Valentine's Cookie Pops - FINISHED!

I am glad to say that I have finally finished this half day project! I almost lost my mind today trying to get these cookies pops iced. I knew I was in for a long day after working with the first cookies for about 15 minutes. Being a perfectionist doesn't help things. But, I think they turned out pretty fabulous for my first time to try it. So here is the finished product ready to go to preschool tomorrow. My valentine cookie pop bouquet!

So the glace icing is just the best for making that shiny finish on cookies. I just love the way it looks. But, trying to pipe with it is not so easy. If the consistency is too thin, it will not hold its shape very well. If its a little thick, its kind of hard to manage. So, my piping wasn't "perfect", but I figured 5 yr. olds won't care. My favorite was hearts with the dots.

Very simple, but so, so cute! I also had a great time trying my hand at some "artwork" with the cookies. I blended the red and pink icing with a toothpick and even managed to draw a cute little heart on a couple of them.

And, just so you don't think I'm that amazing, I'm even including a picture of one of the cookies I managed to mess up pretty good.

Trust me, it looked worse in person. So, there you have it. If you ever want to get crazy and try your hand at these yourself, feel free to call me if you want some tips. You may go temporarily insane, but it's worth the trip!

Just one more thing I wanted to mention. I really do enjoy this kind of creative outlet, even if it drives me nuts getting through it. I don't do it to impress other Moms at school or the teachers. It's just me being me. I love a challenge in the kitchen and a creative one at that. So there. Don't feel like you need to do this for your kiddos if YOU don't ENJOY it. Much love from the Queen!

Valentine's Day Cookies

Well, here we are, fast approaching Valentine's Day. So with that comes the parties at pre-school! In an on-going attempt to insure that the kiddo has a safe, peanut/nut-free treat for the party, Mom has signed up to bring cookies. And that means a home-made cookie. Not just any old cookie, but a very special cookie for a very special little man and his little friends. For those who know me well, you know that this is a really good excuse for me to try something creative!

Thanks to my friend Beth, I have discovered a website/blog that I just love. It inspired me to create some valentine cookie pops. Check out http://www.ourbestbites.com/ when you get a chance. It's fantastic! So here are some pictures of my own cookies.

I used the recipe on the website for the dough, which was fabulous. The flavor & texture were both perfect. Very simple ingredients, but created the best sugar cookie. I also rolled out the dough fairly thick, about a quarter of an inch for the first batch. They took a little longer to bake, but turned out beautiful.

My only concern was that this was a very large cookie for a pre-school kid! So fortunately I had a smaller cookie cutter that created the perfect size for kiddos.

Here is a picture of the back of the cookie. I layed them right on top of the stick, pressed gently, then baked. I'm so happy they actually stuck to the stick!

And here is one last picture of some smaller heart shapes that I also cut out. Too cute!

So, the next step is to decorate with the Glace Icing. I will do that on Wednesday and hopefully they will be presentable enough to post here again! The great thing about this project is that the cookies can be frozen in an air-tight container until ready to ice. This cuts out a LOT of work for Wednesday and I hopefully can get to bed at a decent time that night! Or, I might stay up late taking more pictures and admiring my creations! Hope everyone has a very sweet Valentine's Day with your sweeties!