Kids have the jitters before meeting a new teacher or as they’re heading back to school? Sweeten the deal with this adorable homemade lollipop.

I used Yum Earth’s vegan hard candies to replicate a recipe that originally called for Jolly Ranchers. Yum Earth colors won’t quite be apple red or leafy green, but I came close with colors from their Citrus Grove variety pack, a pink-ish red for the apple and a pale yellow-green for the leaf.

First came the excitement when I announced to Travis that we were going to make homemade lollipops!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place 4 of the red candies in a square.

Bake at 275 degrees F for 4 minutes – they should be just slightly soft. Let cool for 1 minute, then push into the shape of an apple. Push a lollipop stick down into the center of the apple.

Place a green candy at the top for the leaf. Return to the oven and bake an additional 4 minutes. Shape the “leaf” at the top of the apple, once out of the oven, then insert a piece of pretzel stick as the stem.

Yup, Travis thought this was the neatest lollipop ever!