My favorite graduation party recipes recipes

1. Chocolate Mint Crisps

I have used this Chocolate Mint Crisp recipe many times.  I got it from a Taste of Home recipe book I bought years ago.  They are covered with a melted Andes mint candy giving them a very nice glossy finish and a wonderful chocolate mint smell. I bake these cookies on the shorter side of the suggested range because I like them a bit chewier.  The resulting cookies taste similar to girl scout chocolate mint cookies.

Chocolate Mint Crisps (or in my case "Chews") from Taste of Home

Chocolate Mint Crisp Recipe (yields about 6 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups butter, cubed
2 T plus 1 1/2 teas of water
2 cups (12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/4 teas of baking soda
1/2 teas salt
3 packages (4.67 ounces each) Andes Mint candies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and water.  Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.  Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Let stand for 10 minutes (cooling is a very important step to avoid cooking the eggs prematurely). Pour the chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl and with the mixer on high high-speed, add eggs to the chocolate mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to chocolate mixture, beating on low until blended. Cover and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight (I typically refrigerate the dough for 2 to 3 hours and it seems to work fine).

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are set and the tops are puffed and cracked (cookies will become crisp after cooling).  Immediately top each cookie with a mint. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes; spread over cookie.  Remove to wire racks; let stand until chocolate is set and cookies are cooled.

2. Graduation Hat Recipe (makes 28 grad hat cake pops)

Ingredients:

One dark chocolate brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix)
Two bags of Ghiradelli chocolate squares 60% cacao (5.25 ounces each)
1 bag of mini m&ms
1 12 ounce bag of Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips 60% cacao
2 rolls of fruit roll-ups (I needed a red tassel so I used watermelon flavored because the store was sold out of strawberry flavored)

Make your favorite brownie recipe from scratch or use a brownie mix.

Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper as shown below, pour in the batter and bake according to package directions.

With parchment paper larger than the pan it is very easy to lift the brownies out of the pan once they are cooked and cooled.  Don't worry about the ends of the pan that are not covered in parchment.  Just make sure you coat the ends of the pan with non-stick spray so the brownies come out easy.

Once the brownies have baked, let them cool to room temperature and cut with a 3/4" circle cutter to make 28 small cylinders.  I initially tried a 1" biscuit cutter but the resulting cylinder was too large for the Ghiradelli square.  You can get a 3/4" cutter from Ateco Cookie Cutter Set on Amazon.  I use this set a lot so it was worth it for me to buy it.  Push the brownie out of the cutter with your finger or the dull end of a butter knife.  Save and freeze the crumbs left over from the brownies to use for ice cream topping or to make round cake pops later.

I found that if I rinsed with warm water and dried the biscuit cutter every 3-4 cuts, the brownies came out more consistent and more easily because the brownie crumbs did not stick to the sides of the cutter. Once the brownies are cut, proceed just like standard cake pops.  Place the cylindrical brownies on parchment paper on a tray or pan that will fit in your freezer.  Leave the cylindrical brownies in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Melt Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate melts using a double boiler.  While the pops are in the freezer, dip the end of a cake pop stick (purchased at Michael's or Joann's) into the melted chocolate and then gently push it into the center of the top of the cylindrical brownie making sure it is not at an angle. Once you have inserted all the cake pop sticks, freeze the pops for another 10 minutes or so.

While the pops are in the freezer for the second time, remove the paper from the squares in both bags of Ghiradelli dark chocolate (60% cacao) squares.  You should have 28 dark chocolate squares (buy extra if you like to snack - or your husband does!)  Remove the pops from the freezer and dip each pop in melted chocolate tapping the side of the pop stick gently to remove any excess chocolate.  While the chocolate is still wet gently push a dark chocolate square on top of the cylinder with the Ghiradelli logo facing down (hidden from view so the smooth surface of the square is visible on top).  Place the pops square side down on parchment paper to rest until the chocolate is fully hardened.

While the chocolate is hardening, make the tassels.  Unroll a fruit rollup and using a sharp knife, cut a section that measures about 1.5" x "1.5".  Cut that section into three equal subsections that are 0.5" x 1.5". Each subsection will become a tassel. Cut away part of the sides of each subsection to create a shovel shape as shown below.  Use your knife to create a "fringe" by cutting slits in the "blade end of the shovel." Roll the blade end together and press tightly to create the tassel.

Once you have the tassels finished, sort through the bag of mini m&ms and pick out 28 brown mini m&ms. Set aside.

Once the chocolate is hardened and the mortarboard is secured to the cylinder, use a toothpick to dab a small amount of melted chocolate in the center of the mortarboard and push a tassel into the soft chocolate.  Before the chocolate hardens add a mini brown m&m on top of the point where the tassel is attached to serve as the mortarboard button.

Use a damp paper towel to remove any excess chocolate on the cake pop stick. You can set the cake pop on its side in a parchment paper lined tupperware, seal it tightly and refrigerate it for 24-48 hours before serving.

If you don't have a cake pop stand you can use mason jars or glasses.  Fill mason jars or glasses with  decorative sand (you can buy a bag for $1 at the dollar store) and add 3 to 5 pops in each jar (or glass). Add a ribbon bow with the appropriate color scheme.