Holiday Desserts: Push Pops

Kim from KC Bakes, our favorite cake pop princess,  is back to show you creative Push Pop ideas for Christmas and Hanukkah that you can adapt for any time of the year or for any holiday desserts. The winter holidays are a time of family, friends and food. Food is everywhere, especially holiday desserts… there are plates and pans of cakes, cookies & pie (oh my!).

If you are in charge of sweets for your holiday get-together, make sure you stand out from the crowd and bring something truly unique. Push Pops are sweeping the dessert world by storm... here's why.

Push Pops go by a few different names… push pops, push up pops, push up cakes, push cakes, etc. They are basically a plastic cylinder that has a stick that will literally push the container’s contents up to the surface.

One of the most popular combinations for Push Pops is cake, frosting and sprinkles. Who needs plates and utensils? Cake Push Pops are mess-free and easy to serve.

Since the cylinder container is see-through, it’s a great way to use color-themed food to match the occasion you’re baking for.

For these Christmas-colored cakes, all you need is a box of cake mix, the ingredients it calls for and food coloring! White cake mix is preferable, as some vanilla cake mixes can have an off-white or yellow-ish hue.

When the green cake comes out of the oven, it doesn’t look super pretty… see the top and sides? Fear not! This is just the “crust” or the sides of the cake that were exposed to the direct heat. Make an even slice across the cake and it will reveal a beautiful shade of green.

To get the perfect circle shape, use the actual Push Pop container itself to cut out discs of cake.

To add some extra flavor and texture, try adding crushed candy cane pieces in between the layers!

The holiday season can get expensive, and food shopping is no exception. Bags of candy cane pieces can range from $2.99 to $5.99 depending on the brand; don’t even bother with those. A box of regular candy canes is $0.99 at AC Moore, just smash them up yourself. And let’s be honest, it’s more fun to whack them with a hammer! Just make sure you have the candy canes in a thick plastic bag – the broken pieces can pierce the bag as you smash them, and then you wind up with a mess all over your counter.

Feeling festive? Party City had these cute little Santa hats for $1 – they have little clips inside of them, so after your guests eat the pop, they can wear the hat!

The great thing about Push Pops is that you can decorate the outside of the container however you like since it does not come into contact with the food product inside. Meet… Rudolph the Red-Nosed Push Pop!

It’s much easier to fill the container first, and then decorate, so let’s do that first.

Now with all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you may not have time to do a lot of baking. No problem! There are so many prepared desserts that you can convert into Push Pop fillers, and your party guests will never know.

This pre-sliced cake is perfect, it’s already cut into even strips for you!

Using your Push Pop container, cut out discs of the cake and layer it in. I used Betty Crocker Cookie Icing in between the cake layers; it’s a great product because it comes ready-to-go in a piping bag.

For Rudolph’s features, you’ll need googly eyes, red pom poms and brown pipe cleaners, or “chenille stems”. To make the antlers, you’ll need two shorter pieces, and one longer piece. Twist the shorter pieces at their middle around the longer piece and voilá – antlers!

The eyes and nose were easy to glue on, but the antlers didn’t seem to want to stay in place. Cut some thin strips of clear tape to secure them in place; if you press the tape on well enough, it’s barely noticeable.

For the more health conscious guests at the party, there are a lot of Christmas-colored fruits and veggies that you can layer in your Push Pops. Slice up some red and green bell peppers for the perfect hand-held appetizer, complete with ranch dressing inside of the container!

Now, since Hanukkah is already underway, I’ve got some more quick, no-bake ideas to fill your Push Pops. First up, brownie bites!

To jazz up the containers, I found these sparkly stickers at Party City as well.

Using teal and blue Wilton icing colors, tint your frosting as bold as you like. Remember to start off with just a little bit of dye, and add more as you go – you can always add more color, but you can’t remove color if you “over-dye”.

This pretty shape of icing (below) was made using a flower tip (metal icing tip, shown above).

