps, peel the paper off of the candy cup. Brush a little melted chocolate on top to act as glue. Place a chocolate square on top. Add a tassel (made by rolling a Tootsie Roll into a thin rope and smashing one end flat). And top it off with an M&M.

Congratulations, Graduates!!

Click the Links Below to See:
Original Graduation Cap Candy Recipe & Tutorial
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
My Visit to Fox 9 to Make Graduation Treats

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Graduation Cap Candy Pops {New & Improved}

It's graduation season, so when I first tried making my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups as Graduation Caps, I thought they were pretty tasty. Eating them, however, without making a total mess... not so easy.

Then, it occurred to me... Put them on a stick! And use different flavors of filling. So, when I paid a visit to my old friends at the local TV station, that's exactly what I did.

But I didn't feel like I got a chance to fully explain it all, so this post is a better explanation (hopefully).

What You Need:
12 oz. bag of Chocolate Candy Melts or Chocolate Chips*
Lollipop Sticks
Mini-muffin pan
Mini-cupcake liners
Food-safe paintbrush
Colored Tootsie Rolls (Buy in bulk if you want a specific color. I wanted yellow and the bag had one yellow one. Just one. But you could also use Starburst candy or licorice ropes.)
M&Ms
Filling:
- Marshmallow Cream & Crushed Graham Crackers
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Filling
- Cooled Chocolate Ganache
- whatever else you can dream up! Icing? Fruit? etc...

*Note: I use a combination of Wilton's Light Cocoa and Dark Cocoa Candy Melts. If you use chocolate chips, you will need to either temper the chocolate, or try to keep the treats refrigerated. You can also use any other color of Candy Melts to match with your school's colors. 

Begin by melting the chocolate. I use the microwave on 30% power for about 2-3 minutes, then stir... then again in 30-second intervals at 30% power until the chocolate is smooth.

Brush the chocolate, using a food-safe paintbrush, up the sides of a cupcake liner. Fill the pan, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes to firm up completely.

Prepare your filling.
I used my Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Filling and Chocolate Ganache Filling (which I made as described in the icing recipe, but then placed in the refrigerator for an hour or so to get it nice and set).
I also crushed up a graham cracker to add with some marshmallow cream - these ended up a little too messy. If I did it again, I may mix the graham cracker crumbs with a little melted butter to make it more of a crust in there that would stick together better. (Let me know if you try it that way and like it!)

When the chocolate cups are set, fill each cup with about 1-2 tsp. of filling. My trusty scoop that I use for everything (cake pops, especially) was the perfect size.

You then will want to press the filling down to flatten it. Be careful here that you don't press too hard when flattening or you can crack the chocolate cup.

Cover the top of the filling with melted chocolate, and again use the paintbrush to help spread it to look nice and smooth.

Insert your lollipop stick immediately into the candy. Because your fillings are likely cool from the refrigerator, you need to be sure to put that stick in immediately or the chocolate will set, and you can't get a stick in there.

Once you get all of them covered and stick-ed (stuck??)... put them in the refrigerator again for about 10-15 minutes to be sure the sticks stay in well.

To make the 'mortarboard' or top part of the hat, spread the candy on waxed or parchment paper, and cut into about 2" squares.

To assemble the caps, peel the paper off of the candy cup. Brush a little melted chocolate on top to act as glue. Place a chocolate square on top. Add a tassel (made by rolling a Tootsie Roll into a thin rope and smashing one end flat). And top it off with an M&M.

Congratulations, Graduates!!

Click the Links Below to See:
Original Graduation Cap Candy Recipe & Tutorial
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
My Visit to Fox 9 to Make Graduation Treats

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Homemade Chocolate Graduation Caps

These easy candies make a cute little treat for any graduate - Preschool graduates included.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and some chocolate squares.

What You Need:
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups (or Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups)
Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Candy Melts to make the squares (or Ghiradhelli chocolate squares)
Starburst candy or Flavored Tootsie Rolls
Mini M&Ms
Food-Safe Paintbrush

Peanut Butter Cup Tutorial.

Then you can make the chocolate squares. Spread the chocolate to about 1/4-1/8" thick on a piece of parchment paper on a flat cookie sheet.

Use a knife, a bench scraper or even a pizza cutter to "score" the chocolate into squares. (I recommend measuring it with a ruler, which I didn't do, and my squares were decidedly rectangles instead.)

Place the chocolate into the refrigerator to set.

To make the tassels roll the Tootsie Rolls or Starburst into long, thin ropes. Cut them into about 2" lengths. Using a sharp knife cut the "tassel" into the bottom. (I recommend having a damp paper towel nearby to wipe the knife often because it gets sticky!)

Use some extra melted chocolate, and a food-safe paintbrush to "glue" the pieces together. Place a mini M&M on the very top (again using melted chocolate as glue).

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Homemade Chocolate Graduation Caps

These easy candies make a cute little treat for any graduate - Preschool graduates included.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and some chocolate squares.

What You Need:
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups (or Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups)
Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Candy Melts to make the squares (or Ghiradhelli chocolate squares)
Starburst candy or Flavored Tootsie Rolls
Mini M&Ms
Food-Safe Paintbrush

Peanut Butter Cup Tutorial.

Then you can make the chocolate squares. Spread the chocolate to about 1/4-1/8" thick on a piece of parchment paper on a flat cookie sheet.

Use a knife, a bench scraper or even a pizza cutter to "score" the chocolate into squares. (I recommend measuring it with a ruler, which I didn't do, and my squares were decidedly rectangles instead.)

Place the chocolate into the refrigerator to set.

To make the tassels roll the Tootsie Rolls or Starburst into long, thin ropes. Cut them into about 2" lengths. Using a sharp knife cut the "tassel" into the bottom. (I recommend having a damp paper towel nearby to wipe the knife often because it gets sticky!)

Use some extra melted chocolate, and a food-safe paintbrush to "glue" the pieces together. Place a mini M&M on the very top (again using melted chocolate as glue).

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Graduation Hat Cookies

Congratulations, Graduate! These Chocolate Graduation Hat Cookies are the perfect gift for a special grad or a great centerpiece for a graduation party.

What You Need:
Chocolate Roll-Out Cookie Dough (one batch makes about 12-15 hats)
Royal Icing*
Fruit-Flavored Tootsie Rolls or Starburst
Round Cutter (or glass)
Ruler
Small round cutter (I used icing tip #12)

*I added 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder to a full recipe of Royal Icing for these. You only need a tiny bit of icing, though. You would be fine to do a half recipe, or you may even consider melting some chocolate or Candy Melts to use as your glue instead of the royal icing.

Chocolate Cookie Dough.
For the squares, I used a ruler and cut out 2 1/2" squares.
My rounds are 1 1/2" diameter.
You need two rounds per square.

For the top of the hat, I used the large end of a Tip #12. You can use the end of any tip...

The good thing about the #12 is that you can then use a straw through the other end to press the dough out.

Bake the small pieces separate from the large cookies. The large cookies take about 10-12 minutes at 350, and the small ones take only about 6-8 minutes.

While the cookies bake and cool, make the icing and the tassels.
*See my note above about the icing. I think melted chocolate would be a really easy alternative, and work just as well as your 'glue.'  The only reason I would avoid melted chocolate is if you know the cookies will sit out in the warm sun or a hot summer day, then it could melt and not stick too well.

To make the tassels, soften the Tootsie Rolls until you can mold and roll them like play dough. Cut each Tootsie Roll into thirds, and roll it into a skinny "snake."

Flatten each end. Use a knife or spatula to make the tassel end straight.

Assemble the Cookies:

Pipe or spread a small amount of icing or chocolate on the top of each round cookie.
Top with a square.

If you want the hats to sit at an angle, pipe the icing on only one side of each circle.

Attach the tassel with a small dot of icing underneath. Pipe another dab of icing on top of the tassel, and add the smallest cookie.
(You can use a freezer zip-top bag if you don't have a piping bag.)

  And there you have it... askew.

Or flat.
I made my son's teacher's day with these as a surprise for getting her master's degree.

If you want to try them in another color, just add food coloring to Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough. (To make them black, I would do the chocolate cookies and add black coloring to that, not vanilla.)

Click the Links Below to See:
Graduation Cap Candy Pops
Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Graduation Caps
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe

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