Jikana Damaru

Cookie Pops - Recipe, Tips, Tricks and Pics

If you follow my blog you will know I am a big fan of the cookie pop - they make an appearance regularly on my dessert tables. I love that they do not require you to bake a cake and they look so lovely when displayed on a cake stand or lined up on a platter.

I have had a few people ask me how I make my cookie pops so today I will give you my recipe - this recipe originally came from Linda from Bubble and Sweet and all the quantities work perfectly for me - she has a great tutorial over there is you would like to see her version. I will also give you a few more tips and tricks that have helped me. My first batch was a disaster but I persevered and practice has made perfect (maybe not perfect but not bad!) At the end of my post you can see my various combinations and creations from the past few months.

You will need

1 packet of tim tams (or Oreo's)

80g cream cheese

1 packet of choc melts or candy melts

1 packet of lollipop sticks

First of all break up your tim tams into a food processor and then give them a quick blend.

Add the cream cheese to the tim tams and process until everything is combined.

Roll the mixture into balls and place on a lined tray.

With one of the lollipop sticks make a hole in each of the balls.

Place the tray of balls into the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.

Place the packet of melts into a microwave safe jug or cup.

Melt on med-low heat in short bursts until the chocolate is starting to melted.

Dip the end of each lollipop stick into the chocolate and then into the hole in each ball so that the chocolate secures the stick. Put the balls back in the fridge until the chocolate has set (this doesn't take long).

Continue to melt the chocolate until it is smooth and then it is time to dip.

Dip each of the balls into the melted chocolate until it is completely covered

Remove the ball from the chocolate and let the excess drip back into the bowl.

Place on a separate lined tray and if using sprinkles to decorate you need to do it now before the chocolate sets enough that they won't stick.

A few tips I have found that make the process much easier

Allow plenty of time for each step - I usually do the first process of making the balls during the day and then at night once the house is quite I do my chocolate dipping and decorating. Sometimes I even do the balls one day and the chocolate dipping the next day.

I have used white chocolate melts, dark chocolate melts and pink wilton candy melts for all of my various pops. I can honestly say that the chocolate melting part is hit and miss for me as it is easy to overheat the chocolate. The various chocolate types also melt and perform differently - my tip here is to have some vegetable oil on hand to add to the chocolate mixture in case it does not smooth easily - copha is also great to add to help with the smoothing process. I also make sure I have lots of extra chocolate on hand just in case!

I have used tim tams but these are a very Australian biscuit - if you can't find them use oreo cookies instead as they also work really well with this recipe.

When you dip your sticks you need to make sure you cover the entire ball - this means you really need to melt the entire packet of chocolate so that it is deep enough for dipping - I usually use a pyrex jug to melt in and I also find a deep narrow coffee mug works well.

I like to decorate my pops with coloured sprinkles to match my theme - it is important that you do this the minute you have dipped and placed each pop on your tray so the sprinkles are able to are able to stick to the chocolate before it sets. I have also found it best to do the sprinkling on a new tray as the sprinkles have a tendency to find the undipped sticks and this means the sprinkles can create lumps under your chocolate or be left in the chocolate mixture.

I usually use regular tim tams for my pops but with my easter pops I had a go at using white tim tams as I wanted to see the difference it made to the look - the white tim tams definitely made it look whiter but I think from my little survey (with my 5 year old cookie pop expert) that the regular tim tams taste nicer as they are not as sweet - white chocolate is very sweet so combined with the chocolate melts it is a definite overload!

I hope you have enjoyed my little tutorial and my tips help make your first attempt a little easier.

Here are some pictures of my cookie pops from the past few months - all quite different!

