Every year when my daughter’s birthday arrives, she wants to bring a treat to school to celebrate.  Have you had this conversation?

“Can I bring cupcakes to class on my birthday?  How many do you need?  Well... one for everyone in class and 2 for the teachers." "Oh... and one for my art teacher... and my music teacher..."

Inevitably, the amount grows as she adds more and more people to the list.  The grand total is somewhere around 40, which is quite a few batches of cupcakes and icing.  In my world (where the treat-making happens after dinner, homework and bath) this is at least an 11:30 night, or worse.

This year, I decided to make my life easier.  We (and she did help) made chocolate dipped marshmallows on pretzel rods with sprinkles.  They were easier to make and - if I don’t say so myself – better than cupcakes.  Transporting and storing them didn’t require boxes or an entire shelf in our refrigerator either.

Simply poke a hole into the marshmallow with a pretzel rod.  Dip it into melted chocolate.  Drop some sprinkles on top and put into the fridge on wax paper until it sets (10 minutes or so). 

You can wrap them in cute cellophane party bags if you like. 

If you are looking to an alternative to cupcakes, this is it.  And you will have it done in less than an hour - for once.