We like to kick off the new school year with a sweet and special treat for the teachers and staff to say welcome back, we missed you! This Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownie recipe will surely score points galore making you the number one mom at school, plus it tastes great with a morning cup of coffee. (Doesn’t everyone eat chocolate for breakfast?)

See also: Dark Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow S’more Ice Cream Recipe

Brownies are inexpensive and easy to make, and are the perfect gift idea for individuals and groups alike. You can serve a batch of brownies to a large group on a colorful serving platter from your favorite discount store, or wrap individual brownies in a plastic candy bag with a personalized gift tag created a homemade gift everyone will love.

Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownie Recipe

This smooth and fudgy brownie recipe is quick and easy to make. To enhance the deep, rich flavor or dark chocolate, add a touch of instant espresso powder and taste what a difference it makes – your chocolate will sing!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Place butter and chopped chocolate in a double broiler over simmering water. Stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Lets mixture sit for a few minutes.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and optional instant espresso powder until combined.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until completely incorporated.
6. Add the flour mixture and whisk to incorporate.
7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Fondue parties have been making a comeback!  I actually own one of those vintage 70s fondue pots that looks like a regular cooking pot with an electrical cord.  The color?  Burnt orange, of course.  I’m thinking if I were to thrown a fondue party these days I would be more likely to do an updated version, inspired by these mini fondue favors by Victoria from A Subtle Revelry.  It makes a fun, interactive trinket that your guests will certainly enjoy and remember.  You don’t even have to throw a full-blown fondue party for an excuse to make them; I think they would be just as fun at a bridal shower or birthday party too!  [how to make mini fondue party favors]

Project estimate:

• Candle bowl, $1
• Tea light candle, on hand or $1
• Chocolates, on hand or $1
• Matches, on hand or $1
• Ribbon, on hand or$1

Total:  $1 and up

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If you’re looking for a quick-and-easy idea for a little holiday treat, candy is a classic choice.  Can you ever really go wrong with chocolate?  Laura from The Pharma Blog came up with this cute idea for gifting a handful of Hershey’s Kisses, complete with a free printable template.  This project has more possibilities than just Christmas treats, though; I think these would make awesome wedding favors, which could be personalized by adding names and a date to the little paper flags sticking out of the tops.  [how to make merry kiss-mas treat pouches]

Project estimate:

• Scrapbook paper, on hand
• Sewing machine or glue, on hand
• Printable template, free
• Hershey Kisses, $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Merry KISS-mas Treat Pouches appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

In case you’ve lost count, Thanksgiving is now just three days away!  Have you hit panic mode yet?  If you’re hosting a family dinner or you are looking for a fun dish to pass as a guest, everyone will be delighted when they see these chocolate covered pilgrim hat treats.  Jamie from The Crafting Chicks made them last year with her kiddos, and it sounds like it may become a tradition with a repeat planned for this year.  They would also be great as a classroom treat!  [how to make chocolate covered pilgrim hat treats]

Project estimate:

• Fudge stripe cookies, $1 and up
• Large marshmallows, on hand or $1
• Chocolate chips, on hand or $1 and up
• Frosting, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $1 and up

The post Make Chocolate Covered Pilgrim Hat Treats appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you should opt for flowers or candy in a gift-giving situation?  Well, it turns out you can do both at once!  Inspired by a similar project she saw on Pinterest, Kim from seven thirty three rounded up some supplies from the dollar store and crafted a lovely bouquet of candy bars.  It’s a great alternative to a traditional flower bouquet for anyone who has allergies, or for your favorite chocolate lover.  How could anyone resist such a sweet arrangement?  [how to make a candy bar bouquet]

Project estimate:

• Candy bars, about $0.50 each and up
• Bamboo skewers, on hand or $1
• Scrapbook paper, on hand or $1
• Glue, on hand
• Flower pot, $1 and up
• Paint (optional), on hand or $1 and up
• Styrofoam, $1
• Paper shreds, on hand or $1
• Ribbon, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  about $5 and up

The post Make a Candy Bar Bouquet appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

As back story, PEEPS® are an iconic Spring ‘treat’. They are Marshmallows, shaped like either yellow chicks or pink bunnies (Yellow and white PEEPS® chicks and bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange). They are inexpensive, and bright, and artificial through and through. But there they are.

[Note from Melinda: They’re fun to make S’MEEPS with (s’mores with PEEPS). Although watching them puff up in the microwave is fun, roasting them over an open flame lets you watch their little eyes melt off!]

[See all the submissions from Iron Craft]

Our IC15 Submissions:

Rhonda Greene’s Submission: Chocolate Covered PEEPS

Rhonda’s mom LOVES Peeps, so she made these for her for her 60th birthday – chocolate covered Peeps! She used semi-sweet baking chocolate so that they wouldn’t be any more sugary than they are by nature. They turned out cute and sinfully yummy! Rhonda made the chocolate covered Peeps on bamboo skewers and stuck them in a styrofoam circle to dry.  (You could also make this a display by putting the styrofoam in a flower pot, or adding decorative ribbon around the edges). To wrap them, she used favor bags that she’d originally ordered to use for her wedding favors, but they were backordered and came in three days after the ceremony. Go figure! But they were the perfect size to put over the Peeps and tie off with some ribbon from her stash. Rhonda boxed up a dozen of the finished, individually wrapped Peeps for her mom. Happy birthday, Rhonda’s mom!