Pink pops with white, pink and yellow sprinkles for Sofia's Bubblegum and Soda Party

(see them here)

White pops with silver sprinkles for my Christmas Table

(more here)

Delicious dark chocolate pops with yellow sprinkles for Tommy's Wild Animal Party

(more here)

White pops using white tim tams and pink sprinkles for my Easter table

(more of this one here)

Images: Sweet Style

Linking up with A Beach Cottage - come and see how everyone else is having a good life!

and My 3 Boybarians

My Easter Table 2011 Part One

Easter Butterfly Bird Houses

My Easter Tree, Easter Hanging Butterflies, Découpage Eggs

Easter chocolate lollipops

Butterfly Floral Napkin Holders

In my Easter table part one I am sharing with you pics of my Easter table with links to my posts about how to make, where to buy, etc. the parts to my Easter table. Tomorrow I will share with you more photos with what is yet to come!

Last Monday I hosted my Easter tea party. I had stayed up late Sunday night piping and decorating the cupcakes after an afternoon of playing in my folks' garden with my niece and nephew. I woke up early Monday morning to a beautiful sunny day. As the weather was gorgeous, which is so rare in rainy old England, it seemed a shame not to enjoy it. As I set up my Easter table I made a last minute decision to make my Easter table more like a dessert bar inside and set up the garden furniture outside.

As usual, I had not finished taking all my photos as the guests arrived. So, whilst I poured Pimm's for the adults and juice for the kids one of my sweet guests took over from me on the photo helm. Thank you Liam!

Although my guests didn't get to sit in front of their little bird house place settings, they got to take them home. Molly was especially delighted by her pretty pink one that matched her bunny outfit!

Have a sweet day!

♥ Loving Planning with Kids and Kikki K giveaways!

I've been a mad follower of Nicole Avery over at Planning with Kids for ages now. Her blog attracted me because (a) the word ‘planning’ always attracts me because I am a planning freak; (b) she has, like, LOTS of kids (Five! Four boys! ...!) and (c) she plans those kids into a happy, harmonious existence. She is so well-plannned, in fact, that I’ve read her posts for ages and she has never once mentioned that she would like to drop those kids off at the local pound and head for the hills with her ever-patient husband, Phil.

Nic’s blog and I are a match made in heaven – for me. Nic writes the posts with the great ideas and I just implement them at my place. I’m not entirely sure what she gets out of the relationship, but hey, that's just the way some great connections of the heart go, right?

Now I'm excited because Nic has authored an amazing, must-have, cannot-put-it-down-because-it’s-just-so-chock-full-of- the-good-stuff book. It's creatively titled ‘Planning with Kids’ (just so you don’t miss her). I know what you're thinking. You're thinking how on earth does a mother of five kids find the time? Well, she finds the time because she has read her own book.

Here’s what Nic had to say about the whole thing.

So, Nic, how did you get to be so beautifully organised anyway?

Nicole Avery: My husband. I was really all over the place, living from pay to pay before I met my husband. He helped (made!) me save so I could go overseas on my own. I started learning some internal discipline from him. I had always been organised at work and very planned in how I approached the projects I was working on, but until I met Phil, I struggled to transfer this into my personal life.

Have there been days when you’ve wanted to ditch the Planning with Kids thing and just be into, you know, Planning Without Kids?

NA: No, my corporate background before kids was performance management, call centre management and project management. While I loved the order part, sorting, scheduling and making things happen, it didn’t give me an emotional connection. My absolute favourite thing about blogging is the emails I receive from mums who write to tell me how my posts have helped them – you can’t beat that.

What do you do when you have ‘those’ days?

NA: Music is a big part of my life and can help me keep it together. If it is one of those days and it is me who is struggling, then I go for calming music. I tweeted recently that this is my calming song: What I thought of you – Holly Throsby. Listening to it makes me feel better. The whole album is great actually. If it is one of those days and it is the kids who need calming then I will often head outside. Four out of our five kids are boys, so when they are all going a bit mad I will head outside and kick the footy with them.

What three things do you not leave home without?

Nappies
Water
Lip gloss

What do you keep in your car for emergencies?