Ta da – the finished product, ready for a Hanukkah gathering!

A word of caution regarding lids – use two hands! If you place the lid on the Push Pop, and push down on it without holding the sides of the container, this may happen…

Whoops! No one is immune to baking bloopers!  :oops:

While I was at Party City, I spotted chocolate gelt and the bigger coins fit perfectly inside of the Push Pop containers! I had recently bought some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds at a farmer’s market, so I picked out the blue and yellow seeds and added those to the container as well. But it still needed something to finish it off… a dreidel!

Since the dreidel is touching the sunflower seeds, be sure to wash it off before adding it to the mix. Just like the excitement of finding a prize at the bottom of a cereal box, the dreidel adds such a fun touch of whimsy to these Push Pops.

Holiday Push Pop Essentials

• Push Pop Containers (I bought mine from Global Sugar Art; great prices and fast shipping!)

• KC Bakes Push Pop Stands

Other Push Pop Filler Ideas

• PEEPS® Characters

• Donut Holes

• Cookies

• Mini Cupcakes

• Rice Krispy Treats

Push Pop Container Décor Ideas

• Hand-decorate or personalize the containers with Sharpie Markers

• Ribbon

• Washi Tape

• Sequins

• Rhinestones or craft ‘jewels’

Enjoy and let us know in the comments below which push pop is your favorite! 

Hanukah Latkes

Our teen chef, Kayla, from The Nerdy Chef, is back with an easy Hannukah Latke recipe for teens and anyone who wants a quick and easy recipe!

Honestly, I've already eaten my fair share of latkes. The little nuggets of potatoes are both creamy and crispy, and Hannukah is the best excuse to eat them. I've been inhaling them for a few weeks already, but it is finally socially acceptable to eat plates and plates of them. This recipe is unbelievably easy to make, so you will never use a box mix again! You simply peel and shred some potatoes, drain off the liquid, mix them with onions, eggs, and some matzo meal to bind the mixture, and fry to your heart's content. It is Hannukah, after all, so don't even bother trying to bake these. You have to fry latkes; one of the main rules of eating during Hannukah is to fry as much as possible to remember the oil that lasted for 8 days. This is one of my favorite holiday recipes, and I know that it will soon become one of yours, too.

2 lbs Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled

1 Medium Yellow Onion, Quartered

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Matzo Meal

1 1/2 tsp Salt

Oil, for Frying

1. Grate the potatoes. Place in a clean towel over a medium bowl and squeeze to drain the water.

2. Using a food processor, pulse half the potatoes and onions until mostly smooth. Place in a large bowl and add the remaining potatoes. Combine the egg, matzo meal, and salt. Add to the potatoes and mix until cohesive.

3. Heat some oil in a large skillet. Press the potato mixture into small patties and fry until golden and cooked through.

4. Place on a paper towel lined plate until all of the batter is cooked, then place on a platter and serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

For more delicious recipes by our Teen Chef, Kayla, check out her blog, The Nerdy Chef!

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes: Side Dishes

Our teen chef, Kayla, from The Nerdy Chef, is back with easy Thanksgiving recipes for teens to whip up, adults to create for Thanksgiving feasts, or kids to cook with moms or dads. These simple Thanksgiving side dishes are that quick and simple to prepare and jam-packed full of flavor, plus they are definite eye-candy for a turkey-extravanganza. And if you are still craving pumpkin, we definitely recommend our teen favorite Pumpkin Whoopie Pie cookies as a fave fall dessert. Garlic & Mustard Green Beans

Green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving staple, but I have a refreshing change. These green beans are packed with flavor and are so easy to make. They are much faster than other recipes, too, so you can spend more time making other delicious foods. I love the combination of sweet roasted garlic and sharp mustard, a perfect foil for tender green beans. This recipe is sure to brighten your Thanksgiving feast, but it is also easy enough to make any time of the year.

