Description

Cookie pops for the holidays! These vanilla bean Christmas cookie pops are so easy to make, and so much fun to eat.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste*

Royal Icing

1/2 cup egg white substitute (about 3 egg whites)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter on high until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and combine, followed by the egg and vanilla paste, mixing just until combined.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour mixture until a soft dough begins to form. Stop mixing as soon as the dough begins to clump together.**
Using your hands, scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, packing the loose pieces of dough together. Roll out the dough to 1/2″ thickness, and cut out the desired cookie shapes.
Place the cookies on the prepared sheets, 1 per row to allow room for the stick (see image in post). Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cookies should still be quite soft.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and watching the edges of the hot pan, carefully poke a toothpick into the middle of the bottom of each cookie, then quickly insert your cookie stick until it comes about halfway into the cookie. Leave the cookies to rest on the sheet until mostly cooled, then transfer to a wire rack, using a spatula to lift the cookie and not lifting it by the stick.
Once the cookies have fully cooled, prepare the royal icing. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they start to foam. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until the consistency of the icing is thick but still fairly runny***. Add the lemon juice and mix.
If creating multiple colours of icing, separate the icing into different bowls and add the colour (and flavour, if desired), then transfer the icing to a piping bag or squeeze bottle. Use immediately.
Allow the icing to set on the cookies, then enjoy immediately or store.

Cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

*If you don’t have or want to use vanilla bean paste, you can use 1 tsp pure vanilla extract instead.

**If you don’t plan on cutting your shapes right away, wrap the dough in saran wrap and keep it in the fridge (up to 5 days). You can also freeze it in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag (wrap in saran wrap first) for up to 2 months.

***If you’re “flooding” your cookies with icing, you’ll want the icing a bit runnier. If you are decorating fine details, you will want it a bit stiffer, so add more or less powdered sugar as needed.

Sugar cookie recipe originally adapted from Bake @ 350.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes