RSS Feed

Category Archives: Beverages

Candy Tea Spoons!

Candy Tea Spoons

Delicious little candy spoons make a perfect gift! Stir them into tea or cocoa to add sweet,  fun flavor!

Want a little lemon with your tea? A little peppermint or butterscotch in your cocoa? A fun gift idea? This is your recipe!

Candy spoons for cocoa

Happy Black Friday to you! Just in case you have finished with the lines and crowds and feel the need to hit something hard…

We are here for you!!!….Here you go.

Smash hard candies into bits and pieces that are melted into a cute spoon mold to make these treats! Staple them up in little cello bags with fun gift tags and you’ve let out your frustrations and created fun little gifts. Perfect and perfect. *smile*

Candy Spoon Gifts

Here’s how to do it! (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

  • Unwrapped hard candies in whatever flavors you want. Note: the harder candies like cinnamon disks and butterscotch disks melted into sturdier spoons than lemon drops and peppermint candies (which are more crumbly than hard). I didn’t have ANY break until I had them all bagged up and I was tossing them into a basket for transport. then I had 2 peppermint and 1 lemon snap.
  • A silicone candy spoon mold. I got mine in the Czech Republic, so I can’t link to the exact one, but these are similar.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Place unwrapped candy into a zip-top bag and using a mallet or hammer, smash those candies up! Make sure to do this on a safe surface that can’t be damages by hammer hits!
  • Preheat oven to 300F degrees
  • Place mold on a cookie sheet
  • Spoon candy pieces into mold and heap them up (as they melt, they settle).
  • Place in oven and watch. In my oven, it took about 8 minutes to melt completely. After about 4-5 minutes, pull them out and sprinkle extra candy into any gaps or openings that might be forming as they melt. Place them back in the oven to finish melting.

*Notes* The “softer” candy melted faster than the “harder”. Also, if you leave them in too long, the lighter candies get a little browned.

Candy Spoonstea-spoons10

  • Remove from oven and tap gently to remove bubbles- you will still have little bubbles on the outer surface of these- you can see this in my photos. Cool completely and peel out of silicone mold.

tea-spoons11

  • Place individually in small cello bags and tie them shut or print and fold these pre-designed tags over the open edge and staple them shut. 
  • Stir into hot beverage and ENJOY!!!

Candy Spoon Gifts

My thoughts: These are really fun little gifts. I personally loved the butterscotch in hot chocolate the best! The peppermint tea was pretty yummy too!!!  When I do this again, I will crush the candy up more finely- maybe use a food processor- it was a little more difficult to “pile up” those bigger pieces. They worked fine- but I feel like it would just be easier with more finely crushed candy. Hope you get a chance to try these!!!  Enjoy!  ~r

Candy spoon gifts

Man, I hate it when my ink runs out mid-print! Used them anyway!🙂

Candy Cocoa Spoon

Candy Cocoa Spoons

Other gift ideas here on Easybaked:

Hot Chocolate Pops!Caramel Corn and other gift ideasSpiced Mocha MixSnowman Oreo Pops

Iced Mocha Pops!

Posted on

Mocha Pop3

Stir this delicious frozen pop into your coffee, and you have an instant, creamy iced peppermint mocha! 

The heat of summer is here, and I find myself craving iced coffee drinks in yummy flavors. These easy-to-make frozen pops can be stored in your freezer and pulled out any time you have a craving for something a little more fun than just plain coffee!

I made mine with peppermint syrup- but you could certainly make yours with your favorite flavor! Don’t skimp on the chocolate- I used Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce and it is to die for!!  Seriously. Use it.

Iced Mocha Pops

Aren’t they so fun?!? And the smiles when you serve these….. love it!