1 lb Green Beans, Washed & Trimmed 6 Cloves Garlic, Sliced 2 T Olive Oil 1 1/2 T Mustard

Heat oven to 450F and line a cookie tray with foil.

Toss the beans with the garlic, olive oil, and 1/4 cup water. Spread on the prepared tray and roast for 15 minutes.

Toss the beans with the mustard immediately and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4, Recipe Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Glazed Carrots

My family loads our Thanksgiving table with rich, luscious foods, but I always search for something to cut the wave of heaviness. These sweet and somewhat spicy glazed carrots are a fantastic way to break up my meal, and I'm sure you'll love them, too. The recipe is incredibly simple, and you can cook the carrots ahead of time and just glaze them before serving to make your day a little easier. The flavors are mellow and blend well together, but they are still unique. It is also a wonderful canvas for other flavors; feel free to throw in some orange zest or your favorite spices when you make the glaze. You can also change the amounts of chili powder or add some cayenne or hot sauce to alter the degree of spiciness. This is an excellent chance to experiment with flavors, and it will be delicious no matter what!

1 lb Carrots, Washed, Peeled & Cut into Coins 2 T Butter 2 T Honey 1 T Lemon Juice Pinch Chili Powder Pinch Cinnamon

Bring some water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the carrots and boil for 8 minutes or until almost tender. Drain.

Melt the butter in the pot. Whisk in the honey, lemon juice, chili powder, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper, then fold in the carrots. Cook until syrupy and tender, about 8 minutes.

Serves 4, Recipe Adapted from Sunny Anderson

Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Admit it; you love those sweet potato dishes that are so full of marshmallows you can barely taste the potatoes. They are tasty, but sometimes you want some sweet potatoes that taste sweet but also taste like sweet potatoes. This is that dish.

The sweet potatoes alone have a wonderful contrast of textures. I cut them into two-bite pieces that get crispy on the outside but soft and creamy on the inside. Those are then tossed with crunchy bits of pecans and a sticky, buttery maple syrup glaze. It tastes like fall but is also reminiscent of those marshmallowy casseroles that everyone is addicted to.

1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans 1 1/2 lbs Sweet Potatoes 2 T Oil 2 T Butter 1 1/2 T Maple Syrup Pinch Chili Powder

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes.

Heat oven to 350F.

Spread the nuts on a cookie tray and toast until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Heat oven to 400F.

Toss the potatoes in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie tray and roast until tender and golden, about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Melt the butter in a small pot. whisk in the maple syrup and chili powder and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the pecans and drizzle over the potatoes.

Serves 4, Recipe Adapted from Aida Mollencamp

Roasted Mushrooms

In Thanksgiving dinners, mushrooms tend to assist other dishes instead of being the star; this recipe will change all of that. You will want to have these instead of your turkey, your stuffing, even your pie. They are just that good. There is a bit of an Italian flair with the balsamic and the garlic; however, the flavors are still relatively mild, allowing the dish to fit with the rest of your meal and letting the true earthiness of the mushrooms stand out. You can use any type of mushrooms you want, even mixing a few varieties together, but I like to use plain old white or cremini mushrooms. They cook just right: tender throughout and not burnt on the outside. I know you'll love this recipe because it is so easy and so delicious.

1 lb Mushrooms, Cleaned & Trimmed 5 Cloves Garlic, Minced 1/4 Cup Olive Oil 2 T Balsamic Vinegar 2 T Butter, Cubed

Combine the garlic, oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the mushrooms in the marinade and let sit for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Heat oven to 425F and line a cookie tray with foil.

Spread the mushroom son the prepared tray and sprinkle with the butter. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender and browned.

Serves 4, Recipe Adapted from Cheryl Bevergae Barnes

For more delicious recipes by our Teen Chef, Kayla, check out her blog, The Nerdy Chef!

