It’s a me, Mario! This week I’ve teamed up with Missy from Miss Trendy Treats and collaborated on the theme of Super Mario! I think anyone who had the original NES remembers spending hours playing the original Super Mario Bros. game along with Duck Hunt. Oh,that brings me back! Mario has evolved quite a bit over the years, but one thing that has stay the same is his ower-up items. From the super mushrooms, to the fire flowers, to the invincibility stars these performance enhancing finds are a must if you are going to take on the evil Bowser and rescue your friends. Join me as I show you how to make my Super Mario Surprise Inside Question Blocks!
To make the dessert you will need:
- Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
- Yellow Candy Melts
- White Candy Melts
- Ice Cream (any flavor you like)
- Royal Icing in Black, White, Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green
- A cube-shaped plastic or silicone chocolate mold
- The templates: Super Mario Question Block Template, Super Mario Powerup Items Template
- Lollipop sticks
- Ziploc bags or Pastry bags
- Wax paper
- A food-safe marker
- A sharp craft knife
- Scissors
- Tissue Paper
- And off-set spatula
Let me show you how it’s done!
- Separate the cookies leaving the cream filling on one side. Cover the cream side and keep for later. Wipe of any excess filling from the non-cream side.
- Decorate the cookies: Trace the power items onto squares of tissue paper using the food-safe marker. Lay one of the outlined images onto one of the clean cookie halves and re-trace over the image so that the ink bleeds onto the cookie. Outline the image on the cookie with black royal icing. Let dry for a few hours or until icing is hard. Then fill in the rest of the colors. Use a toothpick to help move the icing into the corners. Let dry overnight.
- Cut the lollipop sticks to be between 2 and 3 inches in length. Place into each cream-side of a cookie and then add one of the decorated cookie halves back on so you have little cookie pops. You can also use two lollipop sticks spaced out for more stability.
- Make the chocolate candy question blocks: Melt some yellow candy melts in the microwave in short bursts at 50% power stirring in between each burst. Pour the melted candy melt into your mold going up about half way. Turn the mold around to coat each side evenly. Dump out any excess candy melt and use a knife to clean the top. Freeze these for exactly 10 minutes. When they’re set they should slide out of the mold quite easily. Tip: Try to touch the block from the inside or on the edges as your fingers will quickly start to leave finger prints all over your beautiful chocolate creation!
- Print out the Question Block Template on some card stock if you can and use the craft knife to cut out the white parts of the question marks to create a stencil. Lay the stencil on a sheet of wax paper and spread a thin layer of melted white candy melt on top evening it out with an off-set spatula. Immediately lift off the stencil while holding down the wax paper. Let set for a few minutes.
- Gently peel off one of the question marks and use a bit more melted candy melt on the back of each mark and apply it onto whatever side you want to be the front of you question blocks.
- Assemble the dessert: Lay a scoop of ice cream in a bowl or dish. (Tip: I found it better to scoop the ice cream out in advance and let the softened scoops of ice cream re-freeze for a few hours before using them). You can also add bits of cake, coconut, or whatever you like to the bottom. Slide in one of your power-up cookies, and then place a finished question block on top.
