Quick and Easy Snowy Chocolate Pine Cones recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to soak pine cones before baking them? ›

For example – 1 cup of white vinegar to 1 cup of water. You want the pine cones well submerged in the mix. This is going to remove the bugs (EWWW) and extra dirt you can't see. Step 4: After the pine cones soak for a few hours, remove them from the vinegar mix and put them on a baking sheet.

To get pine cones to open up, you can follow these steps: First, collect mature pine cones from the ground, as they are more likely to open. Then, bake them in the oven at a low temperature (around 200°F or 93°C) for about 30 minutes. This heat will cause the cones to release their seeds and open up.

Make a Christmas tree topiary by gluing small pinecones to a styrofoam ball or tree shape. Put pinecones and fairy lights in large jars with lids. Make pinecone ornaments by coating a pinecone with glitter, attaching a thin velvet ribbon to them with a dot of hot glue, and tying them on your Christmas tree.

Little bugs and spiders call pinecones home so before you store yours away for fall and winter table decor, preserve them first. Spritz all your pinecones with a combination of 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water.

Bleaching pinecones won't turn them truly white, but they get a beautiful light, weathered look. They look great grouped together, or create great visual interest mixed in with the darker natural ones. It gives a fresh new look when decorating, and goes perfect with the ever so popular farmhouse decor look.

In a sink or large bowl, mix ½+ cups of white vinegar with water. Soak your pine cones for about 30 minutes. Clearly, this is not exact pine cone science, so just take them out after a little while. Avoid leaving them in for a super long time because they'll totally close up.

Place your pine cone on a piece of paper (to catch any debris that might fall out as it opens) on a warm radiator and leave overnight.

Put the pine cones in a paper or gallon ziplock bag, drop 10-20 or more drops of oil on them, shake gently to disperse the oils. Seal them up and let them soak in the oils for several days. Refresh with more oils as needed!

Some species of pine tree need the heat from a fire for their cones to open and release seeds.

To clean pine cones, you can either bake them in a low-temperature oven (around 200°F) for 30-45 minutes to kill any insects and remove moisture, or freeze them in an airtight bag or container for at least 24 hours.

Will baking pine cones make them open? ›

Don't worry if when you soak them they totally close up, that's just what pine cones do. I promise they will bloom beautifully once completely dried. Whether you decide to air dry or bake them, those bad boys are gonna open right up and scream “craft with me!”

"So this idea of purification, of water sprinkling, of ritual, has remained consistent for thousands of years." In a way, the ancient use of the pine cone parallels the sense of ceremony that connects with Christmas rituals like putting up a tree, hanging lights or attending church services, he added.

Put the pine cones in a paper or gallon ziplock bag, drop 10-20 or more drops of oil on them, shake gently to disperse the oils. Seal them up and let them soak in the oils for several days. Refresh with more oils as needed!