Our little birthday tradition

It started three years ago when we lived in New Jersey.  My son was in Kindergarten.  According to NJ school law at the time, you could not send anything to school (for birthdays, parties, etc) that was not ‘healthy.’  Now that doesn’t exactly make much room for special birthday cupcakes.  So, after some thought, I came up with a plan.  Cinnamon muffins (which vaguely LOOK like cupcakes) and pretzel candles.  I did jazz up the pretzels a bit with candy coating and jimmies…but it’s still a pretzel and pretzels were on the acceptable list and technically it’s a pretzel.  I was clinging to that.  Turns out, the kids loved them and thus began our birthday cupcake tradition.  Now that we live in Texas, cupcakes are still acceptable special birthday treat.  At the request of the birthday boy, this year was devil’s food with chocolate icing.  Yummy choice.

To make the pretzels, I just dipped pretzels sticks into white candy melts, twirled the stick to get rid of the excess coating, and rolled them in jimmies.  Once I get them pushed into the cupcake, I give them a little flame with yellow icing.  This year, one of the third graders thought it really was a candle!

And the finished product…

I’ve never seen anyone else do this, so I’m proud to call this an original idea.  I don’t know how many more years he’s actually gonna let me make these and bring them to school.  I’m enjoying while I can.  I love having and creating new traditions in our family.  Let me hear some of your birthday traditions!

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