Pilgrim Hat Cookies--easy, easy, easy! :)

Ha ha--there's my 2nd bottle of antibiotics, with all its warning labels! 

Pilgrim hat cookies!  They're so cute and easy, and I saw the recipe right before my young friend Ella and her brother David were going to be coming over, so I made sure we had the ingredients.  Ella has told me she loooooves to cook and bake (neither of which this "recipe" actually requires, but, oh well!), so I wasn't surprised at her enthusiasm to make these with me.  Please don't get me wrong--I wouldn't trade my precious son for a million girls, and he actually enjoys cooking sometimes, but how fun is it to have a girl come to visit and want to do "girl stuff?!"

Now, adult to adult, I can't in good conscience say that these are the most delectable-tasting culinary creations you'll ever allow to melt in your mouth!  Some people might like them, but I had to eat each part of the hat separately because the thought of all those flavors mixed together was not pleasant for me, and even at that it was so very sugary sweet.  But, again, they are fun and cute, and kids think things like that taste great! ;)

Sweet Ella :)

Here's what you need:

32 fudge-striped cookies
32 miniature peanut butter cups
32 orange Tic-Tacs (or tiny orange Chicklets)
     Or an equal amount of these first three ingredients--however many you   want to make
1 cup vanilla frosting
7 drops yellow food coloring

Mix the frosting and food coloring.  The recipe I read said to dip the larger side of the peanut butter cup into the frosting before placing it on the center of the solid chocolate side of the cookie.  I found it easier and less messy to place the frosting in a Ziploc and cut off the tip of one of the bottom corners and pipe the frosting on to the peanut butter cup.  Press down on the peanut butter cup so a band of frosting shows around the bottom.  Then add a Tic-Tac for the buckle.  The recipe I saw used miniature Chicklets but apparently the stores around here don't carry them, so Tic-Tacs were an adequate substitution. :)

David waiting in anticipation to sample :)

I believe this recipe originated with Taste of Home, but I saw it on Women Living Well.