Graduation 2011

So, as you know I graduated and one of the things on my "to do" list was crafts...This was my first experiment, chocolate graduation caps! I decided to give them out to all of my guests at my graduation dinner as a token of my appreciation for all the love, support, and encouragement they gave me throughout my college career. These were a little trickier than I expected because as you know chocolate melts really easily when handled too much, so they had to go back in the fridge many times before they were complete...But they were totally worth it! I took them one step further and attached a little tag to the stick with gold wired ribbon that said "thank you" in a green marker. (my school colors are Green and Gold) I think my guests were really surprised and enjoyed these adorable treats! So...For all you crafty people out there, I wanted to share this simple treat for you to use for any of the graduates in your future!

Materials:
Mini Reese's Cups
Milk Chocolate with Caramel center Ghirardelli Squares
Yellow* Icing
Yellow* Twislers
Lollipop sticks

*These can be any color you wish...I chose yellow because my real tassel was yellow

Construction:
First, make sure you have something to stick the lollipop sticks into so that the candy is able to sit upright while you are working on them. I used some floral foam we had stored away. Also, before you can get started, put the bag of Reese's cups in the freezer. This makes the paper wrapper easier to remove without taking chocolate with it. After they have been in the freezer for a couple hours, take them out and unwrap them. Then, you must let them thaw out a little so that you can stick the lollipop sticks in without breaking the cup. Once you have your sticks in the cups, place the them into the foam.

Then, put some icing on the top of the Reese's cup and place an unwrapped Ghirardelli chocolate square on top. Do not press hard or you may break the square. (This is where one of the trips to the fridge is really handy) Place the candies in the fridge for a few hours so that your chocolate hardens and the icing solidifies, making the top and bottom one secure piece.

Now you are ready to make the tassel. I cut the Twislers long ways into strips using the groves as guides and then cut them in half. I didn't make very many caps, so one Twisler was all I needed to make my tassels. Once you have taken the candy out of the fridge, lay one strand of the Twisler on top of the cap starting in the center and glue it on with a glob of icing. After, place them in the fridge again so that the icing holding the tassle on hardens in to place.

That's all there is to it! It was really a fun way to say "thanks"...plus, who doesn't like chocolate? :)

Enjoy!