The Lollipop Guild- Er, Daring Bakers
Another month, another Daring Baker Challenge. What I want to know is where the month of April went! Did I forget to set my alarm and sleep through a solid chunk of days? Or for that matter, did I even get to sleep once, since the longer days of sunshine have persuaded me to add in a few hours to my daily routine? Either way, I found myself scrambling to get this one done, and I’m almost embarrassed to present my haphazard results after browsing through so many other far more impressive and professional works of pastry art.
Right off the bat, this one didn’t sound too difficult; Cheesecake pops. We’re talking cheesecake, scooped into balls, skewered onto lollipop sticks, and dunked into chocolate. What could be bad about that? Modifications were pretty basic, and conversions from regular cream cheese to tofutti was a no-brainer. I happened to have vegan sour cream on hand, so that replaced the egg, and I also used potato starch instead of flour because I wanted to share these with family during Passover. Finally, there was little choice but to scaled down the recipe in a big way, because there was no way I could justify shelling out the cash for 5 tubs of tofutti cream cheese for this little side project. Adding in just a touch of peppermint oil for a refreshing flavor to contrast with the chocolate, I set up a miniature water bath in an 8-inch round cake pan- My small batch of cheesecake batter fit perfectly!
Patience became a thing of the past once the base was fully baked and out of the oven- Forget waiting 3 hours for it to “thoroughly chill;” I tossed the whole thing into the freezer straight away, anxious to finish up and get a taste! It was a very forgiving recipe and no harm came of my haste, so before long I had 18 lovely lollipops dipped in chocolate, and then rolled in either chopped pistachios or cacao nibs. Just do me a favor and ignore their partial nudity, as I had just finished munching away on my chocolate chips when I realized that they would be needed for other applications… My remaining supply was a bit limited.
While unimpressive in appearance, these little morsels of creamy goodness were a wonderful treat, and were certainly easy enough to consider making again for a gathering or party. But until then, I beg you to go look at the other Daring Bakers’ creations, as their talent really puts me to shame this month.
Tartelette said,
April 27, 2008 at 12:36 am
Your title made me giggle!! They are gorgeous, what are you talking about :)
Great job on the challenge!
linds said,
April 27, 2008 at 12:37 am
You’re too modest, these are so cute and look absolutely delicious! :0)
Gigi said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:39 am
I just love them! I love the contrast between the dark chocolate and bright green pistachio!
Pixie said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:49 am
They look wonderful to me too!
mel said,
April 27, 2008 at 3:02 am
Unimpressive?? They look amazing!
zorra said,
April 27, 2008 at 3:09 am
Just perfect! Well done.
Silvia-Magnolia said,
April 27, 2008 at 4:08 am
Wowwww these are amazing lollipops dear!! Just perfect!
I really adore them. You are great
Silvia
Dolores said,
April 27, 2008 at 4:45 am
You might have had the right idea going straight to the freezer… my cheesecake didn’t want to form balls straight from the ‘fridge. And I love how you scaled the recipe down to a more appropriate size.
Bonnie said,
April 27, 2008 at 5:04 am
Oh, but they do look impressive to me! I bet they were very tasty, as well…
eatersregret said,
April 27, 2008 at 7:19 am
Cheesecake lollipops…. dipped in chocolate! What an incredible idea, they look amazing, who came up with this concept?
Gretchen Noelle said,
April 27, 2008 at 7:54 am
Not sure how you could use unimpressive as an adjective about these! They look just adorable! Hope everyone enjoyed them!
Addey said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:00 am
Mmmm… cheesecake! Beautiful! I personally like the “partial nudity”… the contrast in color and texture is beautiful and inviting. I hope everyone enjoyed.
shellyfish said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:07 am
Pistache! What a great idea! These are beautiful, and I agree, the other Dbers creations are fabulous, too. This was a fun challange.
Maggie said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:33 am
Your pops are beautiful! I love the pistachios and I hear ya about the cost for 5 tubs of Tofutti!
HoneyB said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:34 am
I love the pistachios!! Your pops look great!
veron said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:37 am
How can you say your pops look unimpressive? The pistachios in it alone are enough to make me want to reach out for one!
Romina said,
April 27, 2008 at 8:48 am
Oh my goodness!! I want one, hehe.
Kim said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:08 am
They look absolutely wonderful. Love the pistachios. Great photos.
Sheltie Girl said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:31 am
Hannah - You did a wonderful job on your cheesecake pops. I bet the peppermint flavor tasted fabulous with the chocolate.
Keep the Alternative Daring Bakers in mind for May for the next bake along.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Jerry said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:35 am
Love the title! Great job!
VeggieGirl said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:57 am
Haha!! Love the title ;0)
Once again, you successfully completed another DBC - bravo, Hannah!!
urban vegan said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:58 am
I also can’t believe how April flew by.