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS (makes 10 pops)

  • 3 cups of whole milk (if you can get it in your part of the world, Fairlife ultra-filtered milk is SO worth trying. It is unbelievably creamy. I’ve never had milk this good…)
  • 2/3 cup Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce (plus a little to drizzle on top, if desired)
  • 3/4 cup Torani Peppermint Syrup (or whatever flavor you love!)
  • Pink food coloring (if desired- match the color to the flavor you use– you can have several flavors in your freezer and know which is which!)
  • Whipped Cream (to top, if desired)
  • 8 oz. of brewed coffee for each serving
  • Crushed ice

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat 2 cups of milk in the microwave or on the stove until warm (not hot).
  • Add Dark Chocolate Sauce and mix until well-combined.
  • Set 10 (3 oz.) paper cups on a small baking sheet and pour Dark Chocolate milk mixture into each cup. Fill them about 2/3 full.
  • Freeze for 3-4 hours. Press a wooden dowel into each one (the pointed end helps with this) and re-freeze.
  • Mix peppermint syrup with remaining 1 cup of milk and pour all but about 1/3 cup into each cup, leaving a little room on the top of each pop to add some PINK peppermint milk.
  • Freeze for 3-4 hours (keep unused peppermint milk covered in fridge until you need it).
  • Add pink food coloring to remaining peppermint milk, and pour a little on top of each pop.
  • Freeze overnight.
  • The next day, clip the top of the cup with a scissors and tear away the paper cup. Place uncovered pop on a paper plate or parchment paper in the freezer.

Iced Mocha Pops

  • To serve immediately, in a 12-14 oz. cup, brew 8 oz. of strong coffee. I used my Keurig with a dark blend.
  • Place pop into coffee and stir until dissolved. Add a little crushed ice to chill completely and top with whipped cream and chocolate drizzles if desired.

Frozen Mocha PopFrozen Mocha Pop

  • To have a mocha-on-demand, place these little pops into cake-pop cello bags and tie them shut. Keep these frozen for up to a month. When you are craving an iced mocha, simply make coffee and add a pop!
  • Enjoy!!!!

Mocha Pops5

My thoughts: Ah….these are so yummy! I love the deep chocolate taste and how it blends with the coffee. I made some with caramel syrup too, and I can’t wait to try others! Give yourself a day to make them, since they have to freeze in stages. I started my first batch in the afternoon and finally put them in to freeze overnight at 10pm! So plan ahead and start them early.

These are so cute in little cello bags with ties- a perfect addition to a coffee bar- just be sure to keep them on ice! Enjoy!!  ~r

Iced Peppermint Mocha Pops

Other coffee themed desserts here on Easybaked: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

Espresso Cookies 6Mocha cupcakes in edible fondant mugMocha Caramel Cream Cupcakes!Spiced Mocha and Tim Tam Slams!

Ice Cream Punch Pops!

Posted on

Punch Pops6

Add ginger ale to this cute frozen pop and you’ll have a cup of creamy, fruity, ice cream punch!  A perfect summer treat!

So I have this incredible punch recipe. It is soooooo yummy! I’ve made it for all sorts of parties, showers, picnics, and receptions. I’ve been asked for my recipe so many times that I’m actually surprised I haven’t added it here on Easybaked yet!

Last week I was craving it. I was headed to the pool and thinking about a cup of this creamy summer happiness- but you know punch…you have to throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and it is delicious for maybe an hour- and then it melts and you can’t save it for later. So I sat by the pool and thought about how to make punch in single servings, and these little ice cream punch pops came into being!

Punch Pops !

Aren’t they CUTE? I wrapped mine up in cello bags and tied them with ribbons. When anyone wants  cup of punch, all I need is some ginger ale to pour over the top. Stir….. and….

Punch Pops3

YUM! Punch in whatever fruit flavor you choose! One cup at a time!

These are fun and fairly easy to put together- they just take some freezer time. Make sure you have some freezer space available- and you need some height- so you can fit them in with those straws poking out of the top. Once they are made, you can place them in cake pop bags and tie them with cute ribbons. This makes storage in the freezer easier and keeps them fresh longer.

Here’s how I put these cute little pops together: (if you prefer a big bowl of punch, put all the ingredients in a punch bowl- but use a little less ginger ale).

