No one will be able to resist these savory lollipops. Thin sliced, luminous smoked salmon around zesty cream cheese – the perfect pick-up appetizer for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

Ingredients
- ½ pound smoked salmon, sliced very thinly*
- ½ cup cream cheese, or Vegan Cream Cheese (see recipe)
- 3 teaspoons red onion, finely chopped, squeezed dry
- 4 teaspoons capers, finely chopped, squeezed dry
- 3 teaspoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon lemon rind, finely grated
- 16 lolipop sticks, find at craft and party shops
Instructions
- Make the flavored cream cheese: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese (or Vegan Cream Cheese) with the five flavoring ingredients. Blend well to combine.
- To make lollipops: Scoop 2 t. portions of the flavored cream cheese onto a wax papered rimmed sheet pan, spacing them so they do not touch - a small ice cream scoop works beautifully. Add a lollipop stick into the center of each and freeze for 15 minutes.
- Place the smoked salmon on a clean cutting board. Cut the fish into 3" squares. Top each square with a prepared cream cheese dollop with stick onto the the center. Fold up to enclose, pinching the top, until the cream cheese in enclosed. Patch with smoked salmon if needed.
- Garnish each with three small sprigs of dill, and a few mustard seeds on top of the enclosed salmon lollipops, or top with caviar pearls if you like.
- Place the finished lollipops on a platter. Cover with damp paper towels until ready to serve. Or, place in wax papered lined container, and cover tightly - will stay fresh for one day.
- For "open-faced" appetizer - Fill each salmon squares with 2 t. of the flavored cream cheese. Shape the salmon, pinching to enclose the cream cheese to make a pretty round shape. Garnish each with small dill sprigs and your favorite sprouts, such as sunflower sprouts.
- See Recipe for Karen's Vegan Cream Cheese - a great alternative to dairy cream cheese.
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of it's author, Karen Sheer