Star Cookie Pops Food

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE COOKIE POPS

Steps:

• Place the cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse them until roughly chopped. Add the cream cheese and continue pulsing until the mixture is well combined and there are no large pieces of cookie remaining.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your hands, squeeze and roll the cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. Insert a lollipop stick into each ball, place them on the baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes.
• Melt the chocolate and vegetable oil in the microwave on 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until fully melted. Dip the cookie balls in the melted chocolate then immediately garnish them with sprinkles, crushed nuts or toasted coconut flakes. Return the pops to the baking sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate them for 1 hour or until the chocolate is set.

STAR COOKIE POPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, shortening, butter, lemon peel and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
• On lightly floured surface, roll half of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 6- to 8-inch star-shaped cookie cutter (or make your own 6- to 8-inch cardboard star pattern, place on dough and cut around pattern with small sharp knife). On ungreased cookie sheet, place cutouts 2 inches apart. Carefully insert 1 inch of craft stick into side of each cookie.
• Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly; carefully remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Spread glaze over cookies. Decorate as desired with icing and candies.

VALENTINE SANDWICH COOKIE POPS

Steps:

• Follow sugar cookie recipe, but in Step 4, make rounds 1 3/4 inches instead of 2 1/2 inches, and don't cut out smaller hearts.
• Turn over half the batch of baked cookies so bottoms are facing up. Spoon 1 scant teaspoon sandwich filling onto centers. Center lollipop stick in each. Cover with matching cookie rounds. Let dry. If desired, use royal icing to adhere small hearts reserved from Valentine Heart Pops onto pops. Let dry. Pipe royal icing through a pastry bag fitted with a 1/16-inch tip in decorative dots around cookies. When dry, store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

SUGAR-COOKIE STARS

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, then vanilla. Refrigerate dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out various star shapes using 3-to-4-inch cutters. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart.
• Bake until cookies are just turning gold around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks. Let cool completely.
• Make the icing: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until icing is glossy-white and holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface for 5 seconds when beater is raised, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe an outline of icing around the edges, then flood each cookie with more icing to cover. Sift edible silver dust over cookies. Let cookies dry completely.