Graduation Cookie-Candy Caps

with Fondant Diplomas

June: Graduation Season

Success smells (and tastes) sweet, especially when commencement caps and diplomas are made out of candies and cookies. We bring these “too-cool-for-school” desserts to potlucks and parties in honor of the graduates we know, whether they are preschoolers advancing to kindergarten or newly-minted Ph.D.s. These festive foods always get an A+ in the academic and foodie communities. Congratulations, graduates!

Recipe

For the cookie or candy caps

• Chocolate fudge-covered square graham crackers or Ghiradelli chocolate squares
• Reese’s mini chocolate peanut butter cups
• Peanut butter or chocolate frosting
• Tube frosting in school or favorite colors (we used Wilton brand)

Directions

Place the flat side down on the graham crackers or chocolate squares. Dab a little peanut butter or chocolate frosting on the small end of the peanut butter cup. Adhere to the middle of the graham cracker or chocolate square.

Use a small round tip on the tube frosting. Squeeze out “tassels” on a graham cracker or chocolate square, starting up and ending on the corner edge. Pipe out a line from the “tassel” to the middle. Finish with a small dot.

For the diplomas

• Red licorice (we used Twizzlers brand Pull-n-Peel cherry-flavored candy)
• White fondant
• White tube frosting (we used Wilton brand)

Directions

Carefully “pull-n-peel” off strands of the licorice candy. Cut into 3-4-inches long.  Shape into bows and press in the middle to stick together. Trim if necessary.

Pinch out a small ball of white fondant from the package. Knead until pliable. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares, then into 1×2-inch rectangles.

Roll up the fondant into “diplomas.” Add a little dot of frosting to secure the red licorice “bows.” Let dry. Serve with the graduation cookie or candy caps.

Notes

• We also made “diplomas” by drawing a bow with a red edible food marker on short dipping snack sticks (crackers) as a quick alternative to the fondant-licorice version. Bigger “diplomas” were made with white chocolate-covered cookie rolls and red tube frosting bows.

• Insert a lollipop stick on the bottom of the cookie-candy cap for a graduation dessert pop!