INGREDIENTS: (makes 20 pops)

  • 24-30 oz of pineapple juice
  • ½ gallon vanilla ice cream
  • 1 quart of fruit sherbet- any flavor (I used 3 flavors and only used 1/3 of each quart)
  • 2 liters of ginger ale at room temperature
  • 6-7 strawberries, sliced 
  • 20 (3 oz) paper cups and 20 straws

DIRECTIONS:

  • In 20 small (3 oz) paper cups, measure about 1/8 cup of pineapple juice and add a slice of strawberry
  • Freeze until hard (4-6 hours)

Note: I did this on a small cookie sheet so that I could pop them all into and out of the freezer at once.

  • Scoop ice cream into a large zip top bag and microwave in 10 second increments until soft-serve consistency. Mix bag by squeezing. (Tip: wear gloves to keep your hands warm!)
  • Clip a corner off this bag and squeeze the softened ice cream over frozen juice, leaving room at the top for a layer of sherbet (you will add about twice as much ice cream as sherbet, and use almost all of the ½ gallon)
  • Slide a straw into the center of each cup and re-freeze until ice cream layer is hard (2-3 hours)
  • Scoop sherbet into a large zip-top bag and microwave/squeeze until a soft-serve consistency (this melts faster than ice cream, so be cautious)
  • Clip a corner off this bag and squeeze the softened sherbet over the top of the frozen ice cream. Tap each cup against the counter to flatten the sherbet out a little bit on top.
  • Re-freeze overnight (10-12 hours)

IMG_8489IMG_8496IMG_8500

  • To remove them from the cup, snip a tiny cut into one of the cup’s edges and tear the cup away.
  • Set the pop on a small cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper and keep frozen until use.

Punch Pop1Punch Pops!

  • If you want to place them in individual bags, keep them frozen, and one at a time, slide into a bag, tie shut and refreeze.

Punch Pops 9

  • To serve these cute little pops, simply place one in a glass that holds at least 12 ounces, and pour room temperature ginger ale over the top- just until the pop is covered. 
  • Stir your punch with the straw until it has melted into a cold frothy ice cream treat!

Punch Pops!Punch Pops!

Punch pops!

My thoughts: I love these! They taste exactly like my favorite punch and I love that I can have a cup of it whenever a craving strikes. I had a party a couple of days ago, and the guests enjoyed choosing a flavor (I made raspberry, lime and orange), and making their own punch! It’s just plain fun.🙂

Oh- and don’t you love the glasses?!? I’m CRAZY about them! Bring me sunshine!!!!  I found them on Amazon while looking for something entirely different- and knew they would make perfect little punch glasses! They are actually intended to be candle holders- so if you use them you will have to wash by hand. I love them so much I will happily wash by hand every time! They are especially cheery with juice at breakfast! Click on the photo below if you want your own: 

I hope you get a chance to try these fun little punch pops- they really are one of my favorite ideas in awhile🙂  ~r

Other frozen summer treats here on Easybaked:

Creamy Mango Pops!Frosty Almond Joy Cups!Raspberry Lemon Cream Cups!!!Heath Bar Ice Cream Dessert3

 

Popsicle Punch!!!!

Posted on

Popsicle Punch

 Love popsicles?  Love a fruity, refreshing punch?  Try making popsicle punch!  Everyone can choose their own flavor!

Popsicle Punch!!

I was sitting in the sun, thinking about punch the other day.  I was thinking about how you never really get to have punch unless you make a ton of it in a big punch bowl~ which sends it into the “only at a big party” category of treats.  I started thinking about how much fun it would be if you could make a single-serving punch, and suddenly—POPSICLES!!!!!!  A little bit of Sprite, maybe a bit of pineapple juice and a POPSICLE!  Choose your flavor, pick your punch!

I had to run to the store and get popsicles to try this little experiment, and YUM!!!!!!  YUM! YUM! YUM!!!!!!

I loved the plain popsicles- beautiful colors and delicious fruity punch.

