If you’re in need of a fun, quick, delicious treat for your next holiday party then you’ll need to make these adorable Christmas Tree Marshmallow Pops! Thanks to Meaghan of The Decorated Cookie for providing this guest post and such an adorable holiday treat!

Greetings dear readers of JavaCupcake! I’m Meaghan, of The Decorated Cookie, where I blog about sweet and easy food crafts. It’s not easy to fill the shoes (fill the measuring cups? let’s go with measuring cups) of baker extraordinaire Betsy, so I’m thrilled she let me visit today.

I share Betsy’s love of baking, but I also love shortcuts. Because aren’t we all so busy all the time? I mean, not for checking facebook, which I always have time for, but for everything else. One of my favorite sweets to decorate is store-bought marshmallows. I do a lot of marshmallow decorating. Too much marshmallow decorating, though my two kids would say you can never have enough marshmallows.

These Christmas tree marshmallow pops are simple to make, yummy to eat, and impressive to display or give. To serve at a holiday party, wrap a Styrofoam block (found at the craft store) with red or green tissue paper and prop in the block. To give as gifts, once the candy has fully hardened, place a small cellophane bag (also at the craft store, gosh I love the craft store) over the marshmallow and tie with ribbon.

You can also pipe any design you like on the marshmallows. Try holly or wreaths. For a non-denominational marshmallow, dip the marshmallows in blue, pipe green evergreen trees and dust with confectioner’s sugar for snow. See? Marshmallows have endless possibilities.

If you’re new to marshmallow pops, here are a few tips. I added vegetable shortening to the candy melts, which is optional, but it makes for much easier dipping, as the melts are thinner. I didn’t add vegetable shortening to the green candy melts, because I didn’t want the candy too runny. And I only snip a tiny bit off of the decorating bag so I have control over the piping. Candy melts dry pretty quickly, so add the sprinkles after each tree you pipe, not at the end. Once you get the hang of dipping and piping, these marshmallow pops are a quick and easy Christmas dessert you can whip up in minutes.

Christmas tree marshmallow pops

Yield: 10 pops

Christmas tree marshmallows are a quick and easy treat to make for the holidays.

Ingredients

10 marshmallows
10 lollipop sticks or straws
1 cup red candy melts
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 cup green candy melts
1 disposable 12-inch decorating bag
rainbow non-pareil sprinkles
Styrofoam block

Instructions

Skewer the marshmallows with the lollipop sticks or straws and set aside.
In a deep, microwave-safe container, place the red candy melts and the shortening. A glass measuring cup works well. Microwave at 70 percent power for 90 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave at 30 second, then 15 second, intervals until fully melted and smooth when well stirred.
Dip a marshmallow into the melted red candy, gently tap on the side of the container to remove excess, and prop in the Styrofoam block. Dip all the marshmallows and let dry well, about 30 minutes.
Place the green candy melts in a disposable decorating bag. Place the bag on a paper towel in the microwave. Microwave for 90 seconds at 70 percent power. Massage the bag and continue to microwave at 15 second intervals until the candy melts are fully melted.
Snip 1/4 inch from the tip of the bag. Place a marshmallow on its side and pipe a Christmas tree on a marshmallow. Immediately sprinkle with sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining marshmallows. Prop in the Styrofoam block and let dry well, at least an hour.
Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.