Chocolate Crown Lollipops: Guest post by Deborah Lacy

Do you have a Princess Party planned? These Chocolate Crown Lollipops are perfect for favors and decoration! I love when my mystery and chocolate worlds collide. Deborah Lacy is a 'mystery' friend, but we also share a love of chocolate. Deborah Lacy runs a blog called Mystery Playground, about all things mystery and having fun.

Deborah Lacy:
Chocolate Crown Lollipops

My nieces (ages 4 and 6) love to pretend that they are princesses. So when they invited me to their double royal birthday party, I thought it would be fun to try to make chocolate crown lollipops for their guests. It turned out to be a simple and fun project.

 Here’s what you need to get started:
• Ghirardelli chocolate melts (regular chocolate chips will only work if you temper them. I used this shortcut. If you want to temper the chocolate, you can find directions here.)
• A food safe mold (you can get these on Etsy.com, Michaels and JoAnns)
• Lollipop sticks (available at Michaels or JoAnns)
• A microwave cup to melt the chips in, I use the Wilton Candy Melting Cups. You can also use a double boiler to melt the chocolate if you like.
• A Microwave
• Mini plastic bags with ties (I get these at Michaels)
• Ribbon to make it look pretty

Step One: Ready your mold, chocolate, and sticks. You're going to have to work quickly to get the lollipops done before the chocolate starts to set, so you don't want to be looking around the kitchen for your tools.

Step Two: Put about 1.5 cups of chocolate melts into your container. Any more and you might have trouble melting it. Any less and you won't have enough for pops. Put the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out and stir. It won't be fully melted yet. Put it back in for 15 seconds increments removing and stirring each time until melted. Don't put it in for longer, because if the chocolate burns, you can't save it. It seems like everyone has to learn this one the hard way.

Step Three: Spoon the chocolate into the mold. You'll have to gently finesse the chocolate with a fork to get it to the edges. Whip any excess away with a damp paper towel.

Step Four: Add your lollipop stick and twirl it around so it's covered in chocolate. This will ensure that the chocolate stays attached to the stick.

Step Five: Let the chocolate harden. This step will take about 5 minutes in the fridge, and about twenty out on the counter.

Step Six: Using a knife slowly trim any excess chocolate from the lollipop and wrap. I used cellophane bags from Michaels with a little twisty. Then I tied big bows to add to the majesty. The girls and their friends loved these lollipops.