Zombie Week Day 3 - Brain pops

It's still Zombie Week here at Bubble and Sweet and today I made Brain Cake pops.

I've always said everything is cuter when you put it on a stick, really I wrote a whole book about it, and Zombies are just like everyone else. They like to play with their food and if it's not running away from them the next best thing is on a stick.

I've used an Easter egg mold to make these brains. I have brain molds, don't you worry. Lots of brain molds big ones, medium ones, medium small ones.

However I just don't have any actual small ones that would be just right for a cake pop.

But when I was looking through my mold boxes I saw the 'cracked' Easter egg mold that's the perfect size and really it's not like my kids are neurosurgeons, well not yet, so I was betting they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Cute stripe lollipop stick from Polkadot Prints

Plus I'm not adverse to saving money and I really love saving space in my creative room. So I just went with my Easter egg molds. (I've popped a link below for all of you that really want authentic looking brains )

I think they look not bad as brains at all, plus for Easter I'm thinking I can just photoshop the colors, pop ears on the skulls and use the same tutorial ;)

Oh I just couldn't help myself today and I had to shabby chic up the pictures in a Halloweenish way, but at least there weren't any doilies.

Zombie brains on a stick
(makes 12)

280g (10 oz) red candy melts
Cake pop mixture (CLICK HERE for 1 box cake pop recipe mixture or use your fav recipe)
12 lollipop sticks (mine from Polkadot prints)


Place red candy melts in microwave safe dish and microwave on medium low for 2 minutes, remove stir, return for another 2 minutes at medium low and stir. The candy melts should be smooth and fluid.

Spoon enough melted candy into the egg 'brain' mold to coat each 'brain' indent.

Place into fridge and chill for a few minutes until set.

Take cake pop mixture and press into each indent until it reaches just below the rim.

Make sure the red candy melt is still fluid (if not return to microwave at medium low for a minute and stir).

Turn the mold upside down on a tray lined with baking/parchment paper and twist to gently remove each shape.

Spoon enough mixture into the top of each brain and spread evenly over the cake pop mixture.

Place a lollipop stick into the back of the 'brain' in the still melted red candy and then place onto the baking tray flat side down to set. Place in fridge for a few minutes until set.

Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.





Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer for Bubble and Sweet do not reuse without permission.

 

Zombie Week - Zombie brain munch popcorn

Mmmmm braaains.

Day 2 of Zombie Week on the Bubble and Sweet blog and I've whipped up some Zombie Brain Munch popcorn.


This is a link to the youtube tutorial:

It pretty much takes next to no time to make up and once again the kids loved it.

I made up my own Zombie eyes using white chocolate and M&M's but you can easily find gummy eyeballs around at the supermarket at this time of the year if you want to skip that step.

 I'm planning on some brain pops for tomorrows Day 3 Zombie week offering.

If you missed day 1 of Zombie week be sure to check out my post on Zombie Splat cookies: CLICK HERE

Zombie Brain Munch Popcorn 

8 cups plain popcorn
375 grams (131/4 oz)  white chocolate
120 grams (4 1/4 oz) green candy melts (or you can use dark chocolate)
1 cup of brain candy (I used berry lollies or use gummy brains)
1/3 cup candy eyes approx - see instructions below of buy ready made gummy ones

Place the white chocolate into a microwave safe dish and microwave at medium low heat for 2 minutes, stir and then heat for another 2 minutes at medium low. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

In a large bowl stir the white chocolate through the popcorn until it is evenly distributed.

Pour the chocolate covered popcorn into a tray lined with foil and spread out evenly.

Melt the green candy melts/chocolate in the microwave at medium low heat until smooth. Place in a small ziplock bag and then randomly squeeze onto the white chocolate covered popcorn until the green candy/chocolate is all used.

Push the 'brains' and 'eyes' onto the top of the tray of popcorn.

Allow the popcorn to set and then cut into pieces to serve.