Pumpkin Recipes: "whoopie pie" pumpkin cookies

Happy Halloween! We had to bring you one more pumpkin recipe... because there are going to be a whole lot of pumpkins around for a few more weeks and you just might get tired of all that candy. Just in case.... Recipe from Kayla, PopCosmo’s Teen Chef:  If you've ever had a pumpkin whoopie pie, prepare to celebrate because these are just like the cookies in a whoopie pie. They are soft and moist, more like heavenly bite-sized droplets of cake than cookies. I make them exceptionally small to get the texture just right, but be careful or you'll end up inhaling half a dozen of them. Don't feel bad, though; they really aren't that bad for you. At least when you compare them to all the other (inferior) cookies you've had in the past. Because of the incredible amount of pumpkin, these cookies are chock-full of those things called vitamins. Oh yes, I said it. The mortal enemy of dessert, something actually healthy, is in something this delicious. How could that be? Well, you'll just have to make this recipe and find out.

2 T Sugar 1 1/3 Cups Brown Sugar 1 Stick Butter, Softened 1 Egg 2 tsp Vanilla 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree 2 Cups Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/8 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ginger 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1/8 tsp Allspice 1/8 tsp Cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie trays with parchment.

Combine the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.

Cream the sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture.

Using a small cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.

Makes 30, Recipe Adapted from Marcy Goldman

For more delicious recipes by our Teen Chef, Kayla, check out her blog, The Nerdy Chef! 

Halloween Recipes: Chocolate Spider Webs & cute ideas

October is a busy month… there’s homework, homecoming, school projects and extracurricular activities, so free time to do baking projects may be limited. Our friend KC Bakes, who showed us how to make cake pops and marshmallow pops, is back with some quick and creative ways to get into the Halloween spirit with her amazing halloween recipes!

Chocolate spider webs are a fun and easy way to give any dessert the perfect touch Halloween flair.

You can free-hand them, or draw spider webs on a piece of paper as a guide, placed under waxed paper.

Fill a sandwich-size Ziploc bag with your melted chocolate to create a piping bag. For thin lines, snip a small tip off of the corner of the bag; if you want thicker web lines, snip a larger tip. Then simply trace over your lines with chocolate onto waxed paper.

I will be perfectly honest with you guys… it took me a few attempts to get the hang of things. Depending on the consistency of your chocolate, it can come out fast and runny. Practice piping some lines on a spare piece of waxed paper. The trick to an ideal looking spider web is getting the web to droop, to give it that slight “U” shape between the web lines. Great web line (see orange arrow); not so great line (see black arrow). I found that if I let the chocolate cool slightly, it was easier to pipe in a controlled manner.

Put the webs into the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes, just long enough for the chocolate to harden. You can allow them to dry on the counter at room temperature, but the fridge speeds up the setting process.

Pearl dust is a great way to add some pizzazz to chocolate items; you can find it at almost any craft store, and it comes in a variety of colors. However, I found that bronze luster dust in particular gives a great metallic look to brown chocolate.

Using a dry, clean paint brush, dip the tip of your brush into the pearl dust, and tap off the extra. You do not need to mix the dust with any liquids whatsoever.

Brush the pearl dust directly onto the spider webs. For just a shimmer, use a faint amount of pearl dust; for a bold, metallic look, brush on a heavier amount.

After you are satisfied with your webs, remove them from the waxed paper… they peel right off, so be gentle. Also, be careful not to hold your webs for too long in your hands – because they are thin, the warmth of your hands can cause them to begin to melt.

Now that your chocolate spider webs are complete, you can stick them on anything! You can dress-up cupcakes, cookies, brownies… even ice cream!

To adhere them to cake pops, simply pipe a small dot of melted chocolate onto the back of the web.

Then adhere the web onto a finished cake pop… ta da!

These spider web cake pops are extra spooktacular thanks to the accessories I got from Waiting on Martha.

Paper straws can be used for a variety of party treats… use them to make pops out of marshmallows, brownie bites, rice crispy treats and more.

Unfortunately paper straws are too big to fit into KC Bakes cake pop stands… but I have a quick fix! Fill your stand with cake pop sticks; the straws slide right over the sticks, which actually give them great support.