THEN, I tried the popsicles that have the ice cream filling… you know, these:

Popsicle Punch!

So much creamy, fruity happiness in one little mug…. well, two little mugs because I had to try a couple of flavors:

Popsicle Punch!

That orange punch?  Like a creamsicle in a cup….!  Unbelievably good!!!

Here’s how I did it:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Sprite (or another lemon-lime soda)
  • Pinapple (or another fruit) juice
  • Popsicles!

DIRECTIONS:

  • Fill a cup about 1/2 full of soda (leave room for the popsicle- the ice cream ones foam up a bit) 
  • Add juice to taste- I added about 1 part juice for 4 parts soda.
  • Place a popsicle into cup and stir to dissolve
  • ENJOY!

Popsicle Punch!!!

My thoughts:  You can make individual cups of punch, or make the base punch in a big punch bowl (just the soda and the juice) and set a cooler full of popsicles out for people to choose flavors from.  I just made a cup of punch with a frozen juice bar— oh my.  So yummy!  The possibilities are endless!!!!  Enjoy!  ~r

Cheers!!!!

Cheers!!!!

Other fun beverage (and beverage inspired!) recipes:

Spiced Mocha and Tim Tam Slams!Cotton Candy Fizz Mexican Chocolate MilkMalted Milkshake Cupcakes

 

 

 

Malted Milkshake Cupcakes

Posted on

Malted Milkshake Cupcakes

Dark chocolate cupcakes topped with the creamiest malt frosting ever.  Like a malted milkshake minus the cup!

I have an addiction to chocolate malts.  Not chocolate shakes, just malts.  The creamy, chocolatey kind that you drink through a striped straw at the pool.  My mom makes the best chocolate malts ever.  They are really simple to make, but there’s just something about her leaning out of the patio door and asking, “Anyone want a malt?” that makes me smile.  It’s one of our summer traditions.

Moms Malts!!{Her easy recipe? Ice cream, malt powder, cocoa and milk~ a blender full of ice cream plus cocoa and malt to taste, and milk to desired consistency}

I wanted to make a frosting that tastes like a malt.  It took me a couple of tries, but I finally hit the mark.  It’s wonderfully creamy and smooth.  It is also a very soft whipped icing that must be kept refrigerated because it has milk in it, and because it will not keep a pretty piped finish if it gets warm.

Believe me, the flavor and texture are worth it!

Malted Milk Cupcakes

Here’s how to make these yummy cupcakes! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

  • One boxed dark chocolate cake mix (plus water, eggs and oil to make according to box)
  • 4 packets of Dream Whip
  • 1 1/2 cups of cold milk
  • 6 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 Tablespoons of malt powder
  • 1/2 -1 cup of powdered sugar (to desired consistency)

DIRECTIONS

  • Make cake mix according to box and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins.
  • Cool cupcakes completely.
  • Put Dream Whip, milk, cocoa powder, malt powder and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and blend together.
  • Using a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form (3-4 minutes) 
  • Add extra powdered sugar if needed, to desired consistency.  This is a soft whipped frosting, so it won’t be the consistency of a stiff buttercream~ even with lots of powdered sugar.  (believe me, I tried!)
  • Spoon frosting into a zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe frosting on cupcakes.
  • Refrigerate until serving and just before serving add a malted milk ball and sprinkle with cocoa powder if desired for garnish.

ENJOY!!!

Malted milk cupcakes!!!!

My thoughts:  these are *almost* as good as my moms malts.  This frosting is really yummy.  It would be a great filling for a layer cake too~ or even a filling for cupcakes.  You could fill chocolate cupcakes with this and then just spoon some chocolate ganache over the top.  Oh the possibilities!  Hope you get to try these and enjoy them as much as we did!  ~r

Malted Milk Cupcakes!!!More recipes you might like:

Chocolate Mousse CakeStrawberry layer cakeMini chocolate chip cookie cheesecakesCake balls filled with cream cheese frosting

DIY Caramel Corn and other great gift ideas from Easybaked!

