Poinsettias
Makes 30
Made with red sugar and green M&M's, these cookies come from Gale Gun of foodnetwork.com. You need 30 popsicle sticks.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg, separated
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Flour (for sprinkling)
1 cup colored red sugar
30 popsicle sticks
30 green M & M candies
1. In an electric mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk until smooth.
2. Beat in the flour and baking powder until a stiff dough forms.
3. Scrape down the sides of the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. On lightly floured counter, roll out half the dough to a 9-by-15-inch rectangle. Make 4 cuts horizontally and 2 cuts vertically to make 15 3-inch squares. Set them 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
6. Lightly beat the egg white; brush each square with egg whites, then with red sugar.
7. Lightly press about 1 1/2 inches of a popsicle stick into bottom center of each square.
8. Make the dough into a pinwheel shape by using a small knife to make 4 cuts, beginning at each corner and ending about 1/2 inch from the center of each square. Fold alternate corners of the square to the center, overlapping the dough at the center. Press gently in the center to seal the pinwheels. Press one M&M in center of each pinwheel. Cut, shape, and decorate the remaining dough in the same way.
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer the poinsettias to a wire rack to cool. Adapted from Lisa Gatti Whelan. 