Elf Snacks: Jolly Blog With Friends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group  of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Jolly.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

I made Elf Snacks.

Elf Snacks

I decided on this recipe for three reasons. First, I think they're a good option for the theme. Second, these really are every bit as much a family craft as they are a recipe. And they are no-bake. I don't know about you but my ovens run on overtime through the months of November and December, I love having a treat to make that is no bake. The third reason is that they really are versatile, you can stick them on the counter for a casual after school snack or they can add some whimsy to your holiday dessert selections.
 
Although this is not a difficult project, there are a few steps. As always, prepare by having all of your ingredients handy. 

Start by making the hats. Yes, they look like Christmas trees at this point, but in the end they'll be elf hats.

The second place we'll use candy melts are for the marshmallows themselves. Prepare the marshmallows by pushing half of a pretzel stick into each of them, we'll put those hats on here later. Melt the white candy melts and dip the marshmallows.

Just before they set, roll them in the crushed candy canes:

and then use more candy melts to attach the facial features. Don't be surprised if you have to hold them on for a minute or two so they stick and start to set.

Add your hat to the top (you can spread a little of the white bark onto the bottom of the hat with a knife if you want it to stick to the top instead of just sitting there). Cute, aren't they?

And you can always stack them and make a snowman, too!

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares her recipe for No Bake Goodies, perfect for the holidays. 

Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares her recipe for Magical Cupcakes. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Use What You Have, crafts and decor using stuff you already have.

Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares Make Christmas Jolly with Handmade Creations.

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares ten easy ways to Spread the Jolly.

Elf Snacks

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 candy canes
10 Bugle snacks
2 oz green candy melts
20 Red Hots candies
5 thin pretzel sticks
10 marshmallows
3 oz white baking bark or white candy melts
20 candy eyes

Directions:
*Completely crush the candy canes. Set aside on a small dish.
*Break a very small piece off of the point of each Bugle snack.
*Melt the green candy melts until completely smooth when stirred. Using a knife, "paint" each bugle green and place on a piece of parchment paper. Once set, dip 10 of the Red Hots into the green melted candy and stick to the top of each of the Bugles. You will have to hold them gently in place for a minute to be sure they start to set and stick.
*Break each pretzel stick in half and press a half down into the center of a flat side of each marshmallow. Some of the pretzel stick must still be above the marshmallow. This will be the top.
*Melt the white bark or white candy melts until smooth when stirred. Holding onto the piece of pretzel sticking up, dip each marshmallow into the melted white bark and place onto parchment paper.
*While still wet, before they set, roll the rounded sides of the marshmallows into the crushed candy canes and place back onto the parchment paper. Allow to set completely.
*Tip the marshmallows onto their side so one side that's dipped in crushed mints is facing up. Dip the back of the candy eyes in the remaining melted bark and attach to the crushed mints. You may need to gently hold them there for a minute to be sure they start to set and stick. Do the same with the remaining Red Hots, one onto each marshmallow below the eyes. Allow to set completely before standing back up with the pretzel sticking out of the top.
*Place the green Bugle hats onto the pretzels to complete your elf.