In The Kitchen: Cake Pops

Hello Lovelies!
A year or two ago I was on the search for a good Cake Pop recipe or helpful directions. There's many different ways to make them, by using a kit or special trays, but I think I've found the best way to make them and they taste amazing! They're really not that difficult to make, but there's a lot of trial and error. But, I'll try to add some tips that I've found work best that maybe others have yet to discover. Also, I apologize for the pictures. They're not the best I've ever taken!

Ingredients:
White or Colored Melting Chocolates (From Michael's)
Food Coloring (if needed)
Cake Pop Sticks (From Michael's)
Any flavor of Cake Mix (Ingredients for Cake Mix also: Eggs, Water, Oil, etc.)
Compatible Frosting (ex: Vanilla Cake + Vanilla Frosting)
Crisco
Any kind of Styrofoam Block or Circle
Sprinkles (optional)

Steps:
1) Bake the cake as you normally would following the directions on the back of the box. Let cool for an hour or so or you can even do it the night before you plan on putting the cake pops together. 

2) In a bowl, take the cake and crumble with hands as finely as you can. This will take some time and isn't very fun, but it's worth it. 

3) Add about half the can of frosting and mix with a spoon or hands. (Hands are easier) Add more icing as needed until it is sticky enough to roll into a ball and not stick to your hands. I put mine on a baking sheet with some wax paper.

4) Next take a bit of the melting chocolates you plan on using and microwave a bit in a bowl. I do about 1 minute and then add a bit of Crisco and then microwave for another minute. The problem a lot of people find with these melting chocolates is that they are too thick and difficult to use. By adding Crisco, you add a bit of oil to help make it easier to use. I know it's kind of gross, but it works. Don't try using water to thin out the chocolate, trust me, it doesn't work and ruins the chocolate.

5)Then take your sticks and swirl a bit on the end and stick into each cake ball on the pan. I then like to refrigerate them for about an hour so they don't fall apart when I try to put the outer coating on. I did this first with the white but used purple and blue as the outer shells.

6) After refrigerating them, melt the chocolate you want to use and if you're using white you can add the food coloring and Crisco. I like to take the cake pop in one hand and then use a spoon to pour over it a bit and smooth it out. I also added some sprinkles to make them pretty and then I stuck them in my Styrofoam. 

6) Lastly, I refrigerate for a couple hours and then they're ready to eat! :)

All my love,
Hailey