Cardinal cookie pops!

 

Cardinal Cookie Pops

 

 

How cute are these little birdies? I made these for a high school graduation. Can you guess what the mascot was? If you guessed Cardinal you would be right!

 

 

 

First get your prefect sugar cookie recipe. I like to roll it out using parchment paper, this ensures that you don't have to add flour and dry out your cookies. Boo :( Then I use 1/4'' sticks to roll out the dough. This way all of your cookies are completely flat and smooth. This makes is sooooo much easier to decorate.  

 

 

I used a silpat mat to cook these birds on. Parchment paper works just as well. I used Wilton lollipop sticks. It says on the packaging that they are not intended for oven use. I baked my cookies at 350 degrees for 9 min with the lollipop sticks in the cookies. I didn't burn down my stove or house, so its all good I think.

 

 

Let your delicious cookie pops completely cool before you start to decorate them. I use royal icing to decorate. Also side note when making royal icing I hope you have a stand mixer. The first time I made it all I had was a hand mixer and it broke, in my hands. It died in my hands!! Anyways, outline your cookie in a thicker royal icing then go back and flood it with a thinned down royal icing. 

 

Royal Icing-

4 cups of confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons of meringue powder

6 tablespoons of water (H20)

2 teaspoons of flavoring

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Add everything into your STAND MIXER, and whip on high for 10 minutes. I also use amaretto flavoring in my icing. I guess you could use vanilla, if you hate adventure.  

 

 

After you have your cookie flooded, let it harden. Then you add a wing with the thick royal icing. I used Wilton Food Writer pens for the black. Lets be real here for a minute. No one likes the way black food coloring tastes!! After adding the black to the face, I added a black sprinkle for the eye. Use tweezers for this, it will make is so much easier. Work smart not hard! Then I had orange royal icing for the little beak!

 

 

Edible Glitter!! It is a proven fact that glitter makes cookies taste better. Let these bad dogs dry for awhile before you try to package them, or you'll have smeared cardinal cookies. No one wants that!

 

 

Presentation is everything ! I used a book cookie stand that I made to display these little fellers. That's it in a nut shell. Cardinal Cookie Pops