Puppy Love Pops

 

When my copy of Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! arrived I couldn’t wait to play with the fun ideas in this book~ Karen Tack & Alan Richardson’s third book does not disappoint!

 “Two million copies later, the New York Times best-selling authors of Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New, Cupcake? are back, applying their oversized imaginations not just to cupcakes but to cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats.

But they don’t stop at cupcakes. No sweet treat is safe from their ingenuity: refrigerator cookies, pound cakes, pie dough, cheesecakes, bar cookies, and Jell-O are all transformed into amazing and playful desserts. There’s something for everybody in this book, and every single item you need can be found in the neighborhood supermarket or convenience store.”

My book came the day after Valentine’s Day so I dog-eared :) the Puppy Love Pops page right away ~

I’m sharing a sweet idea for a cake pop before February slips away~ using candy conversation hearts I picked up on sale after Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients needed for Puppy Love Pops:

Frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake, thawed

1 can each Vanilla & Chocolate Frosting

 Crushed Graham Cracker & Chocolate Cookie Crumbs

Kraft Soft Caramels & Tootsie Rolls for ears~

Conversation Hearts for tongues

Red Candy (Red Hots or M&M’s) for noses

Mini Chocolate Chips for eyes (not pictured)

Plastic Forks for serving

2 inch Heart-shaped Cookie Cutter

Cut hearts from thawed Sara Lee pound cake~ I couldn’t quite get two out of each 1 inch slice of cake.

Insert tines of a plastic fork (carefully to prevent breaking cake) into the top of cake heart to secure and freeze hearts for 15 minutes~

Mix canned vanilla frosting and ¼ cup chocolate frosting to make a light brown shade~  microwave & stir frequently until the texture is lightly whipped cream ( 20 – 30 seconds) so you can smoothly coat the cake heart and the excess frosting can drip back into bowl. You can microwave  5 – 10 seconds more as needed if frosting becomes too thick for dipping (as it is here when I was busy taking photos).

Sprinkle graham cracker & chocolate cookie crumbs on dipped heart~ adding a red candy nose & attaching the candy heart for the tongue while the frosting is wet.

Microwave Caramels and Tootsie Rolls 3 seconds each, rolling out with a rolling pin between pieces of wax paper into a 2 inch oval. Cut ovals into teardrop shaped ears and attach ears with frosting.

Use dots of vanilla frosting to attach mini chocolate chips for eyes~

 You could always substitute fruit chews that you can microwave and shape to create candy tongues~ Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy, Starburst~ in cherry, strawberry or watermelon flavors.

There are lots of fun techniques & treats in this book~ I’ve just never been able to resist puppies and I was able to share them with two adorable girls who can’t resist them either :)

“To all the folks who never pass a bakeshop, a candy store, or a cookie aisle without feeling the urge to go in, to anyone who sees treasure in putting a smile on someone’s face, and to everyone clever enough to realize that the kitchen is the very best place to play, this book is for you.”

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 Foodie Friday~

Sweets for a Saturday~