Down the bunny hole push-up pop treats and a giveaway.

I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use my new push-up pop containers and couldn't resist using the modeling chocolate bunny butts I made for my Ravenous Rabbit Cupcakes to create these Down the Bunny Hole treats. I made these the same day I made my cupcakes, which was a few weeks ago, and thought, "oh this is such an original idea." To make sure that is was, I searched in Internet to see if anyone else had already published a tutorial and didn't find a thing.

I was so excited to share this tutorial and giveaway, but wanted to wait, so that I didn't have two giveaways going at the same time. Yesterday I wrote my tutorial and had just finished writing the details of a giveaway by my new sponsor Smidge & Pinch Cupcakes and Posh Party Supplies. I copied the tutorial and went to send it to Theresa who owns Smidge & Pinch and noticed that she has a Facebook page for her site. I hadn't yet visited her Facebook page, so I thought I should do that. I opened the page, scrolled down just a bit and about fell out of my chair. There on her page was a picture of almost the identical push up pops. I followed the link and found that they were created by Lynlee's Petite Cakes (see her amazing Easter sweets and decorations including her push-up pops here.) She is wildly talented.

I wasn't surprised at all that someone else came up with this idea, but  I was stunned at how much the bunnies in our treats looked alike.

Now I was in a pickle.

I always do my research and try to make sure I'm not publishing something that someone else has already done. I want my site to be filled with unique edible crafts and work hard to create things that are clever and new. I've come up with edible craft ideas before, then found very similar projects already out there, so I either change it a lot or don't use it. I LOVE this Easter push pop treat and after much debate, I decided to share my tutorial with you because Lynlee doesn't offer any instructions for making her pops.

There are a few differences in our pops; she filled her push-up pop containers with chocolate pudding and Oreo Cookie crumbs, where I used chocolate cake dirt and green coconut grass instead. Either way you make them, they are adorably cute. 

They are a bit top heavy, so you'll want to secure them in a push pop display or do what I did and add shredded tissue paper in a basket and nestle them in the shred.

Down the Bunny Hole Push-Up Pop Treats (makes 12)

Before you begin, you will need to make white modeling chocolate. Click here for the recipe and directions on adding color, as well as, troubleshooting information. 

Ingredients:

1 recipe white modeling chocolate (recipe here)
pink candy coloring 
powdered sugar to dust work surface
corn syrup to "glue" the modeling chocolate pieces together
12 chocolate cupcakes (or 1 - 8" cake)
1 cup chocolate frosting
1 cup sweetened coconut*
green food coloring

*If you or your kids don't like coconut, you can use edible Easter grass. It comes in long strands which could easily be cut into smaller pieces. You might need two packages. I bought mine at Walgreen's but also saw it at Target. You can also buy it on Amazon.com here.



Supplies Needed:

#12 round pastry tip and # 6 round pastry tips, optional
rolling pin, optional
12 push-up pop containers
pastry bag or zip top bag
quart size zip top bag

Instructions:

Optional: Pinch off about two tablespoons of white modeling chocolate and color it light pink. Note: The pink candy coloring is vibrant, so use just a tiny amount of it to make your pink. Lightly dust work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the pink modeling chocolate as thin as possible. Press the small end of the #6 round pastry tip into the clay, twist, then pull up. Continue doing this until you fill the pastry tip with small rounds of pink modeling chocolate. Turn it upside down and allow rounds to fall out. You'll need 72 tiny rounds. Do the same making 24 larger rounds using the #12 tip. 

Alternately: you could just pinch off very small amounts of the pink modeling chocolate and roll them into balls then flatten to make your circles. This will take more time, though.

Pinch off teaspoon size pieces of white modeling chocolate. Roll into balls, then flatten into an oblong shape creating 24 bunny feet. 

Dip a fine tip paint brush or toothpick into corn syrup. Brush onto the center of each foot. Press one pink round onto each foot. Brush three small dots of corn syrup around the edge of each foot and press on three tiny pink rounds. You can use water instead for this step. I think the corn syrup will hold the larger pieces in the next step a bit better than the water, though.

Pinch off 12 pieces of white modeling chocolate (a little less than a tablespoon) and roll them into balls for the bunny bodies. Pinch off 12 pea size pieces of white and roll them into balls for the tails.  Pinch off 24 slightly smaller pieces and roll into balls, then flatten on either side to make little legs. Brush the top of each large ball with a dab of corn syrup. Attach a tail. To make your tails look fuzzy, use a knife to jab at the ball pulling out little tufts of modeling chocolate all around it. Attach two legs with corn syrup then attach a foot on each leg.

Allow your modeling chocolate bunny butts to dry for at least an hour so they are easier to handle.

If you don't have a stand for your push-up pops, you'll want to secure them somehow before filling with the cake. I filled a large basket with shredded paper and it worked great, but I'm thinking about buying a stand for future use. I'm sure it is much easier if you have one to keep the push pops from toppling over while your filling them, plus it offers a wonderful way to display your push pop treats.

Crumble up the cupcakes and stir in 2 tablespoons of chocolate frosting. You want the mixture to be loose and crumbly so it looks like dirt. I mixed my cake and frosting in my Kitchen-Aid Mixer, which worked great. 

Assemble the push-up pop containers then fill them about 3/4 full with the crumbled cake.

Put remaining frosting in a pastry bag or zip top bag and snip off the tip and pipe some frosting into the center of each push-up pop (don't fill to the edge, you want the coconut to show around the edge, not the frosting.) 

Put coconut in a zip top bag. Add a few drops of green food coloring, close bag, and shake. Add more coloring if needed, shake again, being sure all the coconut is colored green. Sprinkle the green coconut around the frosting, filling each container to the top. Pipe on a bit more frosting in the center of the coconut. Press one bunny butt onto the frosting. 

Your Down the Bunny Hole Push-Up Pop Treats are ready to serve. You can cover them with plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature for a day, maybe two. 

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Items used to make this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)

Enter to win a $25 Gift Card to Smidge and Pinch

Giveaway/Sweepstakes

Prize:

$25 gift certificate to Smidge and Pinch Cupcake and Posh Party Supplies

Mandatory Entry: 

Leave a comment below. That's it. It's that simple. You can tell me what you think about the treat, bunny butts, my dilemma, your chocolate cravings, whatever.

But, if you'd like to increase your chances of winning you can do any of the following 
to get bonus entries.

Extra entries:  

1 entry if you visit the Smidge and Pinch site and come back here and tell me at least one item you'd like to buy using the gift certificate (aside from the push-up pop containers)

1 entry if you "Like" Hungry Happenings on Facebook

1 entry if you follow Hungry Happenings via GFC

1 entry if you Pin this recipe on Pinterest

Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Contest runs through April 5, 2012. Winner to be drawn at random from all valid entries. Entrants must reside in the United States and be over 18 years of age. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. Odds of winning are based on the total number of valid entries (maximum of five entries per person.) Winner will be notified and have 72 hours to respond. If the winner doesn't  respond in that time frame another winner will be chosen. This contest is sponsored by Smidge and Pinch but all of my opinions mentioned above are true and honest.