Homemade Jolly Rancher Lollipops {How-To}

Oh, Valentine's Day.

You mushy, gushy, lovey dovey, pink hearts, sharing-the-love, shooting-cupid's-arrow holiday, you.

Although it seems incomprehensible to me that it is the middle of February already, the day of love is tomorrow and that means that my girls have been beyond excited about the cutting, crafting, painting, decorating and baking that we've been doing to get ready.

But, most importantly, it's all about the valentines.

While there is absolutely, positively, 100% nothing wrong with traditional, store-bought valentines (I have so many fond memories of ripping into those little white envelopes and pulling out the licensed-character card inside!), I like to do something a little extra while my kids are young and still willing to let me.

Last year we got a little creative and made our own homemade jolly rancher lollipops and the girls couldn't have been more excited for February to roll around so that we could make them once again. After all, the end result is something colorful, festive and delicious, so what more could they ask for?

While all of the steps and ingredients are laid out in my Homemade Jolly Rancher Lollipops recipe, here's a quick photo summary to show how truly easy these are:

Easy peasy! Just unwrap, place, melt, add sticks and cool!

We took a more classic approach with Little Sister B's valentines by taping a lollipop to each of the envelopes. Big Sister E's, on the other hand, ended up a bit more whimsical, as her classmates are going to end up with something that not only tastes good, but will bring a smile as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!