“Firecracker” Rice Treat Pops

The other day I saw a super cute cookie treat idea  for the 4th of July on CakeSpy- you make cookies with Pop Rocks Candy and then roll the creamy filling with more Pop Rocks for a “firecraker” type of effect when you eat them. I loved the idea- but um, the 4th of July is TOMORROW and I needed to crank out my own lazy-and-cheap version.

So what’s a gal to do? Hit the Dollar Store, of course! There I picked up the basic necessities:

• craft sticks
• huge rice cereal treats
• paper baking cups
• Pop Rocks Candy

Luckily, I had some vanilla chocolate melts and a star cookie cutter on hand, so I got 16 treats for 8 bucks. Here’s how I did it!

First, get your chocolate melts all creamy, using a double boiler or your microwave. Then, unwrap your cereal treats and cut them in half (mine were about 3 inches thick.) Then, cut out 2 stars. Use the leftover scraps and form tight balls.

Using a bit of the melted chocolate on the craft stick, insert the stick into the treat. Pop them into the fridge until the chocolate candy and the cereal treats are nice and firm. Trust me on this- it’s SO much easier!

Next, dip your stars and treat pops into the melted candy and sprinkle on the Pop Rocks. Refrigerate them again to help the chocolate set up quickly.

The Pop Rocks don't start to crackle until you bite into them!

Now, for some of the treat pops I thought maybe we should skip the Pop Rocks and just swirl some pretty sprinkles onto the bottom. It’s a nice version for the grown-ups who have a sweet tooth, too!

All wrapped up and ready to take to the party.