This isn’t strictly a dollar store craft in that you’ll have to find the ingredients elsewhere, but it is easy and fun (and each bon-bon costs way less than a buck to make!). I made some quick and easy and “low cal” Twinkie bon-bons for Ohdeedoh. These are really entertaining to make, and you can personalize them in so many ways. They look like cute bon-bons straight out of a French patisserie, and would be great party food for nearly any event including tea parties, Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings, showers, etc. [click here for instructions]

Project Estimate:

• Box of 100 Calorie Twinkie packs (has 18 bites in it), $3
• Candy melts or Almond Bark, $1 and up (I got mine candy melts in the bulk food section of my grocery store)
• Colorful sprinkles, $1 and up
• Chocolate chips, $2 and up
• Food coloring paste (I used Wilton’s), optional (but DON’T use liquid food coloring), on hand
• Candy flavoring oils* (NOT extract), optional
• Mini cupcake wrappers, optional

Total: $3 and up for 18 bon-bons, depending on what you have on hand. I had everything but the Twinkie bites.

*Flavor oil: I linked to a 24 pack of Lorann flavor oils (about $1 each bottle). These are great for the casual candy-maker. If you start making tons of candy, you’ll want to upgrade to a different brand. You can also use these as lip balm flavorings! These flavors can also be found in limited quantities in the candy-making aisles of your favorite big-box or craft store. You can also use some essential oils for flavor oils. They must be GRAS (generally recognized as safe for consumption), and include but are not limited to: Anise (black licorice flavor), cinnamon, clove, coffee, ginger, lavender, lemon, lime, peppermint, vanilla.