Pie Pop Maker

No drink with the first part of this review because I was at work, but I threw in the airplane bottles for good measure!

A good friend and colleague had her last day in my office last week. What a great reason to break out the Babycakes pie pop maker!! We decided on a dessert themed treat - S'mores Pie Pops!

All the ingredients were at the ready!

The recipe called for one mini marshmallow and 2 chocolate chips, but after the first batch we increased it to 2 marshmallows and 3 chips for more flavor to balance out the pie crust. You need to be careful though that the ingredients inside the pop aren't too heavy or else it falls down (see picture above, in the back!). By sticking the marshmallow through the pop stick it helps to weigh it down and keep it in place. The pops cook quickly, only 2-3 minutes which is great. I found the pie crusts grease the tray and there was no need for spray or butter. The pops themselves are best warm though, so it is hard to make ahead and travel with them. One idea is to have a pie pop bar where you have out many different ingredients and guests can make their own pop fresh. In fact, as we were enjoying our s'mores pie pops the idea was thrown out there for pb&j pops. So, we tried those as well! Both types were quite tasty. Here is a closer look at the machine:

We made six pops at a time

I wish the pops were just a little bigger/deeper for more ingredients. The cutter for the crust (seen to the right of the crust in picture two) works very well and really makes the perfect size. I enjoyed this experience enough that I was inspired to bring the idea to Easter where I was charged with bringing appetizers.

Easter Wine!

This Liberty Creek cabernet sauvignon was enjoyable. It was very smooth and not too dry. It was pleasant with appetizers and dinner.

Mini Calzones!

Yes, that's right - mini calzones! We left the popsicle stick out of this recipe. I used pizza dough instead of pie crust. I learned one lesson though - don't precut the pizza crust circles. I precut the circles and put them in tupperware thinking I would save time. However, when I went to put them in the machine they had shrunk a little bit and I had to stretch them out (hence why they look a little misshapen in the picture). Inside is one piece of pepperoni, a small spoonful of tomato sauce and a small drizzle of shredded mozzarella cheese. These were served fresh and were a big hit with kids and adults! We also served tomato sauce on the side.

*The machine did spark once while it was plugged in at my office, but I blame that on my office as it didn't occur at all over Easter.

***Update!! One week after the mini calzones, I saw a family member who had enjoyed them (at least that day and seemingly in taste only)!. She had bitten into a calzone and some of the cheese dripped onto her chin. She ended up getting treatment for second and third degree burns. Lesson learned - wait for items to cool before serving.
- C