I love making and getting creative edible gifts. I’m not talking just a plate of Christmas cookies here…I’m talking unique and different.  Take Caramel Corn, for example.  It is my grandmother’s favorite and I remember spending long evenings watching my parents try various caramel corn recipes in search of the perfect (yet not too messy!) one.  There was the giant brown sack method (where you shake the caramel in) and the cookie sheet one where you pour the caramel on and try to mix it on the sheet (my dog liked that method– lots of popcorn on the floor!)

A few years ago a friend handed me an adorable little Christmas package with mysterious items inside (all tied up with a cute tag and bow) and when I opened it I found ingredients for caramel corn.  All I needed was butter….. I promptly made it and YUM!!!  Quick, easy, delicious and SUCH a creative gift.  This post is dedicated to the recipes you can use this Christmas to make creative and memorable gifts for your friends and families.

CARAMEL CORN:

  • Place  1/2c. packed brown sugar in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
  • Place 8 large marshmallows in a small bag and zip or tie it tightly.
  • Place both of the above ingredients in a larger bag or gift box with one packet of microwave popcorn.


Close the bag or box with the following directions:

  • Pop corn in microwave according to package
  • Place brown sugar, marshmallows and 1/2 stick (4T) butter into a 2 qt. bowl
  • Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring well at 1 and 1/2 minutes.  Syrup should be smooth and bubbly.
  • Pour over popped corn and enjoy!

Click on the photo below to get free printable tags to use with this gift:

OREO POPS:

These fun chocolate-covered Oreos on a stick are great for any season.  I made them for the 1st time last spring for a baby shower.  Change up the sprinkles and tie some cute Christmas tags on and you have a great stocking stuffer- or even a holiday centerpiece bouquet!  All the how-to tips, including pictures are available if you just click HERE.  I also made up some free tags for you to tie on your pops~   Click on the picture below to get the free printable file:

HOT CHOCOLATE POPS:

I made these as gifts for SO many people last year.  I made extra for myself.  These are so easy and SO delicious~ everyone will LOVE them.  What are they?  Chocolate (in a variety of flavors and colors) hardened over a marshmallow on a stick.  You stir them into hot milk and make the most creamy, delicious hot chocolate ever.  The best part?  You can make them WAY ahead.  I made some in December and used them in March…still wonderful.  The recipe and directions can be found by clicking HERE.  If you want to print some free tags to tie on your pops click on the image below:

SPICED MOCHA MIX:

My cousin Eden made little jars of this wonderful mix for us several years ago at Christmas and I’ve used the recipe ever since.  It’s just wonderful, easy to make, keeps for months in a sealed bag or jar and makes a great gift.  Want the recipe and easy directions?  Click HERE.  Free printable tags?  Click on the picture below to get them: (I actually printed these on full-sheet labels, cut them apart and made stickers for my jars…just another idea…)

I hope that these ideas have inspired you to create your own fun and unique Christmas gifts!!!  Enjoy!  ~r

Want to try some other fun Christmas recipes by Easybaked?  Click on an image below to be taken to the recipe:

Shop Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

Cotton Candy Fizz

Posted on


Cotton Candy flavored soda in fun create-your-own colors!  Your kids will love this pretty summer treat!

Confession:  I’m on vacation.  We are headed to the beach (where there may or may not be a tropical storm….sigh.)  I needed a quick and easy treat to share with all of you this week and a friend of mine said – Oh you HAVE to share our cotton candy soda recipe!  Is this a recipe?  Mmmmm…probably not.  It’s an idea. A really, really fun idea. Check out those colors….undeniably fun.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Sprite
  • Cotton candy (I got a bag in the dollar section at Target)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Pour Sprite into a clear glass or cup (about 2/3 full)
  • Drop a piece of cotton candy into the Sprite and smile as it fizzes and turned your Sprite colors.
  • Combine colors to make your soda unique!

My thoughts:  Easy and fun.  This would be a great birthday party or pool party idea.  Enjoy!

%d bloggers like this: