Fourth of July Star Pops (Printer-Friendly)
Creamy star-shaped cheesecake bites dipped in tinted white chocolate and finished with patriotic sprinkles.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cheesecake Base
01 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
02 - 2/3 cup powdered sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
04 - 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
→ Coating & Decoration
05 - 7 ounces white chocolate or candy melts
06 - Red food coloring
07 - Blue food coloring
08 - Red, white, and blue sprinkles
→ Pops
09 - 16 lollipop sticks
# How To Make It:
01 - With an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
02 - Stir in the graham cracker crumbs until evenly combined.
03 - Spread the cheesecake mixture to 1/2 inch thickness on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour until fully firm.
04 - Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut stars from the chilled mixture and transfer to a clean parchment-lined tray.
05 - Insert a lollipop stick into each star. Return stars to the freezer for 30 minutes to reinforce shape.
06 - Melt white chocolate or candy melts following package instructions. If desired, divide into three bowls and tint one portion red, one blue, and leave the third white.
07 - Dip each chilled cheesecake star into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Immediately add red, white, and blue sprinkles to each pop.
08 - Place each decorated pop onto parchment paper and allow coating to set at room temperature or in the refrigerator until firm.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- You get that rich cheesecake flavor with none of the baking stress—just a little mixing, chilling, and your favorite sprinkles.
- They hold up beautifully at outdoor gatherings and always spark smiles (and a surprising wave of nostalgia) from the crowd.
02 -
- Trying to dip unchilled pops is a surefire way to end up with cheesecake mush and chocolate frustration.
- Tinting melted chocolate requires patience—add food coloring a dot at a time to avoid seizing or weird textures.
03 -
- Always line your trays with parchment for easy lift-off and less mess.
- For extra pizzazz, drizzle pops with contrasting colored chocolate before adding sprinkles.