Make your own marshmallow snowman stirrers, as seen in the Williams Sonoma catalog, for a fraction of the cost. 

marshmallow snowman for hot chocolate

You can make your own marshmallow snowman stirrers, as seen in the Williams Sonoma catalog (what a great hot cocoa gift idea?) for a fraction of the cost. 

By the way, if you love this idea, you’ll love this marshmallow snowman hot cocoa gift idea.

Now look. I like Williams-Sonoma. I do, really. I get my gravy base there every year for Thanksgiving. I like browsing all the cool baking products. And I absolutely respect Mr. Chuck Williams, and the part he (and Julia Child, of course) played to bring fine cooking to the States.

But there’s also quite a good bit of truth to annual Hater’s Guide to the Williams-Sonoma Catalog in its brash assessment of some of the most ridiculously-priced items the store has to offer. And it does a fine job of tarnishing the gild.  I was struck by Item #91, the marshmallow snowmen stirrers, as I’m usually struck when I see my ideas being sold. 

more williams-sonoma catalog Christmas gifts 

I clearly have a thing for this shop. Here are more, less expensive versions of the homemade Christmas gifts from the catalog:

• marshmallow snowman hot cocoa floaters 
• peppermint bark pretzels 
• reindeer donut pops 

Here’s the Willams-Sonoma version:

And here is what Drew says: “Four! Four sticks! Ohhhhh, but they’re made in Belgium. Listen, I don’t care if they were made in Buckingham Palace by whipping egg whites between Kate Middleton’s asscheeks. They’re still marshmallows. They can only be so good, no matter what kind of whimsical drawings you put on them. My taste buds don’t care. That snowman will die quicker than a normal snowman.”

I’m inclined to agree with Drew. That’s almost THIRTEEN dollars for four snowmen. A buck a marshmallow.

And just looking at those marshmallows I’m pretty sure those aren’t handmade. Those are machine-produced. Doesn’t really matter in what country the machine resides. Which means you can substitute Jet-Puffed, folks.

make your own

Here is how you make A DOZEN snowmen stirrers for the exact same price as the four shown. With plenty of supplies left over.

And, excluding the time to drive to the store and buy the supplies, these took me under ten minutes to make.

Of course, maybe you don’t need a dozen.

Maybe you don’t have any desire to pipe chocolate and buy all the stuff. Maybe driving to the store is an extra hour you just don’t have (this, my friend, I understand).

If so, happy shopping to you and no need to look back. But for anyone that wants to make their own… here you go.

how to make marshmallow snowman stirrers

(from the Williams-Sonoma catalog for a fraction of the cost)

you will need (prices estimated and may vary):*

bag of marshmallows ($1.50)
skewer sticks ($1.00)
bag of chocolate chips OR chocolate candy melts ($2.00 to $3.00)
bag of orange candy melts ($3.00)
box of 12-inch disposable decorating bags ($3.80)

*Find the candy melts and decorating bags in the craft store. Want to save even more?? Skip the most expensive supply, the decorating bags, and use a freezer-grade, quart-size Ziploc instead.

what to do:

Skewer three marshmallows on a stick. To help them slide on more easily, you can grease the sticks with vegetable shortening, but it isn’t necessary.

Pour chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 70 percent power for 90 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave for 15 second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted. Pour the chocolate into the decorating bag or ziploc.

Snip a tiny bit, 1/4-inch, from the tip. Pipe the eyes, mouth and arms on the marshmallows. 

Melt the orange candy melts just as you did the chocolate chips. Pipe the carrot noses. Let the marshmallows set.

What do you think? Will you give it a go?

Yield: 12 stirrers

DIY marshmallow snowmen stirrers from the Williams-Sonoma catalog

Print

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• bag of marshmallows
• skewer sticks
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips OR chocolate candy melts
• 1/2 cup bag of orange candy melts
• box of 12-inch disposable decorating bags

Instructions

1. Skewer three marshmallows on a stick. To help them slide on more easily, you can grease the sticks with vegetable shortening, but it isn't necessary.
2. Pour chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 70 percent power for 90 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave for 15 second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted. Pour the chocolate into the decorating bag or ziploc. Snip a tiny bit, 1/4-inch, from the tip. Pipe the eyes, mouth and arms on the marshmallows.
3. Melt the orange candy melts just as you did the chocolate chips. Pipe the carrot noses. Let the marshmallows set.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 0g

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