VALENTiNE'S RICE KRiSPIE POPS

Hey it's not Valentine's Day! Yeah, I'm late posting this but they can be made for any time so I guess it's really never too late, right? I made these last week because I've really been needing to make something, ANYTHING. I sit for far too long in front of a computer. So I decided to wander around Michael's and look at what they had for Valentine's products. I picked up some cookie cutters and sprinkles and had rice krispie treats on the brian so heart shaped rice krispies it was! I added the paper straws and arrows because I usually go overboard with things so I just kept adding to them. I had added arrows to each heart but wasn't really liking how much was going on so I didn't get a photo before I removed them all. Ooops. You get the idea with the one left I took a photo of. Didn't think to make a tutorial for the arrows so hopefully it makes sense what I did. They were really easy to make. 

So here is what I used:

3 tablespoons butter

1 package (10 oz., about 40) Marshmallows

6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal or off brand cereal.

heart cookie cutter

red food coloring

paper straws

OPTIONAL:

box of tooth picks

paper

ribbon

sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. 

2. Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. (add sprinkles if you want) Cool. Cut with cookie cutter. 

4. Put in paper straws as high as you can get in the rice krispie treat but do not go all the way through. 

5. To create the arrows I cut some arrow parts out of paper and glued each end to a tooth pick. You will have two tooth picks total. Put tooth picks into rice krispie wherever you choose so they look like they have been shot through by the arrow. 

6. Tie ribbon around straw and make into a bow or glue pre tied bows if you still want to add more on to decorate.

If you're anything like me you will probably eat more than you have left at the end. I like to pretend they are good for breakfast too because their made with cereal, ha! These would be great as a bundle like flowers to give as a gift or at a party. Regardless of why you make them just have fun and experiment. Different colors, different shapes and adding on a cellophane bag over the rice krispie treat will make them last longer if you are giving them as a gift or for kids to take home from a party.

I hope you had a nice Valentine'd Day and weekend in general! Have a great Tuesday!

XOXO,

Sara

DIY // ICE CREAM WAFER COOKIES

Earlier in the year I was having a hard time sleeping so occasionally I would make random things at very random times. One night, or probably early morning, I decided to make some of these ice cream wafer cookies. I had the wafers and I had stocked up on some candy melts I picked up at a craft store. I really like experimenting with things and making desserts is so much fun. I'm sure somewhere out in the world someone has made these before but I hadn't seen them cut in the shape of a cone. I had just seen where people dipped the wafter in chocolate or candy. Since wafers already look like ice cream cones I figured these would be super easy and fun to make.

What you need:

• Wafer cookies (I like to get the packs with the three different flavors because it's more colors to play with!)

• Candy melts (I bought the ones made by Wilton. They have lots of fun colors. This time I just used the white but my first batch of cookies I made had blue candy ice cream.)

• Sprinkles, candy, anything you want to decorate your ice cream with. (I used 4 different colors of the sugar sprinkles and the "cherries" on top are actually the mini chewy Sweet Tarts because they came in colors that matched my sprinkles.) 

• Knife

How to make them:

• Cut the end of the wafers into a point. No need to be precise. I had cut a little off the top corners as well thinking that would help make them more round like an ice cream cone when I put the candy on but honestly you can just put more candy on the wafer to round it off. 

• Melt the candy. Just follow the instructions for whatever type you have. Mine I just melted in the microwave and stirred until it was melted to an icing type consistency. 

• For some reason I thought I could just dip the wafer in the melted candy but that did not work so well and I ended up with wafer parts all in my white candy! So the easiest more effective way was to put the candy on with a knife. Just spread it all over the end on the wafer until you cover it like the top of an ice cream cone. You don't really have to put the candy on the back side of your cookie but I did on mine.

• While your candy is still soft sprinkle on your sprinkles or whatever you want to use to decorate them.

• Place cookies on cookie sheet, or wax paper and let the candy harden. I put mine in the refrigerator.

• You're done! Yay! 

I think these would be really fun to make in colors to match your party or baby shower. They are also really cute to use as decoration on larger desserts like a cake. Have fun and experiment!

xoxo

-Sara