These adorable football pops are made with store-bought soft cakey sugar cookies. Since the cookies come pre-frosted, we use cream cheese as a binder in place of frosting to avoid making the pops overly sweet. Show your spirit by mixing in sprinkles that represent your favorite team’s colors.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 16 to 18 cake pop |
Ingredients
- One 13.5-ounce package cakey sugar cookies with white frosting (10 total), such as Lofthouse
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles (use your favorite football team’s colors)
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces peanut butter baking chips (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- Pinch kosher salt
- 4 ounces good-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Use your fingers to pick off and discard the colored sprinkles on top of the frosted cookies. Transfer the cookies to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add half of the cream cheese and mix on medium speed until well-combined. If the mixture doesn’t come together, add more cream cheese, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it holds its shape when you squeeze a small amount in the palm of your hand.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the sprinkles. Using a 3/4-ounce scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons), form the mixture into 16 to 18 balls and put them on a baking sheet. Use your hands to mold the balls into the shape of footballs (round in the middle with tapered, pointed ends), 2 to 2 1/2 inches long and about 3/4 inch high. Return the footballs to the baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the chocolate-peanut butter coating.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the sprinkles. Using a 3/4-ounce scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons), form the mixture into 16 to 18 balls and put them on a baking sheet. Use your hands to mold the balls into the shape of footballs (round in the middle with tapered, pointed ends), 2 to 2 inches long and about 3/4 inch high. Return the footballs to the baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the chocolate-peanut butter coating.
- Fill a small saucepan with a scant inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Place a glass or metal bowl over the top of the saucepan to create a double boiler, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the semisweet chocolate, peanut butter baking chips, coconut oil and salt. Stir until melted and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan, wipe away any moisture on the bottom of the bowl, then place it on a kitchen towel or a trivet. Dip a half inch of the tip of a lollipop or cookie stick into the chocolate-peanut coating then stick the tip halfway into a football. Repeat with the remaining footballs and sticks. If needed, lean the cake pops against each other so that they stand up. Refrigerate the cake pops until completely chilled, about 1 hour. Reserve the coating and the saucepan with water.
- After 1 hour, turn the heat back on under the saucepan to low. Once barely simmering, return the bowl of coating to the saucepan and stir until the mixture is melted again, about 2 minutes. Reheat the coating until it is just melted but not hot. Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan and transfer the coating into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or a large mug. Reserve the saucepan with water.
- Dip each cake pop into the coating then lightly shake the pop to allow the excess coating to run off. Stick the coated pops into a large block of floral foam or Styrofoam and let the coating set completely, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, turn the heat back on the saucepan to low. Once the water is steamy, place a second clean bowl on top of the saucepan and add the chopped white chocolate. Stir until the white chocolate is melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan, wipe away any moisture on the bottom of the bowl, then place it on a kitchen towel or a trivet. Cool the melted white chocolate until it is still fluid and warm but not hot to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the white chocolate to a small piping bag or resealable plastic storage bag fitted with a very small round writing or piping tip. Use the white chocolate to pipe a stripe down each football, then pipe across the stripes to make laces. Serve the pops immediately or wait until the white chocolate has set, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 17 servings |
| Calories | 295 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 141 mg |