Cookie "Pops"

Cookie “pops”—cookies on a stick—make fun party favors that can be customized to the theme and color scheme of your party. Shapes that work best for cookie pops are those that have a good amount of vertical area to hold the stick, and no long, thin parts. (A horse’s head is a better shape than a horse.) Aside from that consideration, you can use any shape you like; cactuses and chili peppers for a south-of-the-border theme, flowers and watering cans for a garden theme, and so on. Stars make a cute “magic wand” shape for a child’s birthday, and you can attach colorful ribbons like streamers.

The main objective in making cookie pops is to keep the cookie attached to the stick. Here are some tips for success:

1. Use large sturdy sticks, at least 6 inches long. They’re available at most craft supply stores.
2. Roll the cookie dough out no thinner than 1/4 inch. 
3. Cut out your shapes and lay them on the cookie sheet, six to eight cookies per sheet, in two rows. 
4. Slip a stick under the center of each cookie, making sure the cookie covers at least 2 inches of the stick. 
5. Gently but firmly press the cookie onto the stick; press along both sides of the stick as well as the top.
6. Bake the cookies as usual, but make sure they are thoroughly baked; doughy cookies will tend to separate from the sticks.
7. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheets before removing. (If you need to reuse the cookie sheet to bake another batch of  cookies, use a wide spatula to carefully move the cookie onto a wire rack, and let it cool thoroughly before handling.)
8. Ice the cookies with ganache, buttercream, or royal icing.
9. Handle the cookies carefully!

Almost any container will do for displaying the cookies, as long as it isn’t too deep—flower pots, bowls, an upturned hat, juice glasses, or pitchers. To anchor the sticks in the container, you can use clean sand or pebbles, or modeling clay.

Use your imagination, and have fun!

Ann
Ann Clark, Ltd