cool treats

January 23, 2012 2 Comments

frozen banana & granola bites

Have you ever had those chocolate dipped frozen bananas at an amusement park?! If not, let me just tell you that they are fab-u-lous!

Well, this is a twist on that traditional frozen treat.

Here’s what you’ll need: pink melting chocolate (all kinds of colors are available at your local craft store, I picked these up at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores), granola, bananas and wooden sticks (I also picked these up at JoAnns in the wood working section).

And here’s what you do: Cut your bananas, freeze them for at least 2-3 hours, melt your chocolate in either a double boiler or in the microwave (in 8 second intervals until smooth), dip and/or spoon cover the frozen bananas, roll in granola and refreeze for another hour.

These went over big in my house. I hope you like them too! As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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snowmouse ice cream treat

When I was a little girl my brother called me mouse… I won’t go into why… but let’s just say he said I squeaked. Ha! I guess that’s a big brother for you. {smirky grin}

This weekend I was playing around with the boys’ ice cream and instead of making the typical snowman, we came up with the snowmouse. Isn’t he cute!

We used a rainbow Twizzler for his scarf (tip: get it cold and it will stay in position), mini M&Ms for the eyes and nose, small black sprinkles for the mouth and the new Keebler Dark Chocolate Fudge Stripe Cookies for the ears.

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create. Happy Monday!

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splash bash fun food

Food doesn’t have to be complicated to be fun. These “inner tubes” {snicker} went over very well with our guests.

And I wasn’t sure the “rafts” (aka sugar wafers) were going to make the shoot. I actually was probably the worst culprit. They remind me of my childhood and I kept thinking, one more won’t matter. My thighs may feel differently, but they were yummy and perfect for a pool party snack name!

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{Photography by Angie Arthur Photography}

ice cream social dessert table

I LOVE ice cream… and sherbet… and milkshakes… and popsicles… you get the idea {wink}. But it is such a fragile treat that it’s really difficult to serve to a group without winding up with puddles.

So for our new Ice Cream Social collection I challenged myself to come up with some tips and ideas on how to serve this yummy treat. My very first conclusion: go mini.

And my second conclusion: keep it simple. Don’t try to serve too many choices.

We made mini ice cream sandwiches using Kellogg’s Chips Deluxe minis. They were incredibly yummy!

And instead of large buckets of ice cream, I chose to buy individual portion sizes. Like these Edy’s Slow Churned minis,

Klondike Mint Chocolate Chip Bars, and old fashioned push-ups!

There are four HUGE advantages to serving individual portions: (1) you can serve a ton of flavors, (2) you can keep some in the freezer and replenish your table easily, (3) it’s largely self-serve, and (4) you can offer a number of different serving options.

For instance, guests can just grab the single serve options and go. Or, they can scoop it into a cone. We dipped Kellogg’s Sugar Cones in yellow chocolate and rolled them in sprinkles.

You can serve the cones upside down, but I picked up these cute little snowcone stands at Target, along with the white front opening beverage bucket (LOVE that guests can easily see what’s inside, plus you have a bit more surface area), and the colorful service tray below.

We also set up a banana split bar using dainty little sundae cups topped with wooden ice cream spoons embellished with each child’s name (just handwritten with a Sharpie), bananas of course, and

some super yummy toppings: M&Ms, Keebler Mini Fudge Stripe cookies, butterscotch chips and chocolate chips.

And what goes great with ice cream?! Cake! Our cupcakes are embellished with our Ice Cream Social collection cupcake picks and wrappers (the paper underneath is also part of the collection) and sugar paper rounds (provided by our bakery partners at Sweet Tooth Cottage).

And our fabulous baking partners at Sweet Tooth Cottage made ice cream cone and popsicle (melt-in-your-mouth soft) butter cookies to complement.

They were a crowd pleaser! And not only with the kiddos…

For more Ice Cream Social party ideas, read my other posts & visit the collection in the shoppe:

As always, I hope you’re inspired!

Photography by the talented Angie Arthur Photography. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, make sure and visit her for photography tips, ideas and tons of inspiration!

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frozen banana & granola bites

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frozen banana & granola bites

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snowmouse ice cream treat

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ice cream social dessert table

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blog archives