This weekend I had a blast working in the kitchen creating these festive Reindeer Pops and Graham Cracker Houses using Honey Maid Graham Crackers and Skippy Peanut Butter as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias on behalf of it’s advertisers. #PBandG  #CollectiveBias

After last week’s kitchen disasters I was hesitant to venture back into the kitchen, so I took a day off and got my Halloween decorations packed up and made room for some new furniture that was delivered to our basement movie theater over the weekend. Then I spent a relaxing evening watching a movie from the comfort of my new recliner. Ah, that was so nice.

I think the excitement of seeing my basement starting to take shape and the satisfaction that I finally got all my pumpkins put away, was just what I needed.

My entire day spent making these Christmas treats was joyful. There was not even one moment of stress, and isn’t that the way time spent making holidays sweets should be?

 

What was even more wonderful was that these edible crafts turned out better than I had envisioned.

The reindeer pops are just so cute and they were really easy to make.

I started out by cutting some Honey Maid Chocolate Graham crackers into ovals and sandwiching two of them together with some Skippy Peanut Butter. I dipped them in a chocolate peanut butter fudge candy coating, the recipe for which I share below, and decorated them with a jelly bean nose, some candy eyes, and candy antlers. The design is so simple, yet the finished lollipops have a lot of character.Oh, and they taste fantastic.

In the past I’ve shared my recipe for making peanut butter fudge using white confectionery coating, peanut butter chips and peanut butter. It makes the creamiest, most amazing peanut butter fudge. For these reindeer, I wanted a darker color fudge, so I used light cocoa candy melts in place of the peanut butter chips. The fudge coating is creamy and somewhat soft, so it wont break when you bite into the crunchy cracker. Paired with the peanut butter graham cracker sandwich, it’s perfect. Each bite has just the right amount of peanut butter and chocolate flavor.

 

In addition to the Reindeer Pops, I also tried my hand at making a Graham Cracker House. I’d never done that before and was shocked at how quickly the house came together. I had my graham crackers cut, the house assembled and decorated in less than 15 minutes.

I remember the hours spent with my family decorating gingerbread houses when the kids were young. It was a lot of fun, but even using the pre-made houses was quite time consuming.

Making small houses out of graham crackers is a great alternative, especially for young kids. Once the houses are assembled, they can get creative adding their own special touches to their houses.

I kept mine simple and added a snow covered roof, a door, and a wreath. I even put my miniature house under a glass bowl making it look like it was inside a snow globe.

All in all it was a really sweet day, and now I’m even ready share the fun by inviting some friends over to spend a day doing some holiday baking and making these sweet Christmas treats.

Honey Maid and Skippy Reindeer Pops

Ingredients: (makes 8)

Graham Cracker Sandwiches-
8 Honey Maid Chocolate Graham Crackers (plus a few extra in case of breakage)
1/3 cup Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
(natural or traditional)

Antlers-
1/2 cup light cocoa confectionery coating wafers
(candy melts)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Coating-
1 cup white confectionery coating wafers
2/3 cup light cocoa confectionery coating wafers
1/4 cup Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter

Decorations-
8 red jelly beans
16 large (1/2 inch) candy eyes

Supplies:

8 red and green striped paper straws or craft sticks
2 1/2 inch oval metal cookie cutter
parchment paper lined baking sheets that will fit in your freezer

Instructions:

Graham Cracker Sandwiches:

Flatten about 1 1/2 inches on one end of your paper straws.

Break chocolate graham crackers in half along the perforation. Press an oval cookie cutter on top of the graham cracker and cut. Save the crumbs to make a crust or just enjoy a snack. Cut 16 ovals.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter on each graham cracker oval. Set the flattened end of a straw on one cracker. Add another cracker, peanut butter side down, on top. Repeat.

Antlers:

Heat the light cocoa candy melts in a small bowl in the microwave on high for 20 second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Pour into a small zip top bag or squeeze bottle and pipe antlers onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I just drew a slightly curved line then added few lines coming out of either side, kind of like a stick tree drawing. Be sure to draw some curving the opposite way.

Pop them in the freezer for about 3 minutes until they harden.

Ignore the hearts in the image. They are burned into may pan and I didn’t realize they showed through so dramatically.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Coating:

Pour the white and the light cocoa confectionery coating wafers in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 25 second increments, stirring after each, until melted. Stir in the 1/4 cup peanut butter.

Dip a graham cracker sandwich into the fudge coating then remove it and set it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. After about 30-45 seconds, carefully lift it up (hold onto the paper and lift up) and move it to a clean spot on the parchment paper. This will remove any excess fudge coating.I found this method easier than holding the lollipop upside down over the bowl waiting for the excess candy coating to drip off, as I usually do, because the peanut butter doesn’t hold the sandwich together if it’s held upside down for too long.

As soon as you move the pop, insert two antlers into the top of the sandwich, add a jelly bean nose and two candy eyes.

After you’ve made two or three reindeer, pop them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until the candy coating hardens. Continue to make more reindeer pops.

How to Make a Graham Cracker House

Ingredients PER HOUSE:

5 graham crackers

2 ounces chocolate peanut butter fudge coating (left over from above recipe)**

2 ounces white confectionery coating

opalescent or white decorating sugar

candy decorations**

** I had enough chocolate peanut butter fudge coating to make one graham cracker house. If you aren’t making the reindeer, or need more, just use an additional 2 ounces of white confectionery coating per house instead. I also used one green Lifesaver, one red candy bow, one black candy pearl to decorate my house.

Cut your graham crackers according to the picture above. I found sawing with a serrated knife to work the best.

Cut a cake board to fit just inside the glass globe, if you are making a snow globe. Otherwise just cut a small board.

Use either the chocolate peanut butter fudge or white confectionery coating as glue to assemble your house. Start by piping some onto the bottom of the front piece and placing it on your board. This will keep your house in place. Then attach the side pieces, then the back, and finally the roof pieces.

Spread some candy coating on the roof, and while it’s still wet, sprinkle on the decorating sugar. Being the house is attached to the cardboard, you can lift it and turn it on it’s side in order to easily sprinkle on the sugar.

Attach the door and any candy you like.

Melt 2 ounces of white confectionery coating, and spread it on the cake board and sprinkle on more sugar. If the candy coating and sugar, extend past the edge of the cardboard you’ll need to scrape it off in order to fit the house under your glass globe. Just use a sharp knife to cut it off.

Place your house on a small pedestal and set the glass globe over top.

These are such fun projects to do with your family and friends at the holidays, so be sure to pick up some Honey Maid Graham Crackers and Skippy Peanut Butter on your next trip to Walmart so you can have some fun in the kitchen during the holidays.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

 

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

 

Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!

More Reindeer Treats

from Hungry Happenings

Reese’s Cup Rudolph

 

Milk Chocolate Rudolph Cupcake Wrappers

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Candy Bars

Chocolate Reindeer Pops

Chocolate Cupcake Wrappers – Rudolph Looking to the Sky Design