Valentine's on a Dime

So I am going to confess...I have never been a big "Valentine's" person, so it was pretty easy for me to do a small one this year.  I must also confess, my husband tends to go overboard on gift giving and although we have never had a large valentine's he decided to do a bit too much this year, so we won't be using his examples today (and since I don't know what they are yet that will be pretty easy)!  I gave my gift to the hubby a bit early this year because I wanted to be able to post.

I was originally told we each had a $10 limit but doubled it for my gift to Chris.  Still, at $25 I was able to give him something I knew he would both enjoy but would also last longer than a box of chocolates.  Let's face it, most inexpensive Valentine's Day gifts are geared towards women: chocolate, flowers, stuffed animals, etc.  I wanted to make it personal, but also "practical."  So I give you...the Valentine's Cake Pop.

Cake pops are huge right now, we even had a Cake Pop Co. open its doors here in Springfield after being an online order only company.  Check it out, you can still make online orders and she will ship them to you.  And I can tell you from experience, they are amazing!  After this week's endeavor into making my own, I now give her that much more credit and realize why the cost may seem a bit high (though its really not once you realize the time and effort it takes to make them perfect).

I used the infamous Bakerella recipe and set out to buy my supplies. First stop: Hobby Lobby.  I find that they are a bit cheaper than Michael's and they are also closer to my house.  I picked up some red melting candies, the popsicle sticks, styrofoam and a cute little red and white heart box to put them in.  I also found that I was in love with the Hobby Lobby baking craft isle so don't be surprised if I end up back there again (I can hear my husband's mouth salivating right now). Then it was off to Wal-Mart to find cake and icing.  I did a little paroozing down the Valentine's isle and picked up a bottle of heart shaped sprinkles to put on the pops, then headed to the baking isle.  I really wanted red velvet cake but couldn't find a box mix for it so settled on chocolate cake and icing.  The best part about this special treat is you can make it whatever cake and icing your loved one craves.  Hubby loves vanilla but has never complained about chocolate and I thought chocolate fit the holiday a bit more.  All in all, I spent just about $25 for his gift.

You can check out the recipe yourself on Bakerella, but I've also posted it below.  Let me tell you a little something first...I started at 10:30am by baking the cake.  I finally finished the last pop at about 3pm.  This is a time consuming project, especially since you have to wait for the cake to cook entirely and the melting of the candies takes a bit of time to do it right without burning them.  I can tell you, I could have used more candies.  I made 50 cake pops but still have a few left in the freezer that are in need of candy covering.  Maybe this time I'll let the hubby pick out whatever color he wants (anyone want to put money on if he chooses green to match his Camaro).  The finished product looked a little something like this...not bad for my first ever attempt!

Most importantly, I had a lot of fun making these!  A few suggestions for a Valentine's on a Dime:
- Be creative, whether with food or art.  My hubby loved that I made something and did something fun.
- Do something together.  No need to spend money if you live in a warmer climate, do something outside like hiking or biking or even camping!  If it's colder, stay in, make a dinner together and then make s'mores over the fire in your fireplace with music playing and a bottle of wine.
- Coupon books, though cheesy, can be fun.  For the week or days leading up to Valentine's, leave little notes in your loved ones books, briefcase, even on the bathroom mirror, little "IOUs" and then have them all fulfilled by or on Valentine's Day. 

So...what are your Valentine's day plans?  Are you going all out or keeping it low key? 
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Cake Pop Recipe:
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper (I used foil and it worked fine)
Candy Melts (1lb pkg...I could have used a little extra)
Lollipop Sticks (50 to be safe)
Any other decorations you want!

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
6. Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
8. Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

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