Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Cake Pops

Just in time for Halloween, we're bringing you a treat that's not candy! Fun and festive, these pops will easily catch your eye before a Kit Kat does. Try out this recipe and enjoy a sweet of a different kind during your ghoulish Wednesday night activities.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

Ingredients
For cake
1 box Pillsbury Traditional Vanilla cake mix
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
15 oz pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

For pops
1/3 cup Pillsbury vanilla frosting
36 sucker sticks
1 bag cocoa candy melts (or chocolate chips)
3 bags orange candy melts
1 bag green candy melts

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine all cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the sides.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

When cake has completely cooled, crumble into a large mixing bowl, and stir in frosting.

Form 1" balls, using your hands. Place on a large cookie sheet, or in a plastic container, and freeze for 30 minutes.

Before removing cake balls from freezer, prep the cocoa candy melts. Place about 1/4 cup of melts into a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Cook until just melted.

Dip sucker sticks into the chocolate, covering about 3/4" of one end. Then immediately stick at least halfway through a cake ball. Hold the ball in the air, with the stick below it, so the chocolate will start to drip down the stick. Use a second stick to help spread it down the stick just a little bit.

Repeat with remaining cake balls. By the time you are finished, it will be time to melt the orange candy melts. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between. It will take nearly all three bags to cover 36 cake pops.

Holding the cake pop by the stick, dunk each one into the melted orange candy. Use a spoon to carefully bring the chocolate all the way up to the top, careful not to cover the chocolate already on the stick.

Return the now orange cake pop to a piece of waxed paper. Repeat with remaining pops.

When the orange is completely set up, melt a half cup of green candy melts and place into a squeeze bottle. You can also use a piping bag and small frosting tip. Squeeze vines and/or leaves onto the top of each cake pop.

Voila, pumpkin spiced pumpkin cake pops! (We can't get over how cute these are!) A perfect pumpkin patch you can devour the details of. Enjoy!