Blog With Friends: Celebrations

Ever have an idea in your head for something you want to try; a recipe, craft or DIY and in execution it comes out pretty much as you’d pictured it? Well, not me. Until now.

I’d been working this idea around in my head, based just on the nonpareils I had, and couldn’t come up with something to use as the tree. I spied some ice cream cones way in the back of my pantry and had a V8 moment. {{Smack, right on the forehead. Of course, ice cream cones.}}

I’ve learned in the past that just because I have an idea and supplies does not mean that it’ll come out the way I’d envisioned.  In fact, 99.99% of the time it doesn’t. I’ve become adept at faking it {{“ummm, yup, that’s exactly what I’d been going for”}}.

Not this time. The holiday fairies were smiling down on me and dare I say it? About time. Where have you guys been my whole life?

Welcome to December’s Blog With Friends post presented to you by The Jolly Jinglers. This is a monthly theme based blog post I do with a group of talented friends. We all come up with different types of recipes, projects and information based on the monthly theme. 

This month’s theme is the Holidays, of course, and I’m offering instructions for making a Holiday Tree using edible ingredients. Check it out, then at the end of the post you’ll find links to the Jolly Jinglers' projects all of my talented friends are sharing this month.

Although these trees were made with all edible ingredients, I have to admit that it’s really more of a craft than a recipe. It involved assembly but not cooking or baking. Although you certainly can eat them if you want, we didn’t. No matter what you call them or what you end up doing with them, this project was fun to make.

The first thing I did was just to make the stars for the top of the tree. I have a star stencil, which made this pretty simple, but you can freehand them too, stars aren’t hard to draw. Be sure to turn the parchment paper over so you’re not applying food directly to the ink you used.

Once the candy stars were made and in the fridge setting, the rest of the assembly was pretty simple. Many times when you coat an ingredient in melted chocolate you want it to be smooth. In this situation it’s not because you’re coating a surface (the ice cream cone) that isn’t smooth and it works well, it gives the tree texture and depth.

Decorating with the mini nonpareils and mini M&Ms is the most time consuming part of this project, but it’s what gives the tree that holiday look.

Hope you give these holiday trees a try. Store them in the fridge and use them as a fun decoration.

As promised, here are links to all of this month’s other Blog With Friends projects:

Shellybean of Follow me home shares a craft, How to Make a Cloth Christmas Tree. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shows us how to make a Twisted Paper Angel.

Sarah of The Momisodes has joined us with book reviews. This month it's Christmas Story Time. 

Robin of Someone Else’s Genius shares a Festive Wreath Tutorial.

 Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools shares an Elf Hat and Shoes Tutorial.

Melissa of Home on Deranged shares High Tech Stocking Stuffers That Won't Break The Budget.

Christy of Uplifting Families shares a craft for children, a Hand Print Christmas Wreath.

Edible Holiday Trees

                                                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 oz any color candy melts or melting bark you want to use for your stars
Multicolored nonpareils
6 rolos
6 oz green candy melts
3 ice cream cones (the kind that come to a point)
3 butter cookies (or any cookie that the wide portion of the cone will sit on)
mini nonpareils
mini M&Ms
 
Directions:
* Draw or trace at least 6 small stars onto parchment paper. Turn the paper upside down and be sure you can still see your stars.
*Melt the 3 oz candy melts you’re using for your stars. Once melted completely, put into a plastic bag, seal, snip the corner, push all of the melted candy into that corner and use it to trace the stars. Fill in the centers and immediately sprinkle with multicolored nonpareils. Refrigerate
*Dip the thinner end of a rolo into the melted candy and attach to the thin end of a second rolo. Repeat with the rest of the rolos so you have 3 sets of 2 attached rolos.
*In a separate dish, melt the green candy melts until smooth. Place the 3 cookies (flat side down) on a piece of wax paper and, using a pastry brush, paint the top with the melted candy. Gently place an ice cream cone, wide side down, on each cookie and “paint” the cone with the melted candy as well. It doesn’t have to be even or smooth.
*Immediately press two of the previously made stars onto the very top of each cone. Hold for a second until you’re sure they’re secure. Dipping each nonpareil and M&M in the melted chocolate, rim the cookie at the bottom of the cone in whatever design you choose. Starting at the top of the cone and angling down, dip nonpareils and M&Ms in the melted candy and attach to the cone to resemble tinsel and lights. You may need to re-melt the candy melts for a few seconds if they harden before you finish.
*Dip one side of each double rolo in the melted candy and place (melted candy side up) on wax paper in the fridge. Gently place the trees on top of the rolo “tree trunks” in the fridge and allow to set.