Brownie Pops and a Giveway!

 

I decided that it was time for me to jump on the cake pop bandwagon.  Cake pops are all the rage now and if Starbucks is getting $2.50 a piece for these little gems, they must me something wonderful, right?    I did some research to learn how to make these lollipop shaped snacks and my brother even volunteered to buy a cake pop and eat it while we skyped so I could see what was inside.

Duncan Hines sent me some coupons as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program.  This was the perfect excuse to try my hand at cake pops.  I decided on brownie pops instead of cake pops for no particular reason - they just sounded good.  

I ended up using a collaboration of recipes that I found on the internet to come up with a process for making my brownie pops.  I will walk you through the steps that I took to make them but keep in mind that it was my first attempt.

I started by baking the Duncan Hines brownie mix according to the directions on the back of the box.  (I followed the instructions for cake like brownies and used 3 eggs instead of 2.)

The brownies smelled so good when they came out of the oven.  Once they were cool, I crumbled them up with my fingers.

I added a half of a can of Duncan Hines chocolate frosting to the brownie crumbles and stirred it together with a spoon.  (I guessed at the amount of frosting but you need enough frosting to stick your brownie crumbs together.)

 

It was starting to look promising at this point.  I scooped the mix with my small cookie scoop and rolled it into balls.

My daughter wanted to help.  (I think it was the smell of brownies that lured her into the kitchen.)  It was really a perfect opportunity for her to help because we are taking these brownie pops to school to celebrate her birthday this week. 

We placed them on a waxed paper lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for an hour.

Before I pulled them out of the freezer, I got my lollipop sticks ready and I melted some white chocolate.  

I pulled the tray of brownie balls out of the freezer and one at a time, I inserted a stick and then dipped it into the melted chocolate.

I bought a small block of Styrofoam to hold my brownie pops and I inserted each one into the block once it had been dipped.

 

I did have some trouble with the chocolate dripping from the bottom of the pops so I had to wipe the excess chocolate as it dripped.  (I haven't quite figured out how to solve this problem yet.  If you have any tips - let me know. )

Once they were all dipped, we cleaned up while letting the chocolate dry slightly.  (Cleaning up may have been even more fun than the baking.)

Once the chocolate had set, I melted some semisweet chocolate in the microwave and put it into a plastic bag for decorating.  I cut the tip off of one corner of the bag and drizzled chocolate over the pops.

 

I also tried to sprinkle some peppermint crunch on top but I had a hard time getting it to stick.  You can see from my picture that I only tried it once.  

The brownie pops were really fun to make and they were really good.  The chocolaty brownie centers are sure to be a big hit with the kids at the birthday celebration.

Thanks again to the generous people at Duncan Hines for providing me with the delicious brownie mix and frosting for my brownie pops.  Duncan Hines is also making it easier for you to try this recipe by giving away 6 free Duncan Hines coupons to my blog readers.  The first 6 people to leave a comment on my blog will receive a coupon good for a free Duncan Hines product.  (It must be a comment on my blog and not on my facebook page.)  I will announce the winners on tomorrow's blog so make sure you check back. Good Luck.

Bon Appetit!