Since I’ve already made cactus-inspired cupcakes, cake, and hard candy, I decided why not also go for some chocolate cacti. As long as you have the cactus cookie cutter, these chocolates are super easy to make. And if you purchase a cactus cookie cutter for this, you can also make my Cactus Candy once you’re finished.

Materials Needed:

• Cactus cookie cutter
• Baking sheet
• Colored chocolates (aka candy melts) in green + yellow
• White chocolate chips
• Microwave-safe bowls
• Spatula
• Piping bags

Directions:

Step #1: First, grease your cookie cutter and place on a flat sheet (or plate/tray). Pour 1 cup of green colored candy melts into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stopping to mix the chocolates every 30 seconds. Once melted, pour the green chocolate into your cactus cookie cutter. Use a spatula to smooth and even out the surface. If you cutter doesn’t sit perfectly level on your sheet, balance a bowl atop the cookie cutter to weigh it down. Place in the fridge to set for 10 – 15 minutes.

Step #2: Pour 1 cup of white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and again microwave on medium for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stopping to mix the chocolate every 30 seconds. Once melted, pour into a pastry piping bag and tie shut with a rubber band.

Once your white chocolate is bagged and ready, cut off a small tip at the end of the bag and pipe on the cactus’ spines. Once finished, place the chocolate cactus back in the fridge to set for 5-10 minutes.

Step #3: If you also want to add flowers, repeat the same process from Step #2 with yellow (or any colored) chocolate chips. [Note: I found it easiest to pipe my flowers onto the baking sheet I used for the cactus. Once they had hardened in the fridge, I used my spatula to gently lift each flower up and then applied a small dab of melted chocolate to secure the flowers to the cactus.]

Now, how easy was that?! And wouldn’t they make for great gifts – housewarming parties, weddings, birthdays, Valentine’s Day (with a cactus pun)…endless possibilities with these edible desert desserts. This definitely won’t be the last time I make these!