Birthday Brownie Pops

At a friend's birthday party earlier this year someone made the infamous bakerella's brownie pops. She had them skewered on long bamboo sticks stuck in a vase, they were dipped in chocolates and they were so gooey, chewy delicious I just knew I had to make them. Fast forward a few months, while planning a baby shower (post to follow), I was at JoAnn's looking for party favors and stumbled across this brownie pop tray. It was time! I bought one & some lollipop sticks and stashed them in my pantry.

With Hunter's birthday quickly approaching I thought these would be the perfect treat for his classmates to celebrate. I only bought one silicone tray, not really thinking about it, but obviously it only makes 8 at a time. Plus you have to let them cool a bit in the tray before removing them. So, at nearly 35 minutes a batch, to make 30+, the baking time alone took two hours & 15 minutes. Factor in cooling time, decorating and 3 kids meant that this project took me all day- literally 7 hours from start to finish.

All you do is use your favorite box brownie mix, fill each cavity with 2/3 batter, and bake at the temperature the box calls for. Half way through baking (20 minutes) I inserted the sticks, (they still went a wee bit wonky) and continued baking for another 12-15 minutes. After I removed them I needed a way to let them cool completely & store until I was ready to decorate. So I used a cooling rack over a deep dish 13x9 pan.

I was also thinking about a way to display & transport them to school, so I had the forethought to buy a styrofoam ball earlier in the week. I sawed it in half so it would lay flat and thought I could insert the lollipop sticks in it. Well, this would have worked but it wouldn't fit all 30.

So I went to plan B, I had the container from a store bought sheet cake from another party and I took the clear plastic lid & turned it upside down, filled it with tissue paper and crinkle cut confetti & laid the cooling rack on top- it was a perfect fit! Then I personalized the outside of it to cover up the labels.

I dipped them in white & milk chocolate and immediately sprinkled them. The first couple slid right off the sticks, that's when I realized I couldn't dip the whole thing. So I just held the bottom near the stick & painted on the melted chocolates so I wouldn't put too much pressure on the sticks, that worked. Hunter even helped me with a few. I'd say if I didn't have 3 kids running around this project could have gone a lot faster... that and if I wasn't such a perfectionist I might have rushed things more. And, yes! They taste as good as they look, maybe even better!