I decided to make Christmas Cake Pops for a Christmas Party we are attending tonight with friends.   I made the Snowmen Cake Pops, but wanted to try my hand at making some Reindeer... you know, because I love a challenge. 

Before you tell me that this one looks like Steve Buscemi - I KNOW.... it was my first try.  And I did mention the Snowmen were much easier, right?!

Reindeer Cake Pops

Ingredients:

• Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
• 3 eggs
• Just less than 1 cup water
• ⅓ cup oil
• Chocolate Candy Melts
• Pretzels - I used the Snyders Butter kind
• Red M&Ms or Red Hot Candies
• White wafer sprinkle candies (for the eyes)
• Foodwriter Edible Markers
• Babycakes Cake Pop Maker

I first made my cake pops with Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix. I use a little less water than the recipe on the box calls for, as I think it is easier to spoon into the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker when it is a bit thicker. Put all of the little cake pops on a cookie sheet and run into the freezer for at least an hour.

While the cake pops freeze, it is time to break your pretzels to make "antlers."  Now this takes practice, and I ate about half the bag every time I broke one off wrong.  Basically you want to gently pull of adjacent corners to make antlers with a bit of a "stalk" to stick down into the pops.

Take the cake pops out and put just a dab of chocolate on the sticks and stick them into the pops. Then run them into the freezer again for another hour. They should come out looking like this:

Gently dip each cake pop into the chocolate candy melts and then into a styrofoam stand.  Immediately (but gently!) push "antlers" into the chocolate and hold for a few seconds to set.  Put into freezer for about an hour to let set.

Once the chocolate has hardened and the antlers are set - the hard part begins.  Using a toothpick dab a bit of chocolate onto the wafers and M&Ms and place gently to make the "face" of Rudolph.   Using an edible pen, make dots for eyes and draw on a smile.  (again, not real thrilled with the edible pens, but it works well enough)   I can tell you that having long nails makes the step a bit difficult - placing those tiny little candies.  (Hence, my Rudolph is channeling Steve Buscemi) 

I don't know if I will ever make these again with as much time as they took, but I am excited to walk into the party with them tonight.  I know they are going to be a bit hit!  And I know they taste even better than they look!

Check out how to make Rudolph Sugar Cookies too!