Grad Gifts

What do you get a high school senior for a graduation gift?

There are five high school grads at our church and we wanted to get them each a small gift but had no idea what--especially since we don't know them very well. I'm so not a fan of the usual engraved picture frames or pen sets... And a friend was already getting them a book or a gift card so I didn't want to get the same thing.

What about homemade gift? My first thought was to make them each a cookie bouquet--bright, cheerful and edible! But I started looking for supplies and it was going to cost more and probably take longer than I'd like, so that was out. Kyle had suggested cake pops and I decided that may be the better option. I had made them for Bible study one night and everyone seemed to LOVE them! Kyle gave me a book for Christmas called "101 Gourmet Cake Bites" so I got that out to look up flavor ideas. It was decided that I would make chocolate toffee, white chocolate macadamia and strawberry shortcake. Sounded like a good variety!   :)

I made these cake pops (cake balls, technically) almost the same way as last time:
-crumble a baked cake into a bowl
-add frosting and mix well
-shape into balls and chill
-dip cake balls into chocolate
-chill until set

The only difference with this batch is that I used homemade buttercream frosting and a few add-ins. And I wanted to make them early in the week, so I mixed up the cake and icing, shaped them into balls and left them in the freezer for a few days. I finally got them out this afternoon to dip them in chocolate and get them ready to take tomorrow.

Four of the boxes have a 'graduation cap' cake ball in the center.  The hat part was made with a cordial candy mold, then I stuck a square of Ghiradelli chocolate upside-down on top. The tassel is a tiny strip of sour candy and it's topped with an M&M cap!   :) I found the idea on Bakerella's website.

I found these fun little boxes at Michaels and thought they'd be a great way to display the sweets. I set each cake ball in a black and white damask cupcake liner and then tied the boxes with black ribbon. Finished! Not a typical grad gift, but hopefully the students like them.  :)