Crush the 36 vanilla sandwich cookies, including the cream filling, in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. If you do not have a food processor, place the cookies in a sealed bag and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin.

Add the softened full-fat cream cheese and the optional vanilla extract to the crumbs. Mix until the ingredients come together into a smooth, thick dough with no dry pockets.

Scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each pop and roll each portion between your palms until smooth. Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Chill the formed balls for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm. This short chill helps the pops stay securely on their sticks and reduces the chance of cracking during dipping.

Melt the vanilla candy melts or white chocolate melting wafers according to the package directions. Stir frequently and stop heating as soon as the coating is fluid, since overheated white coating can become thick or seize.

Dip the end of each lollipop stick into a little melted coating, then insert it about halfway into a chilled cake-pop ball. Let the small amount of coating act as edible glue.

Dip each pop into the remaining melted coating, turning gently so the entire ball is covered. Allow excess coating to drip off, then add sprinkles immediately before the shell begins to set.

Stand the finished pops upright in a cake-pop stand or a block of Styrofoam. Refrigerate until the coating is set, then serve chilled or keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy.