Snowman Cookie Pops

Inspired by the Reindeer Pop Treats I found on Pinterest a couple weeks ago, I dreamed up my own chocolate-dipped cookie project, which we tried out for the first time today.

I'm really pleased by how they turned out, although thanks to a rainy day, my pictures are not the best.  But these are so cute that I had to share!  They're great for giving as small gifts (we'll be giving several of these to friends at church) -- they fit perfectly in those little see-through snack bags you can find everywhere this time of year.

Here's what you'll need to make six of them:

Oreos
Round Nutter Butter cookies (optional) (come in package shown -- NOT regular Nutter Butters)
Creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 oz white baking chocolate -- chopped
6 popsicle sticks
Decorations (I used "writing icing," but you can use sprinkles or whatever)
Waxed paper
A microwaveable measuring cup or bowl
A spoon
A butter knife

And here's how you make them:

Open six Oreos and six Nutter Butter cookies, and scrape the filling out of them (it's not sticky enough).  Spread creamy peanut butter on both halves.

Put one half of each kind of cookie next to each other, and put a popsicle stick on them as shown, so you have a decent handle sticking out, but it also sticks at least halfway into the cookie on the end (your snowman's head).

Put the tops back on the cookies, over the stick, and press them firmly together.  I recommend getting all six cookie pops ready like this before moving on to the next step.

In a glass measuring cup or other microwaveable container, melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and the chopped baking chocolate for 1 minute in the microwave.  Take out (careful, could be hot!) and stir, then microwave for another minute.  Stir again, and microwave another 30 seconds if it's not smooth yet.  Once it's smooth, dip your cookie pops in it and set on waxed paper to cool.  Keep that stirring spoon handy in case any of your cookie halves fall off in the chocolate and need to be rescued.  The dipping is a little tricky, so best suited to adults and older kids.

One the chocolate has hardened, decorate!  Or, if you want to use sprinkles and things, add them before the chocolate is totally hard so they'll stick.  I used decorator icing tubes to make faces and scarves.  Here's what Daniel and Mercedes made:

Daniel's Snowman Cookie Pops

Mercedes' Snowman Cookie Pops

The reason I used round Nutter Butters AND Oreos is because I was under the false impression that the Nutter Butters were smaller than Oreos, so I thought they'd look more like heads.  And I didn't realize that their own filling would be too unsticky (we had several fall off the sticks into the chocolate -- casualties of experimentation, so sad), which is why we used the Oreos with peanut butter filling.  Next time, I think we'll use store-brand "creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies" to make these, and not bother with the Nutter Butters since they're the same size anyway.

But whatever we use, I know one thing:  these cute little cookie pops will make us smile!

Mackinac Island Fudge

I used this recipe for the first time this week and took some to the Advent supper at church, where it made me several new friends.  I got it from the latest (Dec/Jan) issue of Taste of Home, and in a couple of months it will likely be available on their website, but for now it's members-only there.  But I'm going to share it here because so many people have asked for it, and so I'll just change the wording to make it my own and not infringe on their copyrights :-)

When I was a kid, we lived in Michigan, and one of our favorite places to go as a family was Mackinac Island.  We only went there a handful of times, as it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up north, hours and hours from where we lived, but we loved it a great deal.  Mackinac Island doesn't allow motorized vehicles, and it has a bunch of nifty historical stuff to do -- check out the link above or Google for more info.  One of my mom's favorite movies, Somewhere in Time (1980) was filmed at the Grand Hotel there.  But anyway, one of the best things about Mackinac Island is the wonderful, creamy, ultra-chocolatey fudge they make there.  You can buy that fudge  in a few Kilwin's stores around the country, or online... or you can make some yourself!  This isn't precisely the same, but it's the best approximation I've ever made, for sure.

Mackinac Island Fudge

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tsp butter -- divided

4 cups sugar

1 cup 2% milk

25 large marshmallows

1 pkg (11 oz) milk chocolate chips

1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

2 oz unsweetened chocolate -- chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil; use the 2 tsp of butter to grease the foil -- you may want someone to hold the foil in place around the edges while you do this.

Put marshmallows in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, milk, and 1 cup of butter in a large saucepan.  Bring to a rapid boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil gently for 2 minutes without stirring.  Remove from heat.  Pour over marshmallows, and stir until they are melted.  Then stir in all the chocolate until it's melted too.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Immediately pour into the foil-lined pan and spread to the edges.  Let cool for 1 hour on the counter.

Score the fudge into 1-inch squares.  Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.  Use the foil to lift the fudge out of the pan and place on a cutting board.  Cut fudge along scored lines.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

Note:  This makes a LOT of fudge!  About 100 pieces, to be honest.  So it's great for sharing, taking to a potluck, etc.  Also, my batch was much better after it sat in the fridge overnight, so if it seems a little too sweet when you're cutting it (cuz you know you're gonna taste it), don't despair!