Creating holiday recipes with children is a wonderful time to create a greater bond and lasting memories for you and your grandchildren. Special occasions are always coming up on the calendar. Find easy Thanksgiving recipes, or other easy recipes for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or Fourth of July…any day can be a special occasion… that the children in your family will enjoy making with you. It can be the start of  a holiday tradition that they can pass on to their children and grandchildren that follow.

I found this easy recipe in a cookbook my daughters gave me some years ago. This fun recipe is one that can be used for any season, holiday, special occasion, or any day you choose. Just create your own holiday designs on the faces of the lollipop cookies. You can decorate them as a Christmas ball, star, snowman, pumpkin, flower, happy face, flag or any design that fits the occasion. Mix them up! I hope you’ll enjoy cooking with your children and grandchildren as you prepare and bake these festive, yummy Lollipop Cookies. My granddaughters and I are planning adding this easy recipe to our Thanksgiving recipes. We’ll be decorating them with pilgrim hats, pumpkins, and turkeys. We’re not quite sure how, but we’ll have fun trying!

These lollipop cookies are great edible favors for birthday parties, too! Write each child’s name on them for personalized gifts. Another idea is to spell out Happy Birthday, with one letter per cookie and the birthday child’s name spelled out, also.

When you cook with children or grandchildren, it is best to choose easy recipes. It is also advisable to have all the ingredients organized and ready to go along with the cooking tools you’ll need. We all know how quickly children can lose their attention or patience if we take too long getting to the point where they can help prepare the recipe. There are plenty of easy steps that younger and older children, both, can help with in creating these fun Lollipop Cookies.

Easy Edible Favor Recipes: Lollipop Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Royal Icing (recipe below)
Decorator Frosting (recipe below)

Equipment and Decorations:

Craft sticks
Liquid or paste food coloring
Toothpicks
Assorted decors (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Place chocolate on cutting board; shave into small pieces with paring knife.

Melt chocolate in heavy, small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until smooth. Set aside.

Combine flour and baking powder in small bowl with wooden spoon until well blended. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down side of bowl once. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended, scraping down side of bowl once.

Remove half of dough from bowl; form into disc with lightly floured hands. Wrap disc in plastic wrap; refrigerate while working with remaining half of dough. Add chocolate to remaining dough in bowl. Beat at low speed until well blended.

Place chocolate dough on lightly floured surface; press into 6-inch square with lightly floured hands. Cut lengthwise into 4 equal strips with utility knife. Cut crosswise into 4 equal strips to form 16 squares.

Roll each square into a ball. Place balls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Place craft stick under each ball.

Press balls into 2 1/2 inch circles using lightly floured bottom of drinking glass.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set. Immediately remove cookies with spatula to wire racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining colored and uncolored dough.

To marbleize cookies, prepare Royal Icing. Divide icing among bowls. Tint with desired food coloring. (Liquid food coloring will thin frosting to the right consistency. If using paste colors, stir in water, 1 drop at a time, with spoon until slightly thickened.)

Place large sheet heavy-duty foil on counter. Place cookies on foil Spread thin layer of icing on cookies to within 1/8 inch of edge with small spatula. Dip spoon into contrasting color of icing. Drizzle or drop icing onto base color. Repeat with 1 or 2 more colors.

Swirl colors with tip of toothpick. Do not over mix or colors will turn muddy. Decorate with candies or sprinkles while icing is still soft, if desired. Let stand 30 minutes or until icing is set. (Icing is set when it is firm when tapped with fingernail.)

Source: America’s Favorite Brand Name Holiday Recipes