Ice Cream Cake Pops

These cake pops are fun, and easy - and give the satisfaction of an ice cream cone without the sticky fingers. They're perfect to take to a picnic or barbeque, without having to worry too much about them melting before it's time to eat them!

These are great to make in your favorite ice cream flavor, and can be changed a million ways to fit your preferences!

For the Cake:

- Cake mix (any flavor you want, but I chose Strawberry and Butter Pecan)

- Whatever your cake mix requires

- Extra bits (I added more strawberries and chopped pecans)

For the Frosting:

- 8 oz. Cream Cheese

- 1/2 c. Butter

- 3 - 4 c. Powdered Sugar

- 1 tsp Extract of your choice (I used vanilla)

- Milk as needed (you can also use fruit puree if you're making a fruit flavored cake pop)

Everything else:

- Sugar Ice Cream Cones (if you can find mini cones, brownie-points to you AND you get to skip a step!)

- Bark Coating (you can use whatever flavor you want)

- Colored Candy Melts (if you want your bark coating to be colored)

- Toppings (Sprinkles, Chopped Nuts, Cookie Crumbs, Chopped Candy Bars, etc)

Helpful Extras:

- Waxed or Parchment Paper

- a small cookie scoop

- some way to stand your cones to dry - I just poked holes in a cardboard box

So, if you're like me, and weren't lucky enough to find some mini sugar cones - then you're going to have to cut some regular sized cones. Fortunately, it's not very hard to do.

I cut my cones pretty much in half. You'll need a serrated knife, and, with gentle sawing motions- cut your cones.

I found it was easiest to saw around the entire cone - not quite breaking all the way though - then to go back around a second time to split it in two. It helps keep your tops straight, and stops the cones from breaking.

Make your cake according to the directions on your box. Let it cool completely.

For your frosting: cream together softened cream cheese, butter, and extract. Add in the powdered sugar and milk/puree until it's a thick, but smooth consistency.

Now the fun part! Take your cool cake and dump it into a large bowl. Squish it all into crumbs. Add in frosting until it sticks together, but isn't too soft. It should be able to hold it's shape when poked or squeezed.

Scoop your cake mix onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. I got 25 of each flavor - with plenty left over to fill my cones. Let those harden in the fridge until you can handle them without completely ruining their shape.

Now, fill your cones with the cake mixture - making sure to come all the way to the top, so the scoop of cake has something to stick to.

Once your little scoops have hardened some, you can stack them onto your cones. Gently press them down, and reshape them if needed. These should go back into the fridge for at least another 30 - 60 minutes to harden.

If they're not hardened, the cake will fall off when you dip these in chocolate.

Melt your bark coating. If you want to color your coating, add your colored pieces to melt with it.

You should be able to stick your finger in the melted coating, and it should feel just warm. If it's too hot, let it cool - stirring occasionally.

Dip each of your cones into the coating, using a spoon to help cover the cake and to knock off any excess coating. Immediately sprinkle your cones with whatever topping you've chosen! Let these harden completely before moving to a flat surface.

Store in an airtight container. These stay fresh longest if kept in the fridge. I've had these last a full week, and they were as good as day 1 (they might even keep longer, they just didn't last long enough to find out)