Melinda Hileman’s Submission: Keep Calm and PEEP On Cupcake Tower

Melinda went all out and made a PEEPs cupcake tower. The completely from scratch cupcakes consisted of a vanilla bean cupcake, vanilla bean creme brulee cream filling, vanilla bean buttercream and toasted PEEPs marshmallow fondant. Melinda isn’t a big fan of the taste of fondant, but this stuff was so good that she and her hubby enjoyed not only the fondant on the cupcakes, but some of the leftover fondant as well! The cupcakes are topped with either a real PEEP, a paper PEEP or a “Stay Calm and PEEP On” topper. [See more pictures] Want your own PEEPs toppers? Here’s your free printable download! Just want the signs in a bigger format to print? Here they are in blue, pink, purple and yellow!

Did you submit a craft for the 15th Iron Craft challenge? Share yours in the comments section!

The post Bunny or Chick? (Iron Craft Week 15) appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Heather has been going crazy with the wonderful skull ice cube tray she found at Dollar Tree.  So far, she’s shown us how to make edible sugar skulls and mini soap-on-a-rope using the versatile silicone mold.  Shea from All Things Shea came up with another project using the same ice cube tray – homemade skull pops!  She used almond bark (a mixture of chocolate and finely-chopped almonds) to make her skulls, but you could also use other types of moldable candy as a cheaper substitute or to accommodate nut allergies.  [how to make chocolate skull pops]

Project estimate:

• Skull ice cube tray, $1
• Milk chocolate squares for baking, $1 and up
• Popsicle sticks, $1

Total:  $3 and up

Additional resources:

• How to use candy mold and mold chocolate – a comprehensive guide to melt-and-pour candy making techniques
• Plastic chocolate – a recipe for moldable, clay-like chocolate candy that you can stuff into the molds or shape freehand

The post Make Chocolate Skull Pops appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Stamped Favor Bags: $3

Make custom favor bags for your wedding by stamping an image on the front and adding flowers and ribbon. The dollar store usually has mini organza gift bags (not like the muslin shown here) that would work for this, and you can always find flowers (or other embellishments: beads, buttons, trinkets, etc.) and ribbon easily. Find instructions at My DIY Wedding Day.

Wallpaper Scrap-Covered Chocolates: $1 and up

Take scraps of wallpaper (you could even use samples from old wallpaper sample books), cut to size and cover mini chocolate bars. Add a little glitter for a pretty and sparkly favor. For a wedding favor, print a tiny label with your event details and stick it to the bottom of the bar. This adorable idea would work for a variety of events, from weddings, bridal showers, flowery birthday parties or even tea parties. Project by Kellie at Ada and Darcy.

Wedding Coloring Book: $1 and up

I love this idea: a wedding coloring book for your pint-sized guests. Actually, I think coloring books would be great favors for guests of all ages. I found this idea (along with a lot of other good ideas and great money-saving wedding tips) at Gingerbread Snowflakes. Great Ideas for Budget Weddings

Rhinestone Monogrammed Bouquet Wrap: $2

I found this fun DIY bouquet wrap idea and I just knew you could do it on a dollar store budget. Dollar Store Craft-ize this project with those rhinestone monograms they have in the crafts section at Dollar Tree – just cut the dollar store monogram into individual stones to set in the shape you want. Check out this project for more info on this rhinestone technique. Make a Rhinestone Monogrammed Bouquet Wrap at Crafts Unleashed.

The post Roundup: Dollar Store Wedding Ideas appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

This isn’t strictly a dollar store craft in that you’ll have to find the ingredients elsewhere, but it is easy and fun (and each bon-bon costs way less than a buck to make!). I made some quick and easy and “low cal” Twinkie bon-bons for Ohdeedoh. These are really entertaining to make, and you can personalize them in so many ways. They look like cute bon-bons straight out of a French patisserie, and would be great party food for nearly any event including tea parties, Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings, showers, etc. [click here for instructions]

Project Estimate:

• Box of 100 Calorie Twinkie packs (has 18 bites in it), $3
• Candy melts or Almond Bark, $1 and up (I got mine candy melts in the bulk food section of my grocery store)
• Colorful sprinkles, $1 and up
• Chocolate chips, $2 and up
• Food coloring paste (I used Wilton’s), optional (but DON’T use liquid food coloring), on hand
• Candy flavoring oils* (NOT extract), optional
• Mini cupcake wrappers, optional

Total: $3 and up for 18 bon-bons, depending on what you have on hand. I had everything but the Twinkie bites.

*Flavor oil: I linked to a 24 pack of Lorann flavor oils (about $1 each bottle). These are great for the casual candy-maker. If you start making tons of candy, you’ll want to upgrade to a different brand. You can also use these as lip balm flavorings! These flavors can also be found in limited quantities in the candy-making aisles of your favorite big-box or craft store. You can also use some essential oils for flavor oils. They must be GRAS (generally recognized as safe for consumption), and include but are not limited to: Anise (black licorice flavor), cinnamon, clove, coffee, ginger, lavender, lemon, lime, peppermint, vanilla.

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