Hershey's Kiss Rosebud Favor

Materials needed:

• Hershey's Kisses
• Double-sided tape (optional)
• Colored cellophane
• 18-guage florist wire (cut in two equal lengths with wire cutters to get more roses per pack, or make long-stemmed rosebuds if you desire)
• Green florist tape
• Silk rose leaves (optional)
• Ribbon (optional)

Tools needed:

• Scissors (to cut the cellophane into squares)
• Wire cutters (to cut the wires in half, or trim the rose stems after they are made)

Instructions:

1. Optional first step: Using a small square of the double-sided tape, stick two foil-wrapped Hershey's Kisses together, bottom to bottom. (This isn't strictly necessary, but it helps some folks handle the kisses while wrapping.)

2. Take a four-inch square of cellophane. Place the tip of one of the kisses in the center of the square, then wrap the cellophane around both kisses, gathering the corners together around the tip of the other kiss. Wrap the gathered corners together as tightly as you can without tearing the florist tape.

3. Insert a florist wire into the gathered cellophane until it meets the tip of the Hershey's Kiss. (DO NOT push the wire into the chocolate! Many people have written to me to tell me that this makes the rosebud easier to make, but there is a good reason not to do this. Florist wire is not "food safe," and toxic substances from the paint and metal of the wire can contaminate the chocolate and make it unsafe to eat. Please be sure that when you make your rosebuds that the wire and the chocolate do not actually come in direct contact. An alternate to using wire is to use wood/bamboo skewers, which can be safely inserted into the kiss...many thanks to Kim for suggesting this!)

4. Tape the "rosebud" onto the wire with the florist tape. Continue taping down the length of the wire until it is completely covered.

5. Optional: Tape the silk rose leaves onto the stem, and/or decorate with a ribbon bow.

One reader writes: "I got married on June 5, 1999 and I made these as a thank you gift. We made about 250 and placed them in a small basket with styrofoam and it looked like a rose bush. This is a great idea."