Those little pops looks so delish.
kbkbakery said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:07 am
Your pops are lovely. A little nudity never hurt anyone, plus being able to see the cheesecake makes them more visually appealing than just looking a a blob of chocolate. Well done.
Deborah said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:25 am
They are gorgeous! Great job on this challenge!
ruby red vegan said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:26 am
Cheesecake pops?! What a fun challenge! I do think your pistachio-encrusted lollipops are quite adorable and would die for a taste of one!
Ricki said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:44 am
These are gorgeous! Seriously, if you’re not impressed, send them my way!! ;)
Dianne said,
April 27, 2008 at 11:27 am
I wouldn’t say unimpressive at all! They look fabulous! :)
marye said,
April 27, 2008 at 11:56 am
the pistachio ones looked the best to me, great job.
MyKitchenInHalfCups said,
April 27, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Hannah these are dressed beautifully - note to self add pistachios to ways to try with these pops.
Your title is wonderful.
ashley 79 said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:06 pm
April sure did go by quickly, not that I’m complaining- May is on it’s way!
The lollipops looks so fancy and yummy! Mmm….chocolate and pistachio covered cheesecake- my mouth is watering!
Susan said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:13 pm
No one is putting you to shame this month — these are quite gorgeous!
Landa said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Oh they are so very cute!
Annemarie said,
April 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm
As a fellow woman of haste, I hear you about the freezer. As a fellow woman of haste, I question how you got such pretty, circular balls when mine are anything but.
Patti said,
April 27, 2008 at 2:12 pm
BEAUTIFUL! I had a hard time getting mine to be round after they sat on the parchment. Your pops are pretty…
Lori- pleasantly plump vegan said,
April 27, 2008 at 3:57 pm
these look adorable and delicious
Susan said,
April 27, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I’m not much of a baker anymore and I don’t have vegan supplies on hand (although my daughter would like that), but your humorous recitation made me WANT to try it your way.
I might be able to make cheesecake lollipops are nice as yours, but I’m sure that my story won’t be told as well. Thanks for sharing.
Katie B. said,
April 27, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Gorgeous pops! You did a great job!
Jen said,
April 27, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Absolutely beautiful! I think these are pretty much perfection, Hannah :) Just like everything you make!
Ren said,
April 27, 2008 at 6:29 pm
those look so tasty! : )
culinography said,
April 27, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Unimpressive? That’s just crazy! These are beautiful! Well done!
Jenny said,
April 27, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Pretty. I would not have known they were dairy free if you hadn’t said they were.
JennyBakes said,
April 27, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I like it when the cheesecake peeks through at the top. I made mine do that deliberately. Lovely choice of nuts!
teeni said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Your pops look wonderful! I would never have thought to do that with cheesecake. How nice that you can eat them during the holiday! That makes them even better, right? ;)
melisser said,
April 27, 2008 at 9:37 pm
They’re adorable! I think they’re best partially naked, hehe.
Jes said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:12 pm
The pistachios look delish with the chocolate!
Vegan_noodle said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I think these look amazing Hannah!! And tasty too I bet….
Jess - The Domestic Vegan said,
April 27, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I like the nakedness! It gives you an idea of what’s on the inside… These are simply gorgeous!
gail said,
April 28, 2008 at 2:30 am
Your pops are perfectly round, gorgeous looking morsels of vegan goodness. Have no shame :-)
didally said,
April 28, 2008 at 3:11 am
These looks so beautiful! I’m sure it will be a hit during parties.
Shannon said,
April 28, 2008 at 6:19 am
i for one like a little nudity with my vegan cheesecake (:
megan said,
April 28, 2008 at 9:44 am
I have yet to find cacao nibs in my neck of the woods. Your pops look fantastic!
sarah said,
April 28, 2008 at 10:40 am
really nice job! They look great to me too!
bazu said,
April 28, 2008 at 12:39 pm
those are gorgeous! almost too pretty to eat!
venus said,
April 28, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Don’t be silly! Your pops look great!
Lisa said,
April 29, 2008 at 12:22 am
Don’t be silly - your pops are beautiful! The green of the nuts really pops against the chocolate.
Ashley said,
April 29, 2008 at 12:57 am
Ooo they look great! The little water bath you setup is cute! Great idea to use cacao nibs. I have never used them in baking before - I’ve only tried them as is.
fanny said,
April 29, 2008 at 5:37 am
Hannah, seems like we have the same movie references! Love so lollipops; so sophisticated with pistachios.
xx fanny
Liz² said,
May 3, 2008 at 11:03 am
those are gorgeous! I actually like that there’s not too much chocolate so you can see the cheese, and I LOVE the pistachios. they must go so well with the creamy cake!
marion-il en faut peu pour ... said,
May 4, 2008 at 5:30 pm
they are perfect :) absolutely well done :)
Congratulations !
Jess said,
May 6, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Did you have any problems dipping these? The last time I made cheesecake lollipops they kept falling off the stick as I dipped them…