Summer officially begins Saturday … the 4th of July will be here before we know it!  How about an easy peasy pop to celebrate the occasion?  I decided to make Patriotic Pops or Uncle Sam Hat Pops … some look like hats to me!

Red, white and blue pops made with chocolate, mint and marshmallows … yummy, easy to make and the York Pieces were the perfect colors!  My original plans were to only draw stripes on the marshmallows to create the Uncle Sam Hat look … got a little artsy and drew stars too!  Now, I want to make more … with polka-dots, fatter stripes, starbursts … ooh, the possibilities are endless 😉

You can draw whatever you like on the marshmallows … maybe let the kiddos do it!  Speaking of kiddos … our 11-year-old great-niece is visiting from Tennessee … she came with my sister-in-law (her grandma).  My youngest son will turn 30 this year … I’m so out of kid mode and as the mother of three boys … never was in girl kid mode!  I forgot how difficult it is to come up with activities to fill two months of summer fun.  Anyway, my two sister-in-laws, great niece and I went to the beach … her first visit to the Pacific Ocean!  While we were driving, the subject of California’s water shortage came up … the 11 year-old questioned it … after all, California has the whole ocean to drink!  After playing in the water, getting a swimsuit full of sand and mouthful of ocean water, she understands why we don’t drink ocean water!

By the way … when applying sunscreen, don’t forget your feet and ankles … this is the voice of experience speaking 😉  Another tip … don’t ask an 11-year-old to guess your age … I’m not 60 … still in my late 50’s … let’s not push it!

Keep the kiddos busy and make some pops for your July 4th bash …

Patriotic Pops or Uncle Sam Hat Pops

• Chocolate Wafer Cookies (such as Famous from Nabisco)
• York Pieces
• Large Marshmallows
• White Candy Coating (such as CandiQuik)
• Blue and Red Edible Markers
• Blue and Red Paper Straws (or lollipop sticks)

1. Cut paper straws in half (almost 4″).  You can use full length straws or substitute lollipop sticks.
2. Use the food safe markers to draw strips, stars or doodle whatever you like.  Hint – you may need to make short strokes with the markers when drawing on marshmallows, if you press too hard they tend to stick to the marshmallow!  Insert straws into flat end of marshmallow.
3. Melt the candy according to package directions or here.  Smear a small amount of candy on the top of a chocolate cookie.
4. Place a marshmallow in the center of the cookie and add some York Pieces around it (I used 7 on each pop).  Chill for a few minutes or let stand at room temperature until melted candy has firmed up.  Wasn’t that easy peasy?

You may remember some marshmallow pop hats from the past …

like these Snowman Hat Pops or

Pilgrim Hat Pops !

I ♥ YOUR COMMENTS!

♦  I share my stuff with these fun parties  ♦