Cakepops - how to

Cakepops - original recipe from Bakerella, methods adapted slightly due to my refrigerator situation and current pantry supplies

What you need:

- Leftover cupcakes - in case you are not going to eat all 24 that come out of a cake mix box

- Leftover frosting. For 7 cupcakes, I used about 1/3 cup of buttercream frosting

- A large bowl

- A fork

- Lollipop sticks

- Chocolate candy melts/wafers

- Decorating supplies (like icing pens, sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc.)

1. Put a few leftover, cooled cupcakes into a large bowl. I started with 4 and actually wound up using 7 because I had some frosting (another ingredient) leftover.

2. Mash all the cupcakes into fine crumbs with a fork.

3. Add frosting and mix. I started with a fork and wound up using my hands in the end.

4. Mix well until the mixture is wet enough to form into balls without cracking/ falling apart (It should look like wet dirt). If it feels too dry, add another dollop of frosting and mix some more.

5. Form into balls. I used a mini ice cream scoop (maybe an inch in diameter) to scoop out the mixture and rolled it up with my hands. You don't need to place on wax paper unless you're not going to use the lollipop sticks.

6. Insert lollipop sticks and refrigerate for a couple of hours. You could put them in a freezer to save time - currently, my freezer has no space! I balanced them out using a plastic cup so they would stand without sticking to each other in the refrigerator. For the record, I got 17 cakepops from 7 cupcakes.

7. Melt chocolate wafers in the microwave - stirring every 30 seconds until melted thoroughly (I used about half a cup of wafers and zapped for 1.5 minutes in a pyrex measuring cup.) Dip the chilled cakes into the chocolate, let cool slightly (like 1 minute?) before adding the decorations (if you try to add the decorations too soon, it'll sink in and chocolate sprinkles will melt). Let cool - I suppose you could use the cup method again, but I have more space on my countertop so I stuck the lollipop sticks into a styrofoam block.

8. Devour!