Lollipop Cookies or Cookies in a Pail

{Part 1}

This post is really for me.  I want to remember how I made these cookies in a pail cause I had to do a bit of investigating and research to ensure that they turned-out the first time.  And I want to take note of what I'd do differently next time.

Day 1: Make sugar cookie dough & refrigerate overnight.  I use my Momma's recipe for sugar cookies cause it's got sour cream in it.  Sour cream makes everything better!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Yields 2-3 dozen according to Momma, but I did HALF this recipe and got 41 cars & trucks.

2 sticks of unsalted butter @ room temp.

1 C shortening

3 C sugar

1 tsp salt

Cream butter; add shortening, sugar & salt.  Cream again.  Add remaining ingredients:

4 eggs

6 heaping Tbsp sour cream

4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

7 C flour (add slowly)

For best results, cover dough in bowl & refrigerate overnight. 

Day 2: Use flour on counter & rolling pin when rolling out dough. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thick and use favorite cookie cutters.  Transfer your shapes to an un-greased baking sheet, use one of these babies to help ya:

Note the long handle, angles & somewhat sharp edge for scraping. 

These spatulas will save you from pulling all your hair out.

I'm pretty sure you can use one of your 40% off coupons

at a place like Michael's to get a Wilton spatula like this.

Once your cut-out shapes are all transferred to a baking sheet, gently push a cookie stick onto each of the cookies so that your cookies look like lollipops.  I was able to push my sticks down pretty far without the sticks showing through on the fronts after the cookies had baked, but be careful to not push the sticks all the way through to the front.  Keep in mind that you will not be able to load your cookie sheet up with cookies cause you won't have room for all the sticks.  I made neat rows with my unbaked cookies and I think the most trucks I was able to get onto a sheet was about 11 cookies ... this will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

Almost forgot ... you must use sticks that are meant for the oven!  Do NOT use the lollipop sticks ... they say right on the packaging that they are not meant for the oven.  On the cookie aisle at Michael's (I'm sure other craft stores carry them as well), I found a couple different sizes of cookie sticks which CAN go in the oven.

Bake at 350* F for about 10 minutes. I usually start checking them around 8 minutes, but might end up cooking them for 12 minutes ... just depends on my mood.  Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.  Very carefully (& using that handy spatula again) transfer your cookies to a wire rack.  Allow cookies to cool completely before you lift/touch them anymore.  You don't want to do anything that might cause the stick to loosen from the cookie while the cookie is still warm.

To Be Continued ....