How to Make Chocolate Lollipops with a Flavor Surprise
It is easy to make chocolate lollipops for a special treat. Create unique flavor combinations and have your friends guess the surprise ingredients. It’s a science lesson in chocolate making and using our senses. I get commissions for purchases made through the affiliate links in this post.
Snackable Science Experiments by Emma Vanstone
My friend, Emma Vanstone, sent me a copy of her latest book for review. Snackable Science Experiments: 60 Edible Tests to Try and Test is available now. Emma also sent us a box full of supplies to try out a few of the experiments.
Click on the Instagram photos below to see the Toppling Toothpick Towers. The goal is to build towers with toothpicks and gum drops on different bases. We compared chewy granola with jello.
In our special box, Emma also sent us chocolate, sprinkles, popping candy, and lollipop sticks. The kids wanted to make 3 different kinds of lollipops from the book – Chocolate Surprise Lollipops, Popping Candy Lollipops, and Super Sour Candy Powder to use as a topping for lollipops. Today we’re starting with the Surprise Lollipops.
They also want to try many more Snackable Science Experiments. We are most excited about the Cake Soil Layers, Candy DNA Model, Marshmallow Treat Jenga, and Exploding Chocolate Popcorn.
Chocolate Lollipops with a Flavor Surprise
Making special treats is something my kids and I enjoy doing together. Cookies, cakes, brownies, and melted chocolate creations are all things we’ve tried before. Today’s chocolate lollipops borrows from our experiences making Harry Potter Inspired Chocolate Frogs and follows the Emma’s instructions for the Surprise Lollipops in Snackable Science Experiments.
Supplies Need for the Chocolate Lollipops
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
- Lollipop sticks
- Wilton Candy Melts Melting Pot, or microwavable bowls, or a double boiler
- Spoons
- Different types of chocolate – dark, milk, and white
- Flavorings for the chocolate – cinnamon, orange zest, red pepper flakes extracts, flavored oils, etc.
- Toppings – sprinkles, nuts, popping candy, etc.
How to Make Chocolate Lollipops with a Flavor Surprise
The goal with these chocolate lollipops is to make them have a special flavor. Can your friend guess what flavor you used?
Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. This is where you will be creating your lollipops.
Next, you will need to melt the chocolate. (Melted chocolate is hot, so this may be a job for an adult.) I like to use a Wilton Candy Melts Melting Pot. It’s even easier if you have the Dual Melting Pot Insert, which allows you to melt two different things at once. I melted my dark chocolate in the melting pot. I like to use Wilton dark cocoa candy melts or Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers. Be sure you choose a melting chocolate that you enjoy eating. The Wilton candy melts dark cocoa mint is also a great choice if you’re looking for a chocolate that’s already flavored.
Emma sent us some milk chocolate from the UK. I melted it in the microwave. 20-30 seconds at a times, stirring in between. I also melted some white chocolate in the microwave. I use Ghirardelli white baking chips.
Once the chocolate is melted, you can add different flavorings. We flavored some of our chocolate with orange extract and some with strawberry extract. Some we left unflavored. In Snackable Science Experiments, Emma suggests using cinnamon, orange zest, peppermint extract, and red pepper flakes (go easy on that one). These are flavors that should be easily detected by your taste testers.
A note about flavoring chocolate:
If you add water or alcohol-based extracts to your melting chocolate, it will seize up and become a clumpy mess. If you have access to oil-based candy or chocolate flavorings, I recommend using those. If you only have alcohol-based extracts, don’t worry. You can fix your chocolate. Just add a little bit of solid vegetable shortening (1/2 teaspoon at a time) and stir. Your chocolate should return to a nice consistency.
Form the Chocolate Lollipops
After your chocolate is flavored, you can create the chocolate lollipops. Carefully spoon about a tablespoon of one of your melted chocolates onto the parchment paper and form a circle or whatever shape you like. Add a lollipop stick to the chocolate. You may need to add a bit more melted chocolate to cover it.
Choose a different type of melted chocolate and add a second layer. Create a design if you wish. Decorate the lollipops with sprinkles, nuts, or other toppings. We added popping candy to some of our lollipops. The kids thought these would be the biggest surprise.
Place the chocolate lollipops in the refrigerator until set. It shouldn’t take too long depending on what types of chocolate you chose.
Which flavor combo will be your favorite?
Be sure to check out all of the Emma’s awesome Snackable Science Experiments and let me know which idea you want to try first.
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