DIY: Cake Pops that look like McDonalds French Fries

Before I was a mom, I was really into fitness, nutrition, avoiding fast food.When I was pregnant though, I had so many food aversions. I hated meat, salads, vegetables.One of the only things I could stomach, and also seemed to soothe my tummy were McDonald’s French Fries.I ask myself, was this my body’s way of getting used to months and possibly years of hanging out at McDonald’s with my baby girl Rebel?

Fast forward to a few years later (now), several of my closest friends are toddlers and other moms.I am part of a small mommy village, and our group calls ourselves The Momtourage.I am really lucky to have them (we met at a small mom & me group at the local hospital after we had our babies, so most of our now toddlers are the same age, and we hope they can grow up together).You’ll see us at all the hangout spots, the library, the mall, the kids museum, and….McDonald’s. And yes, I STILL crave french fries, it has stayed with me and my Rebel girl is almost 2!

Rebel has a good friend that is part of our Momtourage, his name is Theo and he just turned 2 (that’s Rebel and Theo up there). Inspired by his love for playdates at McDonald’s, I made him french fry and burger cake pops for his 2nd birthday!

Theo, so happy with his cake pop dessert table!

Some people ask me if the “french fries” on the cake pops were purchased from McDonald’s and I cut them up and stuck them on top of cake pops. I guess I could have done that, and it would have been a sweet & salty treat!But I had to make everything by hand, its part of my magic.I rolled some sugar cookie dough out and cut it into french fry strips to make adorable mini sugar cookie french fry toppers for the cake pops! I sprinkled each of the fries with “sugar” to appear like “salt”.

I baked a funfetti cake for the french fry “box” cake pops. After the cake cooled, I crumbled it up into a bowl & mixed frosting in with the cake to reach a sticky “play dough” consistency. I rolled out the cake pop mixture onto parchment paper just like it was sugar cookie dough.I used a small fondant square cutter and cut the french fry “box” shapes into the cake pop blend.

The thickness of the cake pop squares for the french fry boxes was about 1/2″.

Using a small circle fondant cutter, I cut little rounded indents into the top of the squares to resemble the opening of a McDonald’s french fry box.

The fun thing about making things like this by hand, is that each piece is a little unique and quirky. Your creation probably won’t look exactly like mine.It’ll have your own sense of style to it.

Ingredients needed for french fry cake pops:
Your favorite cake recipe, baked and cooled
Sugar cookie recipe for the french fries (see below)
Red candy melts (you can find them at any craft store in the baking aisle)
Yellow candy melts
Two microwaveable bowls for melting the candy coating
Piping bags with little holes cut into the end of them
Lollipop sticks
Parchment Paper
Mini fondant cutters: Squares and circles
Frosting for mixing cake pops
Rolling Pin

Ingredients needed for sugar cookie french fries:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Extra sugar for sprinkling!
Parchment paper
Rolling Pin
Large knife for cutting fries into sugar cookie shapes

DIY instructions:
1. Prepare the sugar cookie french fries. Cream sugar, butter, eggs and extracts in stand mixer. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Place sugar cookie dough on parchment paper lined pan and roll out thin.Using a knife, cut dough into long strips.Then begin cutting the dough into shorter mini french fry shapes.Sprinkle the mini french fries with sugar to look like salt. Place the pan with sugar cookie french fries in the refrigerator to cool overnight or at least 2 hours.Once dough is cooled, bake mini french fries at 325 for about 8-10 minutes.Set mini french fries aside to place on top of cake pops later.

2. Prepare the cake pops. Bake your favorite cake recipe, let it cool. Once the cake has cooled, crumble into a large mixing bowl and gradually add frosting until the texture is play dough like.Roll l the cake pop blend out onto a parchment paper lined pan, it will be about a 1/2″ thick. Using a small fondant square cutter, cut little squares into your cake pop “dough”. Use a mini circle fondant cutter (or anything you can find that might be round) to cut an indented curve into the top of the square where the french fries will “peek out” of the cake pop french fry box. Refrigerate the cake pop french fry boxes for about a half hour to let them firm up and cool.

Little bonus hint: After you are done preparing all your cake pop french fry boxes, measure sugar cookie french fries next to the uncoated cake pops french fry boxes.You can determine if they are the right size before you get into decorating.I had to cut mine down with a bread knife a little bit to make them proportional to the french fry box!

3.While cake pops are setting in the fridge, microwave bright red candy melts in the microwave in 15-30 second increments until melted & smooth. Set lollipop sticks out.Once cake pops are firm and cool, remove from the refrigerator.Dip the lollipop stick into the melted candy coating and then into the bottom part of the french fry “box” cake pop.Dip each french fry cake pop box into the candy melts, completely covering each one.Tap the cake pops to remove the excess melted coating. While the coating is still wet,quickly assemble the french fries on top.

4.Once the red coating has dried, gently use a tooth pick to carve little “M” logos onto the french fry box cake pops.(You can use this as a template to trace over with yellow candy coating).Microwave yellow candy melts in the microwave.Once the candy coating is melted & smooth, pour into a piping bag or ziploc.Cut a mini hole at the end.Patiently pipe the little “M” logos onto the top of your french fry boxes. You have now successfully made french fry cake pops with adorable mini french fry sugar cookies on top!