Zombie eyes

This makes a stack of eyes and you will not need all of them for the popcorn. You can either reduce the recipe by 1/3rd or keep the rest for other decorating or munching.
 
85g (3oz)
80 M&M's or candy coated chocolate buttons (I used light blue, red and pink)
black edible pen

 
Melt chocolate at medium low heat 2 minutes, stir heat for another 2 minutes at medium low heat.

Place the white chocolate into a piping bag or clean zip-lock bag and cut a small hole in the end.

Pipe out rows of white chocolate dots that are just larger than the M&M's you are using.

Push a M&M into each white chocolate dot.

Once the white chocolate is set, draw a black circle in the center of each M&M.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer for Bubble and Sweet do not reuse without permission.

ZOMBIE WEEK - Zombie Splat Cookies

It's Zombie week here at Bubble and Sweet.

I'm trying to make up for the reduced baking, sharing and posting lately with a week filled with easy and fun to make Zombie treats.

It seemed fitting seeings as I have been feeling and looking a bit like a zombie in the past few weeks myself. But totally in a 'Warm Bodies' type way 'cause I haven't been completely soulless.

These Zombie Week sweets are the kind of easy to make mildly gross types of food my kids think are cool to make and eat.

First up I've made some zombie splat cookies. I thought up these cookies way back when I made my Alien Zombie Brain Eating Monster Cake Pops, the 'pops' kinda looked like they were melting which made me think of the cult 'Mr Melty' snowman cookie by Meaghan at The Decorate Cookie and I thought - hey melting zombie cookie that would be kinda cool. But I am not really sure that Zombies melt, I think they're more likely to decay so I've decided I would splat them instead.

This is the link to the Video Tutorial:

To make the splat shape I used cookie cutters I have had for years from Ikea - they are blue plastic and come in a big round set and I have used them many times in the past on this blog. I like the irregular shapes but the ones I liked were a bit too small so I had to push them out with the roller before baking. I've made a quick video tutorial which shows how I did the rolling out - I recommend watching the video for the cookie part plus it shows how to attach and roll the fondant out to shape using the same technique.

If you don't have a irregular cookie cutter shape you could draw a template onto clean cardstock/paper and then use that in place of a cookie/fondant cutter using a sharp knife to cut around your template.

Join me tomorrow for Day 2 of Zombie Week (insert zombie music here) for Zombie Braaaaain Munch popcorn. Mmmmmm brains.

Zombie Splat Cookies
These are tiny 1 or 2 bite size cookies so the cookie dough will make around 80ish. I halved my dough and used the other side for a different project. Cookie dough can be wrapped and frozen in airtight container for a couple of months, defrost in the fridge still in the container when ready to use. If you do not like fondant you can easily use royal icing instead.

Cookies in irregular shapes * see below for recipe
Green fondant (mine is white Bakels coloured with Wilton Kelly Green and americolor Electric Green)
Fruit burst berry jelly lollies (eg nordic berries or gummy brains in the US)
Edible eyes (buy or make your own CLICK HERE for diy instructions)
water (or edible glue) and clean brush

Dust workbench with a little cornflour and then with a small plastic rolling pin roll out the green fondant until quite thin.

Using the same cutter or template you used for the cookie, cut an irregular zombie splat shape out from the fondant and then attach the fondant to the cookie with a small amount of water. Use the rolling pin to push the fondant into place (see the attached video tutorial which gives a good demonstration of this step).

Push a raspberry lolly/brain candy into the top of each cookie and then 2 eyes.

Decorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Sugar Cookie Dough recipe

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)#
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Green Food colour (optional)
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg, vanilla and a few drops of green food colour and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes* and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

*For the zombie splat cookies I like an irregular shape cookie cutter from an Ikea set. I rolled the dough a little thicker than normal, cut out the shape and then used the rolling pin to roll the cookie out a little bigger.
Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Undecorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer for Bubble and Sweet do not reuse without permission.