Cheesecake Lollies!

I must admit that I can be a Food Network addict at times. It is fun to see so many different food shows, and I learn quite a bit too. Alton Brown, Barefooot Contessa and Giada are my culinary heroes because they cook food that can actually be recreated and is darned impressive. Now, am I complaining because I can't make my own version of sharp fin soup when I see it on Iron Chef? Not so much. But I love it when I get an idea and am up to trying it in my own kitchen.

The other day I saw something on Road Tasted that looked so good and fun and easy! I didn't think there was any way it could be as easy as it was, but it was: Cheesecake Lollipops.


I didn't bother going to the effort of making my own cheescake. I bought one that I knew was good quality and sheered off the top section, putting it into my Kitchen Aid. After whipping it soft with the paddle, I piped it into ping pong ball sized globs onto some parchment paper. It was easy to put the sticks in, and then it was off to the freezer. Impatient, as I was I waited nearly an hour before dipping - though I'm sure several hours or overnight would have been better.

The trick is to make sure that all of the cheesecake globs get covered and that you even get some of the chocolate onto the stick. There were several that got nearly covered, and then when I took them out of the fridge the cheesecake sort of oozed out of the holes. I wiped that off and did some patching with a small pastry bag, but those lollies didn't look quite as nice.

I can't wait to make these again and make lots of variations. It would be fun to add some peppermint to the cheesecake and then garnish the pops with crushed candy canes. Or, as my friend suggested, what about a pumpkin cheesecake later decorated like a jack-o-lantern? How about some amaretto in the cheesecake and then dredge the lollies in chopped almonds. I could go on and on..... Chocolate lollipop heaven!