{ Christmas Pop }

 Let me tell you a merry, merry Christmas story.

The Bean has decided to give his closest friends all gifts this year. They are from his own allowance and all under $5. Just little token, 'it's the thought that counts' type of gifts. He's buying for several though, so last night he had a lot gifts to wrap.

After showing him the basics of wrapping (and my awesome Mickey Mouse paper is gridded on the back for easy measuring), I left him to his own devices while I cooked supper. About 30 minutes later I wandered back in to the Family Room, where he loudly, and aggressively exclaimed:

"Wrapping presents sucks!"

"I hate wrapping presents. It's stoopid!", I said.

"I'm never wrapping presents again!", he growled.

*me, gesticulating wildly at the large mound of gifts I had wrapped earlier in the day*

"Yeah, thanks for wrapping them, but you never have to again. You can just put them in a grocery bag!", he said.

"I feel like that would kinda suck.", I pondered.

"Yeah, probably. So, yeah, thanks for wrapping my presents, Mom.", he says again.

 Does anyone like wrapping presents? I feel like there probably are people out there.

But I don't know them. Or understand them. 

I mean, I LIKE for my presents to look neat and pretty (and they HAVE to coordinate. No mish mash of papers here, sorry), but I do not like the process.

Or the .32 milliseconds it takes for all of my hard work to be destroyed.

Sigh.

You know what I do like? 

Popcorn.

See all my popcorn posts here

Also, I like chocolate and mint.

See all my chocolate & mint posts here

Well, all of those things come together in this creation.

 This is a quick, simple, no skill required recipe (just be careful with the hot chocolate!). It's also an easy to adapt recipe, just put whatever candies in you wish!

Christmas Popcorn

Recipe by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

(easily doubled, tripled, etc, if you are serving a crowd)

1 bag of popcorn, popped, unpopped kernels removed

1 1/2 cups of Rice Chex Cereal

2 Squares white melting chocolate (almond bark)*

12 Andes Chocolate Mints*

Candy Canes

SnoCaps

Assorted Christmas Sprinkles

*you can use more of either chocolate if you like

Lay out a sheet of wax paper/foil/parchment.

Pour your popped corn (unpopped kernels removed) onto it. Sprinkle the Chex cereal over.

Melt your white chocolate, 30 seconds at time and stirring at the 30 second mark, until fully melted.

Drizzle onto your popcorn and Chex.

Melt the Andes Mints, 15 seconds at a time and stirring at the 15 second mark, until fully melted.

Drizzle over your popcorn & Chex.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, then toss lightly to coat.

While the chocolates are still wet, sprinkle with crushed candy canes, SnoCaps, and Christmas Sprinkles.

This would also be great with M&Ms.

Add in any other candies you like.

Just play around and have fun with it.

You can also use regular chocolate in place of the white.

Pretty, quick, easy, festive, and fun.

Oh, and it tastes goood!

Happy Christmas!
Tina

{ Candy Cane & Chocolate Cupcakes }

Since it's Christmastime, I thought I'd readdress a super popular recipe that I already have up here on my blog.

My Chocolate Mint Cupcakes are the 2nd most popular recipe of all time right now.

Which, is kinda funny, because I just wanted a way to use my Andes Mints. It wasn't a thought out recipe. I just started melting them, and, *light blub*.

I have kinda an obsession when it comes to chocolate and mint.

York Peppermint Patties? Yes. Andes? Yes (obvs). Thin Mint Cookies? YES. Mint Oreos?
SUPER YES.

Yum. 

Luckily, all 3 of us here like the combo.

Last year, when the Bean when on his first date with Girlfriend, I took them to get ice cream after. (Yes, I was there, they were 14, no one drove & we are too rural to walk anywhere, except the neighboring soy bean fields, which isn't a very exciting date, honestly. ). Girlfriend ordered Mint Chocolate Chip. Yeah, I like her. She can stay.

When I was planning out my list of posts for Christmas, this one popped into my mind. It's the same glaze recipe, different flavor cupcakes, different topping. That's all!

Candy Cane & Chocolate Cupcakes

You'll need:

24 white cupcakes, baked and cooled*

*While making your cupcakes you can add Peppermint Extract to them if you wish.

I'd start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste your batter. Peppermint Extract is strong and a little goes a long way. Be very careful to NOT use Peppermint OIL. It is extra strong.

Chocolate Mint Glaze:
Recipe by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers
 

12 Andes Mints

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

3-4 Tablespoons HOT Water

Dash of Vanilla

At 15 second intervals, melt the Andes with the butter. Stir after every 15 seconds (only took 1 minute total in my microwave), whisk until glossy. Add powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons of Water, and again, whisk until glossy. If not thin enough, add the 4th Tablespoon and whisk. Lastly, whisk in the vanilla.

You can then either dunk your cupcakes (as shown in the original post), or just spoon on.

Top with a mixture of crushed candy canes & sugar or candy canes and Christmas sprinkles.

(I used candy canes & pure cane sugar). 

Pretty. Festive. Tasty. Easy.

You could also fill these guys with a cream filling.

That would be excellent. Unfortunately, I thought of that AFTER
I was finished.

Of course, you could always make these chocolate, like the original recipe, & just top with the peppermints.

So many options! Gotta love that.

Happy Christmas ~Tina