Thanks, Cakesbylj, I will have to go and check her out. I am not often on that side of town, but if it is worth your time to come from Clarksville, I guess I should trudge on over. Thanks again.

It was (deleted) You can just type merkens chocolate wafers into google & many options turn up

Just a tip and someone may have already suggested this. When I'm dipping my cake balls I melt my chocolate in my mini crock pot on low setting. It works like a charm! My chocolate stays at the perfect temp. and doesn't "cook".

I just remembered that I never responded to the reason I use that particular binder for my red velvet cake balls....

If I use cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk as opposed to using a cream cheese icing I can adjust the flavor, sweetness, and moisture independently of each other to make the final result perfect.

I am working at being able to do the same thing in all of my cake combos.

So I made about 150 cake balls last night and now have a couple of questions:
1. I used Bakerella's recipe with red velvet & cream cheese icing but why when I covered them in choc. they squirted out??
2. How do I get the edges off the bottom of the balls without breaking them?
3. I have them in the fridge now and want to box them up on Sat., how long before I box them should I take them out of the fridge?
Thanks everyone for your help.

Kaddikakes - I have the same problem with the leaking. I think that is a temperature thing....balls too cold candy too hot....then they crack and leak. It could also be tiny air bubble in the candy. For the puddles around the bottom, I use a toothpick and score around the bottom while it is still wet. When it dries it pops right off. No answer for your 3rd question... I need to figure that one myself. HTH

I leave the toothpick in the ball after dipping and stick it into a piece of Styrofoam until the coating sets up, then I remove the toothick and place the truffle in a mini-cupcake liner.

Also, I have seen that many here thin their chocolate with shortening, but I find that my truffles set up better and have a beautiful shinny coat if I thin with a small amount of paraffin wax. My customers love them!!

Does anyone have any ideas for Christmas cake pops besides the reindeer? I'm thinking about giving them as gifts to my dd's class.

how about santa hats, or santas, christmas trees, Presents, Ordaments... lots of ideas!

dark chocolate cake, german chocolate frosting, dipped in dark chocolate, topped with a pecan.

fresh baked chocolate chip cookies( chewy), chocolate frosting, some cream cheese, dipped in dark or milk chocolate. top with choc chip.

fresh baked chocolate chip cookies (chewy), fresh baked brownies, mush together, chocolate frosting, dip in dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate cake, 1 jar nutella, 1 jar peanut butter. YUM.

fresh baked brownies, cheesecake as binder. dip in dark chocolate.

cheesecake baked with pineapple and coconut essense, dipped in white chocolate. pina colada cheesecake balls!

yellow cake mix, add cinnamon and nutmeg, substitute pumpkin pie filling for oil and 1/2 cup water, mix with cream cheese or cream cheese frosting. tastes like little pumplin pie cake balls. dip in white or milk chocolate.

Stashie, do you actually roll yours into a ball shape? And how do you keep the ball from falling off of the toothpick whne you dip it in the chololate?

I am dipping mine with a 2 tine candy dipper.

kaddikakes, if you tap the spoon (or whatever you are using) on the side of the chocolate pan before you take it out of the chocolate there is less of a puddle, then I also use the toothpick score method. I have boxed mine right after they are hardened, and also taken them out of the fridge and boxed with varying amounts of time between fridge and boxing and not had any issues yet (that I know of). I do usually put the box back in the fridge if the balls came out of the fridge though.

Sweetheart, I can't visualize what you've listed, except an ornament (b/c it's round ) . I done other things w/ cookies, but I think it's the shere shape of the ball that's throwing me off. Would you dip a Santa in flesh then in red for the hat, pipe some white for the rim & beard & then detail? I think trees & presents would be cute but how would you do them?

I must tell you all that i have loved reading this thread! I have frozen my cake scraps from like the last 4 cakes and finally decided to dive into them last night. With all the tips I have gotten here they look much better than the last time I tried to make them, not to mention taste better! I do have a quick question tho, how do you get the pretty little drizzels on top? I have tried using the squirt bottles before but it turned into a PITA!!!! I thought of using a piping back but thought it might be too hot to actually handle, and then maybe I could use RI cuz I have some of that already made. What do you all think?
I want to thank you again, I now have about 120 cake balls and one more batch to make, these are going to be great gifts for teachers and friends!!!

http://www.bakerella.com/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-christmas/

Click that link, scroll down and you will see Bakerella has pics and instructions for santa hats and Christmas trees. I just made them this weekend and I thought they were easier to dip than the ball shape. You dip the bottom of the cone first, let it dry, the you hold that part and dip the top of the cone. They were fun to do.

scionmom, You can put the chocolate in a piping bag. Let it cool a bit if it is too hot. We did this and my 7-year old was able to make beautiful drizzles last week for cookies and pretzels she made for her Christmas concert.

Ooh - CakesByLJ, that sounds like a Reeses cup!

To make the drizzles on top, I just take the melted chocolate in a bowl, take a small spoon and just flick it back and forth across the cakeballs. Or just make little swirls. HTH. Here's some I did awhile back.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=90245

Okay, I happened onto this thread and am overwhelmed by the possibilities. I want to make some of these today! Where can I find the first original recipe (oe at least an easy one for a first timer to try out)? I need the main instructions too as I see that there are many variations.

I'm glued here waiting for a response.

well instead of rolling them in balls, shape them. you would need to colour your chocolate or get candy melts.

ESQ1031, I love how the tree came out, and you know, I love the different sized balls, look more "natural" to me!!! Good Job!!

OMG those trees and hats are soooo cute!

scionmom, if you check out the link that Barbaranne just gave it has all sorts of info on what to use to decorate. I just use a disposable pastry bag with a very small snip in it. The chocolate is only slightly warmer than your hand so not too hot to handle at all. Then I just put the whole bag into a ziplock to store for the next time and reheat in the pastry bag. works like a charm and no waste.

charleezgal, http://www.bakerella.com/cupcake-bites-made-easy/ (this is the link from Barbaranne) has a very easy starter recipe for red velvet with cream cheese icing. It is a good place to start because it gives you a feel for the final texture you are looking for, from there the possibilities are endless.

Oh my gosh, I had never thought to do this! I have a cake that got stuck to my pan the other day (and I learned when you add something sticky to your cakes, no matter hown much you spray or oil, they WILL stick to the pan, lol) so now I know what to do with it! Awesome

For those of you that have been making these for a while, what works better, holds up better to attach RI decorations, RI or melted chocolate. I'm making some for a party this coming weekend.

This has been a fun topic to follow! There are so many fun things you can do with this little sweet treats. Because I've different sizes of scoops, I can make mini bites and show case them at bridal shows. Brides loved them in the favor boxes that I made with my cricut.

Anyone have a nice vanilla cake recipe? I want to make vanilla cake balls and not use the box. TIA!!

I have used buttercream decorations as well as melted chocolate, and had no problem with either one sticking.

Thank you everybody! I am going to finish them up tonight and I think I am going to try the Santa hats! I think I am getting a girl crush on Bakerella.... LMAO! JK!

I've got the cake ball tree as an option for a big dessert party this weekend for a client- hopefully they will pick it as part of their choices. Oh the pic I posted on page 35 wasnt mine - but I love it too. The cone I will purchase from Jo Ann. If I need it taller I will just carve a bottom out of extra styrofoam.

There was someone on this thread that has beautiful cookies (sugar cookies that had smooth inlaid royal icing detail) that were recently done? Can any of you remember who that was?