Nappy wipes – is there much they can’t do?
Change of clothes for toddler – he always needs them.
Tissues – you can never have enough really.
Old plastic shopping bags. Tied up for safety of course, but always find a use for them - wet clothes, vomit, rubbish, etc.
A hidden $20 note. We have coins as well, but I sometimes get stuck without cash and it can mean I can run into the shop and get a couple of loaves of bread (one doesn’t go far at PWK) and not have to go a bank before hand.

What might be the biggest ‘planning’ mistake that a lot of parents make?

NA: To not have routines for the kids or themselves. Routines can sound limiting, but I have found that by establishing good routines you have a really solid foundation to cope with all other aspects (crises!) of family life.

And, Nic, what’s for dinner tonight at your place?

NA: Pumpkin Soup. Not very exciting but its easy to cook, everyone loves it and pumpkins are a great price at the moment.

I love Nicole’s work and I love her book . I’m in it, you know… page 255…up towards the top… see, that's really me in an actual book. A real book. Not just a book in my head.

Best bit is, if you're a follower of either Planning with Kids or Maxabella loves... you can WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK with me in it. And to help you on your way to becoming a Planner with Kids, I'm including some other yummy Kikki K stuff. I love Kikki K and this is all stuff I use myself. Cute stationery with swedish cheekbones!

One lucky follower will win... (apologies for the shite photography once again. I think I go okay with the composition, but the rest is just point, press and hope for the best...)

1. A copy of Planning with Kids

2. A jar of heart paper clips for clipping all that paperwork that infiltrates our castle walls

3. A box of Family Conversation Starters to spark the dinnertime chit-chat

4. A To Do list to help get your thoughts organised.

5. A sweet little owl notebook because the owl is sweet and you can never have too many notebooks.

6. Some heart magnets because if I have a bird, I have to have a heart.

7. A shopping list and a little notebook because they were free with my purchase of all of the above.

So, there you have it!

Just leave a comment on this post revealling your best organisational tip for home or family.

Tweet this post for an extra entry (leave me a comment to let me know you tweeted).

Facebook for another one (leave me a comment to let me know you’ve faced).

Post about the competition and you'll get two extra entries (leave a comment to let me know you've posted!).

And spread the good word about the new parenting bible Planning with Kids wherever you go because it is just that good (especially page 255). We've all heard those fattish blokes at BBQs say ‘it's a shame this parenting thing doesn’t come with a manual’ (ho, ho). Well, buddy, now you’re not just very not-funny, you’re also very wrong. Personally I'm stocking up so I can give a copy of Nic's book to every new mum I encounter. Robin B, I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to move over and make a little room.

Have fun on this amazing journey, Nic! x

Entries close on Friday 6th May at 5.00pm Sydney time. I'll randomly draw the winner out of a hat and post their name on Sunday, 8th May. Good luck! x

during

the school holidays

my girls were booked in to a four day

swimming program

which meant less pj mornings

& a lot more happy smiles

& they enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed photographing them doing what they love

yellow

I love these flowers that just seem to float in the air. They are so delicate & grow so freely.

head over to Mamma-razzi to join in with this weeks theme of 'yellow'

THAT dress...

Hello to you... did you watch Kate n Will's wedding over the weekend? According to the media (who are never wrong) an estimated 2 billion people tuned in to the big event; a figure which equates to a third of the world's population, which to me seems a bit rich when you consider what is going on in some of the countries around the world presently....

But anyway - I put the kids to bed, kicked the husband out and brought out my secret stash of Easter eggs to watch the wedding in all its spectacle. I have to admit, I loved almost every moment... The trees lining the isle in that church. The ecstatic crowd. The beautiful music. And THAT dress.

No pressure on Kate. I mean, everybody stresses somewhat about what to wear to their wedding. Can you imagine facing that dilema knowing that every camera in the Western world will be pointed at you, scrutinising every detail to muse over for decades to come?

