Once again, I have been missing…but I am definitely still in action!  I never think after a post, “Perhaps I won’t post again for a week or two”.  I get up in the morning and have the best intentions, but alas – before I know it, its time to start dinner and the daylight is gone!
It is not for lack of material for the blog.  There are times when I have so many ideas rolling around in my head that I start a number of different projects at the same time, just so I don’t forget what I want to do!  You should see my work table…maybe that’s not a good idea!  The hope is that I will eventually remember the direction I wanted to go when I get back to work.  Yes…its another one of those “life getting in the way” times in my life.  It’s not good or bad, just the way it is.  The bad news is that I haven’t posted for a while.  The good news?  Now there are lots of things to post about and for.  With that said, on with one of my ideas.

Last week, I stopped by Walmart and came across some Campfire Strawberry and Vanilla flavored heart marshmallows.  I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with them, but hey…Valentine’s Day is coming.  I just couldn’t pass up heart marshmallows!  At least they would look cute in hot chocolate!  But once home, I figured out what to do for a yummy, easy Valentine treat.

Besides the marshmallows, you will need these, or similar supplies:

Candy melts (my choice…Guittard Apeels), candy sprinkles, 6″ lollipop sticks, treat bags and baker’s twine or ribbon.  I lined my cookie sheets with parchment paper to work on. 

First, take a stick and gently push it into the bottom of the heart marshmallow.  Prepare as many of the hearts as you want to dip. 

Next, you will melt the coating.  Do one color/flavor at a time.  I must say that I have really come to love working with Guittard’s Apeels.  They taste yummy, melt smoothly and they dry (set-up) quickly. 

Put about 1/2 pound of the candy melt in bowl or wide-mouth jar.  Make sure the bowl is dry and clean.  Put in the microwave and melt for 30 seconds; stir the candy and repeat for 20 seconds, repeating again if neccessary, 10 seconds at a time.  You don’t want to overheat the candy melts, but it needs to be fairly runny to coat the marshmallow and have a smooth finish.

Dip the marshmallow into the melted Apeels.  You might need a spoon to drizzle it all over the heart, especially when you get closer to the bottom of the bowl.  Place on the parchment paper to let set.  If the candy starts to set up in the bowl, put it back into the microwave for about 10 seconds, stirring until smooth; keep dipping.  The nice thing is that if you need to walk away from your project, you can remelt the candy later.  Just keep the candy covered.

If you want to add little candies to the top of your dipped heart, sprinkle them right after you dip, otherwise the sprinkles will fall right off. 

You will be able to tell when the candy has set.  If you gently lift the pop up and it comes right off the parchment, it is probably ready to bag.  The bags I had were a little long, so I used my scalloped Fiskars scissors to trim away a bit of the bottom.  Tie up with ribbon or bakers twine.

I thought I would prefer the marshmallow dipped in the dark chocolate Apeels, but the red is vanilla flavored and really delicious.  Make a bunch and they are ready for a party or a bouquet.

Don’t these look good enough to eat?  Well, they are!  One bag of marshmallows has 36 plus pieces (Walmart,$1.25).  One pound of the Apeels ($5.00 at my cake decorating shop, but it’s cheaper in bulk) will cover at least that many hearts.  I used coupons at Michaels for the lollipop sticks and treat bags, so both were about $5.00 for 100 count; baker’s twine isn’t too expensive and I have it by the spool…love it! 

I have to admit – these are super easy to make, delicious to the taste and definitely eye candy!  Rush to Walmart asap and get yourself a bag of these marshmallows before they disappear!  But before you go, I have a quick little giveaway.  I have been using a lot of baker’s twine, and I have five different colors of reds and pinks. 

I think I should share.  Leave a comment and I will pick a winner Monday night and announce it Tuesday morning.  Good luck and have fun with your “loverly” preparations!  This giveaway is now closed!