Okay, let’s talk about whipping up some treats for graduation. My cousin’s kid just finished college, big moment, you know? Felt like I should do something special, and well, baking is my thing. So, I decided to tackle some grad-themed desserts.
Getting Started – The Idea Phase
First thing, I needed ideas. Just plain cookies wouldn’t cut it. Had to be something that screamed “Congrats Grad!” Spent a good hour scrolling online, looking at pictures. Saw tons of fancy stuff, fondant diplomas, elaborate cakes… way too much work for me, honestly. I wanted something doable but still fun.
I settled on a few things:
- Graduation Cap Pops: Looked cute and not too complicated. Basically cake pops dressed up.
- Diploma Cookies: Simple sugar cookies rolled up to look like diplomas. Seemed easy enough.
- Cupcakes with School Colors: Can’t go wrong with cupcakes, right? Just needed the right frosting colors.
The Prep and The Mess
Alright, plan made. Next up, shopping. Made my list, checked it twice. Headed out to the store. Grabbed flour, sugar, butter, all the usual suspects. Needed food coloring for the cupcakes – black, and the school colors were blue and gold. Found some candy melts for the pops, lollipop sticks, sprinkles. Felt pretty organized.
Got home, unpacked everything. Cleared off my kitchen counter. This is where the real fun begins, folks. Started with the sugar cookies for the diplomas. Mixed the dough, rolled it out. Used a rectangular cutter. Baked those off first. Easy peasy.
Then, the cake pops. Baked a simple chocolate cake. Let it cool completely – this part is key, gotta be patient. Crumbled it all up in a big bowl. Mixed in some cream cheese frosting until it held together. Rolled it into little balls. Stuck the lollipop sticks in. Popped them in the freezer to firm up. This took way longer than I thought it would.
While those were chilling, I whipped up the cupcakes. Vanilla, classic. Got them in the oven. The kitchen was starting to look like a flour bomb went off. Seriously.
Decoration Time – The Fiddly Bit
Okay, cupcakes cooled. Mixed up buttercream frosting. Divided it, colored one batch blue, one gold. Piped swirls on top. Added some gold sprinkles. Done. Those looked pretty good, not gonna lie.
Now, the diplomas. Melted some white chocolate. Tied little red ribbons around the middle of each cooled rectangular cookie. Then, I carefully rolled them up. Some cracked. Ugh. Managed to salvage most of them. Used a dab of melted chocolate to hold the roll together. They looked okay, kinda like diplomas if you squinted.
Finally, the main event: the graduation cap pops. Melted black candy melts. This stuff can be tricky, heats up fast. Dipped each chilled cake pop. Let the excess drip off. While they were still wet, I stuck a small square piece of chocolate graham cracker on top for the mortarboard. Let those set.
For the tassel, I used pull-apart licorice strings. Cut little pieces. Used another dab of melted candy melt to stick a piece onto the center of the graham cracker square, letting one end dangle down. Added a tiny sprinkle for the ‘button’ in the middle. These were seriously fiddly. Some tassels fell off. Some caps looked lopsided. But hey, they were homemade!
The Final Result
Arranged everything on a couple of platters. The cupcakes added nice color. The diploma cookies looked decent enough. The graduation cap pops, despite the struggle, were actually pretty cute all lined up.
Took them over to the party. People seemed to really like them! The pops went first, kids loved ’em. Felt good seeing everyone enjoy something I actually made. It was a bunch of work, and my kitchen needed a deep clean afterwards, but seeing the reaction? Yeah, totally worth it. It’s just nice making something with your own hands for these moments, you know?
