Everyone loves sugar cookies and this recipe makes a sweet dough that is easy to roll out. ?For cookie pops, you’ll roll the dough out to a 6-mm (¼-inch) thickness or more so that the cookies? keep their shapes better.

Making the Pop Base
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until you have a smooth dough. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight before rolling out.

Making the Icing

Whisk the egg whites until frothy, then slowly add the icing sugar while whisking. Add vanilla and enough water or milk to make a solid yet pourable consistency. Tint the icing with food colouring, if desired.

Storing the pops

?Once dry, store cookie pops in an airtight container in a cool place (not the fridge) and eat within 1–2 weeks.

To Make the Tick tock Pops
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush the inside of the cookie pop tin with oil. Pinch off 6 pieces of dough, flatten slightly on a floured surface and press into each cookie pop mould. Fill each mould up to 3 mm (1?8 inch) from the top edge. Gently slide in each lollipop stick to reach the middle of the mould. Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then carefully invert cookies onto wire racks to cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Top Pop Tip
Practise piping on a piece of baking paper before you attempt? this cookie pop.

When the cookies are cool, roll out the white fondant to 3-mm (1?8-inch) thickness. With a round cookie cutter, cut out a circle about ?5 mm (3?16 inch) less in diameter than the cookie. Attach the circle to the cookie with edible glue.

Melt the candy melts in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave on the defrost setting. Pour the warm candy coating into a piping bag fitted with a size 2 round tip. Write the numbers for the hours (12, 3, 6 and 9) around the face of the clock and the dots for the hours between. Set the cookies aside for 30 minutes to dry. Roll out the black fondant to 3-mm (1?8-inch) thickness and, with a paring knife, cut out the hour and minute hands of each clock. With round cutters, cut out the two circles for the clock hands and attach to each other with edible glue. Attach the hands to each clock face with edible glue.

When the clock faces have dried, set the cookies upright in a polystyrene block. Will ?keep in an airtight container for 1 week.