Homemade Lollipops

A while back I was looking for something fun for Alex to do and as I was browsing blogs I came across a post about homemade lollipops. So I decided that Alex would like that and so I ended up getting some Jolly Ranchers and lollipop sticks which I already had and in about 10 minutes we had some homemade pops!

I originally found the idea over at Mess for Less . We only  used Jolly Ranchers and we crushed all of them up. That was Alex's favorite part (besides eating them). She enjoyed mixing the colors together and watching them melt together as I kept on the oven light so she could see.

Alex really liked the lollipops but Jolly Ranchers always seem to stick to my teeth so the lollipops did as well. I had to remind her to just lick them and not bite them off as they could get stuck in her throat since they are a little tough to chew. That in itself was quite a challenge because when Alex eats a lollipop she bites the whole thing and chews it up instead of just licking it.

The flavors were really good but next time I may try to use a different kind of candy to melt down. I'm thinking my favorite butterscotch candies would be just perfect!!!

Here are some simple directions:
- Separate the Jolly Ranchers into bags by color
- Crush them up with a mallet (I did this part and used a small  hammer)
- Put the broken up pieces into bowls
- Sprinkle the pieces onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in whatever shape you like
- Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes
- As soon as they come out of the oven attach a stick to the circles and turn the sticks to coat the entire stick with the candy (and of course and adult should do this part!)
- Let the lollipops cool and eat!