Planetary Hazelnut Pops

Submitted by ChristineMcConnell

"The best part of a birthday is that you can write yourself a blank check to eat as much as you want! I'm personally a fan of variety when I binge, and these little guys made the perfect mid-dessert snack! Cake pops are delicious, but I felt like I needed to experiment a bit. So I came up with these unique little bites. With a hazelnut asteroid belt and thin coating of chocolate, you'll surely have people asking you for the recipe!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 9 cake pops

ingredients

• 3⁄4 cup organic almond butter
• 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 cups lavender chocolate candy melts
• 9 wooden dowel sticks
• food coloring (gold powder paint)
• vodka, to mix powder paint

directions

1. Mix almond butter and powdered sugar together until a dough ball forms. Roll out 9 gumball-sized balls and roll them in a 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts to coat. Freeze.
2. Once frozen, remove from freezer and cut in half (keep frozen until ready to use). Melt lavender chocolate and pour a tablespoon into a 18-slot half-dome baking tray. Press frozen hazelnut ball halves into each slot and freeze. Spread most of the remaining chocolate (leaving yourself about a third of a cup in the pot) onto a silicone baking mat or parchment sheet. Spread out to about 1/8 inch thickness and sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts. When almost set, use a 3" circular cookie cutter to ident 9 initial cutouts and freeze until ready to use.
3. Assemble by popping half-dome melts out of the mold and removing the round discs from the parchment sheet. 'Glue' together with remaining chocolate and heat the wooden dowels to press into the underside of the pop. Roll the lip of the ring in chocolate and use the last of the hazelnuts to coat. Finish by dusting the asteroid belt with gold luster dust and using a fine brush, paint on planetary designs to the tops and bottoms of the planets. Stick the pops in a decorated half dome of styrofoam or other stand of your choosing.