Just in time for the New Year’s holiday! Get your littlest loves a sweet treat in the kitchen and make them pie-pops.

Get the love fest going by giving your kids their very own personal, portable sweet treat on a stick! These bite-sized portions of favorite desserts made easy are a dream come true for anyone with a sweet tooth. And best of all: they’re easy to make!

Leave Bad Holiday Experiences IN THE past

I’ll admit it I’m a sucker for holidays. However, I didn’t always harbor this deep-seated affection for december.

in fact as a single girl in my twenties as the holiday drew closer, I’d scowl at the television commercials depicting devastatingly handsome men lavishing their loves with diamonds and on several occasions harbored a fleeting desire to set fire to the boxes of chocolates which seemed to taunt me from their store displays.

And so I spent a succession of New Years either on a mind-numbing dinner date with a disposable boyfriend or lamenting my lack of a suitor with a comforting pint of Ben and Jerry’s chunky monkey.

Then I met my husband and was relieved that I would never have to face another daunting New year without love.

Yet despite the fact that my husband always made sure to get me some kind of bauble, the day still reeked of commercialism. Then I had kids and the depth of my understanding and feelings about love were forever altered and I enthusiastically welcomed any holiday that insists that my kids shower me with sloppy wet kisses and bear hugs that knocked me to the floor.

Every Day and especially New Year’s is the ultimate opportunity for parents to demonstrate both verbally and physically the enormity of our feelings for our kids.

In my house it’s a day where my kids will be required to give me kisses and hugs on demand…a tradition I am cherishing, knowing full well as they get older, these public displays of affection may be harder to come by.

So if you too are planning to Use The holidays as an opportunity to cook up some LOVE for your family ( and get romantic with the spouse who helped you create this family!) check out the book EASY AS PIE POPS by Andrea Smetona, founder of Calkwalk Desserts in Southern California.

In it she shares her most popular and favorite recipe for Cherry Tart pie pops, that use sour cherries for that added tart punch, and their signature heart peek-a-boo crust is adorable, fun and easily versatile. Of course, you can use the heart peek-a-boo crust on any of the berry pie pops, but the red cherry heart just fits so beautifully. Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Bake them with love.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS!

Give your little loves a sweet treat! Make them PIE POPS!

YIELD: 2 DOZEN PIE POPS

1 recipe Homemade Pie Pop Crust (see below), or 4 unbaked store-bought or homemade 9″ (23 cm)-diameter piecrusts

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! CHERRY FILLING

3 ½ C (580 g) pitted fresh sour cherries

6 tbsp (88 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 C (192 g) granulated sugar

½ C + 1 tbsp (59 g) Clear Jel, or 10 tbsp (94 g) cornstarch

1 ½ C (316 ml) cold water or cherry juice

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp almond extract

6 drops red food coloring (optional)

1 large egg white, beaten, for brushing

Coarse sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease and flour a large baking sheet.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Instructions To prepare the filling:

Bring ½ gallon (2 L) of water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash the cherries under cold water in a colander, picking out any leaves or stems.

Pit the cherries and place in cold water until just covered, with the 4 tablespoons(59 ml) of the lemon juice to prevent browning.

Blanch the cherries by placing them in the boiling water and bringing it back to a boil for 2 minutes.

Drain the cherries and keep them covered in a large bowl.

In a large pot, combine the granulated sugar, Clear Jel (or cornstarch), cold water (or cherry juice), cinnamon, almond extract and food coloring. Stir the mixture over medium heat until it thickens and begins to boil.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (29 ml) of lemon juice and, stirring, continue to boil for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and fold the berries into the hot mixture, stirring gently. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse for 4 to 5 seconds. Set aside.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Instructions To assemble the pie pops

Flour both sides of the two piecrusts, then roll flat with a rolling pin. Using a 3-inch (7.6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut twenty-four rounds from the dough, twelve for the bottom crust and twelve for the top crust. If doing peek-a-boo, stamp out a heart peek-a-boo from each of the twelve top crusts, using a heart-shaped Linzer cookie cutter.

Lay out the twelve bottom crusts on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each bottom crust with beaten egg white, using a silicone basting brush. Press an 8-inch (20 cm)-long cookie stick firmly on top of the center of each bottom

crust.

Dispense a 1 ½-inch (about 4 cm) dollop of cherry filling in the center of each bottom crust. Place a top crust over each bottom crust and press firmly around the sides only, sealing the filling inside.

Create a cookie stick dowel by cutting a 1-inch (2.5 cm)-long piece off the end of an 8-inch (20 cm) cookie stick. Use this dowel to crimp the sealed edges of the pie pop by pressing firmly on each side of the stick first, then move counterclockwise around the edges. This will keep the stick from moving around once the pie pop is baked.

After each pop is sealed and pressed, carefully brush more egg white on each top crust, except over the filling inside the peek-a-boo opening. Finally, sprinkle the top crusts with coarse sugar.

Bake the sheet on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes, until the crust is nice and golden. Then place the individual pops on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Instructions to make the Homemade Pie Pop Crust

As with any great pie, we start with the crust. I’ve tried a few different recipes and always keep coming back to this one because it makes a nice even crust without lumps or inconsistencies, which can be an eyesore for pie pops. It’s a universal recipe that works for all my vastly differing pops and is hearty enough to keep them secured on the stick (another important quality for pie pops). For some of the sweeter pies, where you would normally find a graham cracker crust, this crust is a great base for adding a garnish to give it that special taste, without jeopardizing the stability of the pop. All around, this is a great one to use for any pie pop recipe you find in this book. Happy baking!

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Ingredients YIELD: FOUR 9-INCH (23 CM)-DIAMETER PIECRUSTS

5 C (630 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

4 tbsp (50 g) sugar

24 tbsp (340 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 C (224 g) vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces

½ C (120 ml) cold water

½ C (120 ml) white vinegar, chilled

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Crust Directions

In a food processor, blend 3 cups (380 g) of the flour and the salt and sugar until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add the cold butter and shortening and process just until the dough starts to collect in uneven clumps,

10 to 15 seconds (there should be no uncoated flour).

Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining 2 cups (250 g) of flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up (typically four to six pulses).

Empty the mixture into a medium-size mixing bowl. Pour the cold water and vinegar over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix the dough, pressing down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together.

Divide the dough into two equal balls and flatten each into a 5-inch (12 cm) circle. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 48 hours).

Once your dough is thoroughly chilled, roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter (and your roller). This will also eliminate the need to add more flour. Using a tapered rolling pill will also help keep the roundness in each crust.

NOTE: If your dough has gotten too warm or sticky, slide it into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes until it firms up again.

Yummly

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS!

Every Day and especially New Year’s is the ultimate opportunity for parents to demonstrate both verbally and physically the enormity of our feelings for our kids.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS!

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! CHERRY FILLING

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Instructions To prepare the filling:

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Ingredients YIELD: FOUR 9-INCH (23 CM)-DIAMETER PIECRUSTS

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Crust Directions

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Every Day and especially New Year’s is the ultimate opportunity for parents to demonstrate both verbally and physically the enormity of our feelings for our kids.

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS!

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! CHERRY FILLING

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Instructions To prepare the filling:

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Ingredients YIELD: FOUR 9-INCH (23 CM)-DIAMETER PIECRUSTS

Give your Littlest Loves a Sweet Treat: Make them PIE POPS! Crust Directions

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