St. Patrick's Day: Chocolate Dipped Peeps

I know, it's a bit late for St. Paddy's Day but ya never know...you may have all the goods on hand and some extra time as this is super easy and super quick and super-duper yummy! If not, save it for Easter...Peeps will be around for a while, no?

You will need:
*marshmallow peeps
*craft sticks, coffee stirrers, etc.
*chocolate chips
*glass measuring cup
*butter knife
*sprinkles
*egg carton
*wax paper
*spoons (optional)

scrumdilly-do it!

To set up, open up pack o' Peeps and jab 'em with a popsicle stick. Lay atop a sheet of wax paper and prep your egg carton by barely poking a pencil or other pointed object through the points. A one-dozen container will have five points which is perfect so you won't get too kooky dipping peeps. If you don't have sticks, no worries, make sure to keep out that sheet of wax paper.

Fill your one cup glass measure with chocolate chips and pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove and stir, stir, stir. If chips need more melting pop 'em back in and heat some more. Make sure your glass container is completely dry before hand. Any water will make your chocolate seize and it will be no good for dipping. My chips meted after 60 seconds.

Bring melty chocolate to your work surface and have your kiddo(s) dip sticked peeps into the ooey-goodness. Position into the poked holes in your egg carton and sprinkle with jimmies or other decorating bits. Continue until each Peep is dipped. If you do not have a carton or sticks, lay Peeps atop wax paper after dipping. Put the whole mess into fridge to set.

After 15 minutes or so, the Peeps should be set enough for eatin', enjoy!

st. patrick's day: make a minty milkshake!

This one may even compete with you-know-whose. Nothing unique and original about a mint milkshake. This one utilizes the entire blender but you can serve it up into smaller juice glasses for fun. Cut a few straws in half to make it more festive, add a dollop of whipped cream and a few chopped up pastel junior mints (and/or rainbow sprinkles) and your kiddos will be delighted!

We used Breyer's All Natural mint chocolate chip ice cream (about four large scoops) but deigned to add couple o' drops of some green food color just for kicks, we went for the neon green. We added a cup of 2% (reduced fat) milk but then went all goofy by topping each one with a spritz of whipped cream.

Serving it all up in small juice glasses keeps the portion size small and controls ones penchant for over-doing it with toppings and such. Enjoy! 

Quick snack craft

For those antsy times...

What you need:
*prepackaged crescent rolls
*cookie sheet
*chocolate chips or bars
*powdered sugar
scrumdilly-do it:

Whack open that tube of over processed dough (hey, if you only use it once in awhile, you're good.) separate and unfold triangles. Place on cookie sheet.
Have your wee ones gently stretch and pull the triangles or flatten them out to give them a little bit more size. Make sure hands are clean!Add a piece of chocolate bar or a few chocolate chips to center of triangle.Shape dough into crescent shapes and bake according to package directions.Let cool, place on a happy plate and sprinkle with a pinch of powdered sugar. Serve with a small glass of your preferred beverage and enjoy!


You can do this with biscuit dough also or homemade biscuits or french bread. If using already made bread or biscuits, make a small hole or pocket into the bread, add the chocolate and heat in microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Cool and enjoy!