Holiday Cookie Pops

The holiday season is upon us of course, which means lots and lots of sweet things. I'm not ashamed to admit that I spent most of my weekend cooking, baking and experimenting with holiday treats and that some of the results paid off (and others wound up in the trash). These holiday cookie lollipops were something I adapted from a stain glass sugar cookie recipe I found on Pinterest.  Delighted to see how the kids flocked to them, many ooh'd and aah'd and one little boy nearly fought me for his. I let him go wild (with his grown-up's permission, of course).

*Please note that since the lollipops are hard inside, they are not suitable for children under 3.

Stain glass cookie lollipops (makes 30 lollipops)
Prep time 2+ hours, bake time 6 minutes. Additional assembly 15 minutes.

Ingredients & props:
Basic sugar cookie recipe. I used the one from Allrecipes
Bag of Jolly Ranchers (all flavors)
Round cookie cutter or a water glass. Small cookie cutter or a shot glass for the inside.
Lollipop sticks

Directions:
Follow your cookie recipe instructions. After you roll out the dough, use the larger round cookie cutter to cut out the outside of the cookies. Then use the smaller cookie cutter or a shot glass to take out the inside.  

Take your Jolly Ranchers and place them in the middle of the cookie. Use more than one flavor to make the colors look interesting.

Bake for 6 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Remove immediately.

Take a knife or a sharp skewer and while the candy inside is still hot, swirl it around to create a pretty shape.

Then take the lollipop sticks and put on the back of the cookie to ensure they stick to the warm candy middle. Let them cool for about 5-10 minutes until the middle solidifies like a lollipop. 

Enjoy at your upcoming party!

Kid wins:

• Fun - The fun, whimsy aspect of these lollys didn't go unnoticed with the tiny crowd
• Colorful - Kiddos immediately flocked to these and loved their vibrant colors
• Long lasting - While regular cookies are short lived, this is the treat that keeps on giving

Grown-up wins:

• Nostalgic - Who doesn't love a good Jolly Rancher?! But now enveloped in a cookie?
• Original - Like the kids, the adults were intrigued by these as well and I got lots of compliments and questions on how I made them
• Simple ingredients - These require really simple, low maintenance ingredients that are already most likely in your pantry