– 2 lbs. fresh strawberries – 9 x4-inch green Styrofoam cone – 24 ounces 2 packages vanilla candy melts or white chocolate – 2 dozen fresh organic roses flower heads and greenery washed and dry – 6 store-bought macarons – Toothpicks – 8- inch cake stand or cake plate with a lip

– Pick only the prettiest, unblemished berries. Pull off their green tops and wash and thoroughly dry them. Line the berries up smallest to largest on a parchment sheet.  Melt 12 ounces of vanilla candy wafers (according to package directions) and dip each strawberry into the candy. Melt more candy as needed. Leave a nickel-sized portion of the strawberry uncovered on the 

backs of each berry. Place them on the parchment and allow them to stand until set, about 1 hour. – Choose an 8-inch serving plate or cake stand with a lip. Place a little leftover melted candy (about 1 tablespoon) in the center of the plate. Press the bottom of a 9×4-inch Styrofoam florists’ cone in the center. Let stand until set. – Cut a rosebud head from its stem and dip the end in melted candy. Place the flower head at the base of the cone with the melted candy stem touching the 

cone. Repeat the process, alternating the roses with macarons. Do not use melted candy on the macarons; they should be easy for guests to pull away from the arrangement. The bottom of the arrangement should only consist of macarons and roses. – Stick a toothpick into the cone just above the bottom row of flowers/macs at an upward angle. Starting with the larger dipped strawberries, thread one onto the toothpick. Thread it at the 

nickel-sized open area on the back of each berry. Arrange it so that the strawberry’s pointed end is pointing upward and not straight out. Repeat the process, alternating with roses in the same fashion. Continue the next row with strawberries only and use smaller berries as you travel up the cone. I added a few more roses about 1/3 from the top of the tower, but you could use only berries if desired. – A larger and more bloomed rose can be used for the top

the tower. Insert a toothpick in the very top of the cone and thread on the rose. There will be some gaps between the berries. Tuck individual rose leaves between berries and anywhere the Styrofoam cone is visible. – Serve extra dipped strawberries on a serving plate alongside the tower.

Choose roses that have tight buds. You want the berry shape and the rose shape to almost be the same. Rose heads that are bloomed or are too large can be made smaller by plucking off some of the outer petals. Use blooms that can be confirmed as food-safe, organic and grown in safe conditions, sourced from your own garden or a trusted friend’s organic garden. The Styrofoam cone can be covered with plastic wrap before adding the berries, if desired. 

You may have to re-position some of the toothpicks as you arrange berries on the tower, If you have to pull a toothpick out of the foam, hold the top of the tower down as you do so. The candy will definitely hold the cone stationary as you work, but it’s not super glue.