Vanilla Peppermint Pops

I really hope you have all of your holiday shopping done.

Because I just went to Target. It felt like my Black Friday (that I somehow was convinced to participate in) nightmare all over again. Never again. Maybe it’s that I get overwhelmed with swarms of people, feel claustrophobic when waiting in line and can’t stand when people are in my bubble.

And what’s with people being so rude? It’s the holiday season for pete’s sake!

I would like to tell them:

♥Keep Calm & Eat a Cake Pop♥

Vanilla Peppermint Cake Pops

-idea slightly adapted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade-

Printable Recipe

yield: approx. 40 cake pops

ingredients: cake pops

2 packages (16 oz) Vanilla CANDIQUIK® Coating

1 box vanilla (or chocolate!) cake mix (plus ingredients required for mix)

1/2 of a (16 oz) container cream cheese frosting

1 1/2 cups round hard peppermint candies (finely crushed)

lollipop sticks

ingredients: peppermint disks

40 round hard peppermint candies

instructions: peppermint disks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place candies on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press candies flat. Cool.

instructions: cake pops

1. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on box.

2. Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add frosting and mix thoroughly (it may be easier to use fingers to mix together).

3. Chill for approximately 2 hours in the refrigerator (you can speed this up by placing in the freezer).

4. Roll mixture into 1” sized balls; place on a wax paper covered baking sheet.

5. Insert a lollipop stick into each cake ball.

6. Melt Vanilla CANDIQUIK Coating according to directions on package.

7. Dip cake pops in melted CANDIQUIK, covering them completely.

Allow excess coating to drip off so it doesn’t drip everywhere in the crushed peppermints; cover cake pop in the crushed peppermints and place on wax paper to set.