Now, see those jazzy stripes on my KC bakes cake pop stand? They’re Washi tape!

Washi tape comes in a variety of colors and patterns, and can be used for a zillion things… just type “washi tape crafts” into Google, people are using it for everything from decorating pumpkins to scrapbooking, and so much more.

What I like about it most, is that its thin, but durable. And the best part, it comes off easily, leaving no residue behind.

Chocolate Spider Webs & Halloween Décor Supplies

• Milk Chocolate melting candy

• Sandwich-size Ziploc bags

• Waxed paper

• Cake pop stands from KC Bakes

• Paper Straws from Waiting on Martha

• Washi Tape from Waiting on Martha

For more amazing cake pop tutorials and tips, check out KC Bakes tutorials here!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Recipe

Recipe from Kayla, PopCosmo’s Teen Chef: Everyone loves a good cinnamon bun. The combination of warm, soft bread and sweet, sticky cinnamon filling is perfect on a cool Fall day, and it is made even better by mixing in some pumpkin. First, however, we need to distinguish between sticky buns and cinnamon buns. Sticky buns are cinnamon buns baked in a pool of caramel and then drizzled with even more of it after they are baked. Cinnamon buns are served plain or with that delicious sugary icing. My pumpkin cinnamon bun recipe has elements of both; I don't bake them in caramel, but I do douse them with a few spoonfuls of mock caramel sauce.

The caramel sauce for these treats is not real caramel. Real caramel is tricky and dangerous; to make it, you boil sugar and water until amber and then whisk in cream and sometimes some other minor ingredients. It burns easily and you can get burned easily as well. Overall, it's not much fun to make but is definitely worth it, so I decided to make a topping that tastes just like it but is much faster and less painful. Instead of boiling the sugar and then adding cream, I combine brown sugar, cream, and butter and boil them all together. The brown sugar gives it color and a complex flavor from the molasses and the butter adds a nice richness. The cream, of course, makes it creamy and velvety. Best of all, you don't have to watch it constantly and add ingredients at just the right moment since you just let the mixture boil until it thickens.

My favorite part of cinnamon buns and sticky buns is the bread. Yes, it is bread; it has yeast and lots of flour and is kneaded. That, to me at least, is bread. Don't be intimidated, though, because this bread is exceptionally easy to make. It only proofs (rises) twice, and both times are relatively short. This is proof (no pun intended!) that not all breads require hours slaving away in the kitchen.

And finally, we have that signature swirl. Yes, the streusel. The main reason most people eat cinnamon buns and sticky buns. That spiral of yumminess and cinnamon and sugar and all that is good in this world. So simple, yet so good. The streusel perfumes the whole bun with cinnamon and gives it an extra punch of flavor. Honestly, I can't see pumpkin without cinnamon. The two just go together so well, so I actually doubled the amount of streusel the original recipe called for (don't judge me for that until you try it).

2 1/4 tsp Yeast 4-5 Cups Flour 3/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree 1/3 Cup Milk 4 T Butter, Melted 6 T Butter, Chilled 2 T Butter 1 1/4 Cups Dark Brown Sugar 1 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 5 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 Cup Cream

Combine the yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand for five minutes. Add 3 cups flour, pumpkin, milk, melted butter, 2 tsp sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary, leaving 1/2 cup.

Grease a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and chilled butter.

Roll the dough out to an 11x15" slab. Spread on the streusel and press lightly to adhere. Roll up so that it is a 15" log and cut into 12 slices.

Place the slices in greased muffin tins, cover, and let rise for 25 minutes. It can be chilled overnight at this point.

Heat the oven to 375F. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Bring the remaining brown sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a small pot, whisking until sugar dissolves. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Cool and drizzle on the buns.

Makes 12, Recipe Adapted from Back to the Cutting Board

For more delicious recipes by our Teen Chef, Kayla, check out her blog, The Nerdy Chef!