CHILDREN WILL LOVE decorating these edible flowers for a favorite lady this Mother's Day. Flower-shaped cookies, baked on wooden stems, can be gussied-up with sprinkles, tiny candies or colored icing. The finished cookies are then inserted in a block of florist's foam set into a decorative basket.

We made our cookies look like giant daisies by spreading them with canned white icing and placing a yellow candy coating piece in the center. Candy coating is available at cake decorating stores.

The wooden sticks are available at craft stores like Jo Anne Fabrics.

Mother's Day Cookies

1 cup margarine or butter

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Wooden popsicle sticks

In a mixing bowl beat margarine and cream cheese with an electic mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds or till softened.

Add about half of the flour, the sugar, egg, baking powder and vanilla to the margarine mixture. Beat till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Then beat or stir in the remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough for three to 24 hours or till easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to one-quarter-inch thickness. Cut cookies into 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 -inch shapes. Place, spacing widely, on ungreased cookie sheet. Tuck a wooden stick under the center of each cookie. Press dough down slightly so that cookie bakes around the stick. Bake in a 375-degree oven for eight minutes or till bottoms are very lightly browned. Carefully remove cookies, cool and decorate. Makes about 36 cookies.