But I think most of us will agree the girl got it right... What an exquisite, regal, modern-meets-traditional gown it was. Let's face it, Kate is a stunning girl who may well have looked glam in a hessian sack. She was always going to wow the crowd, and wow she did. I loved the lace and that simple veil (layered over a deliciously un-simple tiara by Cartier!) and the detailing on the back of the dress leading to that beautiful train... the only thing I will say that disturbed me just the tiniest bit (and quite possibly I am the only person amongst 2 billion who feels this way) was the way the dress formed over her bust; at first I thought she was a bit 'nipply' at the front until I realised it was the way the dress was made. I don't love that cut, and if it were me (I wish!) I would have gone a bit more flat-across-the-front. That's just me. What did you think?

But THAT dress made me think about my OWN dress. And how it made me feel wearing it. And how I feel about it now...

I got married almost seven years ago, back when wedding dresses were all tight-across-the-bodice strapless numbers... when I picked up my first bridal magazine, I knew I was in trouble. I am not overly 'traditional,' and whilst I thought those gowns were lovely, they didn't have me melting in my heels. My shoulders are not my favourite asset, I couldn't see myself doing strapless. Flick flick flick flick, these samey samey gowns weren't doing it for me. And I began to get worried.

I drove past the bridal stores, but their window displays didn't lure me in.

And then. I was flicking through yet another bridal magazine when an image caught my eye. In it, was a girl wearing quite possibly the most stunning dress I had ever seen. It was so totally unlike every other dress in that magazine and in that moment I was in. Love.

I rang the number listed in the advertisement. The lady I spoke to explained that they were a Perth-based bridal couture boutique. Great. Only a 12 hour round-plane-trip to buy my dress, then?! But luckily, they had plans to open up in Paddington, Sydney. I left my details.

A month later, I was on my bicycle halfway to Melbourne, dressed in top to toe lycra a million miles away from couture when the phone rang. The boutique was opening in Paddington, and would I like to make the very first appointment?

You betcha.

This was about eight years ago, but I clearly remember that first time I ambled down that narrow sidestreet in Paddington clutching the address in a bit of scrunched up paper. The unassuming terrace door yawned open and I stepped inside heaven.

The label? Pallas.

Inside the terrace was a couple of racks with quite literally the most beautiful dresses I have ever laid eyes on. To this day. I whipped my clothes off and slithered into the first one. Half an hour later, I found the one. And in November of 2004, I walked down the isle in my Pallas Lolita gown floating on a cloud.

When I bought my dress, no one had ever heard of Pallas. And no one had ever seen the shimmery, luminescent crushed silk fabrics and cuts that adorned their dresses .Years on, they have established themselves are one of the leading couture designers in Sydney and tons of celebrities have sashayed down the isle in their gowns. Which kinda rocks my world as I sit here typing in my jammies, knowing that on that one occasion I absolutely got it right, and that all these years later I still love that dress and would pick it again tomorrow with no hesitation.

It was risque. It was risKY. It was the type of dress your grandmother would cluck disapprovingly at. And it was ME.

Here's a few happy snappys of THAT dress. My dress.

How do you feel about YOUR dress all these years on? Shall we toast the royal nuptials with a dress-off? Why not post and share YOUR wedding dress pics, then linkup below -- I'd LOVE to see your wedding frocks! x

Sister's Maternity Photoshoot

First off, THANK YOU! for all the sweet comments on my last post. We are so thrilled and excited about our baby girl! It was such a great feeling to see our healthy baby moving, stretching, and kicking on the screen! I already love her so much and just think she's the cutest thing :) We also registered for her and bought the crib and dresser that day! (It will be in next weekend, wow!) All the excitement has drained me! But today is my sisters baby shower, so in honor of her and her baby girl due in May, here are some maternity photos I took just recently for her! I took a ton, so it was hard to narrow it down, but here are my favorites: