Cakepop Therapy

So a little while back my dear sisterchickfriend Renae sent me a link to this blog and said "hey, let's get together and make some of these." Okay. Somewhere along the way Nae picked up the supplies and that was as far as we got. Then Valentine's Day was quickly approaching which is also the day 2 years ago that our fellow sisterchickfriend Lori lost her mom. What to do? Send flowers? a bit too cliche and not smart to have a heavy and breakable object so close at hand. Take her to lunch? in her jammies? Um. No. Food and laughter would be the thing. Little did we know that this particular project would fit the bill in a BIG way. We had LOTS of learns along the way. Like do not make these cake pops with pale pink cake mixed with white frosting. You get a little too realistic flesh tone that then needs to be rolled into balls. Ewww. I am cracking up as I type. Also maybe each person participating should thoroughly read the instructions first so that if one person screws up misses a step, the others can catch it. So some of our learns that we'd like to pass on to you?
1. Plan more than 2 hours for this project.
2. Try really hard to find little flower cookie cutters to shape the bottom of the cupcake. If yours are too big the resulting cakepop will weigh roughly the same as a small bowling ball be a little too heavy and promptly slide down it's stick. This is great for instigating a wild fit of giggles, but not so great for making cakepops that look like bakerella's.
3. As mentioned above, read and follow the directions. It is fairly important for the sticks to be inserted BEFORE the candy coating hardens. Even if you have someone that thinks they are the smartest of the sisters and a metal skewer.
4. This project should not be attempted alone. This is definitley a project that needs friends.
5. Remember that while making cakepops it is okay to laugh.......and to cry.
6. If you want lots of great photos of the experience for your own blog, don't leave your camera at home by the door.

Really that's it. Any more instructions will take away from your own experience of learning, laughing and loving your cakepops in the end. Oh and if you can handle the texture, they do turn out to be quite yummy. And if not? It is still cheaper than therapy or a trip to the ER to remove a rusty ice pick from yourself or a loved one.....and a heckuva lot better way to spend a Saturday afternoon!