Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead Cupcakes

Posted on October 13, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

If I could sing … I would … ding-dong, the witch is dead! (FYI … you should be happy that you can’t hear me!)

This was a first for me … cupcakes served icing side down!

On Sunday, I was looking at the Michael’s ad and saw this idea. I believe that the witch legs were made with fondant. I wanted to make it a little simpler. So this is what I can up with …

Leg ideas … Sour Punch Sticks, pretzel sticks, Pixy Stix, licorice, sugar sticks, stick cookies and tiny chocolate cigarettes …

Shoe ideas … colored Jordan almonds, small jelly beans and Starburst …

Candy melts to attach the shoe to the leg …

This what you will need …

Cupcakes
Icing
Candy Melts (just a few ounces)
Legs (whatever you choose)
Shoes (whatever you choose)
Witch Hats (click here for instructions)
Black edible marker (optional)

Before we start, I want to explain that my goal was to make this a very quick and easy project. I just loved the idea of the witch under the cupcake! Of course you could spend more time than I did and make it “perfect”.

Here are the items that I chose to use for legs and shoes … I did cut one Starburst and made 2 shoes from it …

Dip the legs in candy melts to create “socks” …

Attach the shoes …

Frost your cupcakes however you want … remember nobody will see the tops! Assemble the legs …

Turn the cupcakes icing side down on top of the legs and place a hat nearby …

I did pull out the edible marker and add some details …

P. S. If you like the doilies that I used, don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

Comments are always appreciated …

Cupcakes with Candy Witch Hats

Posted on October 7, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Soo many Halloween ideas … too little time! That is my dilemma right now. I do have ideas for fall also … and will post them shortly.

This little project is a quick and easy one. Great for kids … or adults … to make. The witch hats could be used alone … but I really like them on top of cupcakes … edible decor!

You will need …

Cupcakes
Icing colored orange
York Peppermint Patties
Hershey Kisses – Special Dark
Candy melts – I used orange and purple

Set up a little assembly line to make the witch hats … it takes a while just to unwrap the mint patties and kisses …

Put a dab or dollop (very technical terms) of melted candy on the mint patty. You can use a spoon … but a squeeze bottle would be a great option for kids …

Place the Kiss on the melted candy … a little will ooze out … creating a band. Pop them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up the melted candy …

I used my favorite cupcake decorating tip … Wilton #1M … to frost the cupcakes. Start on the outside rim and swirl your way to the center of the cupcake …

Put a hat on the cupcake … and you are done!

Do these fall in the “good for you” category? They have dark chocolate … antioxidants … can we rationalize it? If not, here is my find of the day …

I wish I could take credit for this quote … but I can’t … it came straight off a Denny’s menu!

Please feel free to leave a comment …

Textured Halloween Bark

Posted on October 6, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

I love it when I can use a product for more than one project … guess what I used to get the impressions in this candy.

If you guessed texture tiles that were designed for fondant or icing … you were right! I found these at Michael’s and are from Duff … of course! The two tiles (5-1/2″ x 7-1/2″ each) come in one package and are pretty ~~cheap~~ inexpensive. This is what they look like …

This is what you will need …

Candy melts (I used white, dark chocolate and orange)
Texture tiles
M&M’s
Rice Krispies cereal (optional)
Skull candies (Wilton)
Rubber or silicone spatula

Decide which side of the tiles you will use … I almost used the wrong side of the “words” tile … the words would have been backwards! Scoop some melted dark chocolate on the spider webs … and spread it around …

Using a spatula, scrape off excess chocolate (it can be reused). Let the chocolate firm up …

As you can see … it is not scraped perfectly clean …

Now repeat using orange melted candy on the words tile. Then mix some Rice Krispies into the melted white chocolate … you could leave it plain, add nuts or whatever you like. Pour the white chocolate on top of the spider webs and gently spread around …

Pour dark chocolate on the words tile and spread it around … then put the tiles in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up …

The candy will remove from the tiles very easily. The edges are not smooth … but I think that’s OK … it adds character …

To decorate … I used melted orange chocolate and M&M’s to create spiders …

I used more melted chocolate to “glue” the skull candies …

This is one of those “flexible” projects … change-up the colors … use different decorations … use the whole tile or just a small part … use your imagination!

I like feedback … please leave a comment!!!

Eyeball Marshmallow Pops

Posted on September 30, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

Halloween just wouldn’t be complete without bloodshot eyeballs!

Today’s project is about improvising or substituting. Sometimes we can’t find what we need … or we run out of supplies. Why not just make do? As the old saying goes … necessity is the mother of invention. When I started making these eyeballs, I was going to use the large round flat sprinkles … but they are not always easy to find. So … why not M&Ms or Skittles. I like to dip my marshmallows in chocolate or candy melts because it seals them and keeps them fresh. But there is no reason that you couldn’t make the eyeballs without dipping them.

This is what I used …

large marshmallows
white candy melts
lollipop sticks
black and red edible markers
M&Ms
large round flat sprinkles (candy confetti)

Dip the marshmallows in the melted chocolate and tap off the excess chocolate …

Place the marshmallows in styrofoam or a handy-dandy pop holder (that I made from a dollar store find) … and pop them in the fridge to harden up. Did you notice that made a few with two eyeballs?

Using the red marker, make bloodshot lines (is that what they are called?) Sometimes the markers get a coating from the chocolate … I just wipe it on a paper towel to clean it …

Use some melted chocolate to “glue” the sprinkle or M&M on the eyeball …

Use the black marker to make the pupil … (the green ones are M&M’s)

I hope you have fun making these eyeballs! I’ll be keeping my marshmallow eye on you … no, not really.

I ♥ comments … please leave one … or two …

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Halloween Info …

Posted on September 29, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

I have seen so many wonderful ideas for fall and Halloween. Here are a few of the magazines that I have been looking at …

I just came home from Wal-Mart … look what I found …

They were calling my name … so I had to bring them home with me. The wheels in my head were turning … I had ideas!!! I was feeling quite good … and somewhat organized … because I was sure that those pumpkin shaped marshmallows won’t last on Wal-Mart’s shelf very long. I kept walking down the aisles … sooo many cute Halloween things … but I did resist buying too much.

Then I turned the corner and saw this …

My bubble was burst … I am behind schedule … as usual. I know this happens every year … but is it earlier than usual … or maybe I am just having another senior moment! Of course that would be a very premature senior moment … LOL.

Tomorrow … another Halloween idea … here is a hint …

Frankenstein or Hulk? … Marshmallow Pops

Posted on September 20, 2011 by sweetsimplestuff

The lazy days of summer are over … today I decided that I had better get on the ball and start thinking about Halloween. So … I made these Frankenstein and sons marshmallow pops. I showed them to my hubby. He said … oh you made The Hulk! I’ll let you decide.

This is what you will need …

Jumbo marshmallows
Large marshmallows
Lollipop sticks
Candy melts
Candy eyeballs
Edible markers (black & red)
Chocolate jimmies

I did mix white chocolate with green chocolate (candy melts) to get a lighter color green. Dip the marshmallow in the melted candy … tap off all the excess candy …