Celebrate the 4th with These Patriotic Cookies

From celebrating our veterans, to enjoying the company of family, the fourth of July is a special day for all Americans. On this year's fourth, serving these spectacular cookies at your celebration party will be sure to add patriotic flare to your picnic or barbeque table.

These cookies start with a basic sugar cookie recipe for rolled and cut sugar cookies (a drop cookie recipe will not be quite firm enough!), icing tinted red, and some kept white, blue sprinkles, a round cookie cutter, and a small star cookie cutter (smaller than the round cookie cutter).

Basic Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe (yields about 2.5 dozen, depending on cookie cutter size):

2 cups of all-purpose flour (and a bit extra for your rolling pin and counter top!)

½ t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

1 stick unsalted butter (bringing to room temperature before using is best!!!)

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

Mix your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a medium bowl and set aside. With your mixer, cream your butter (this is why is should be room temp) and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Once the butter and sugar are fluffy, beat in your egg and vanilla until fully combined. Turning your mixer to low, add your dry ingredient mix a bit at a time until everything is combined well. Divide dough in half, wrap securely in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes or into the fridge if you are going to finish baking later in the day.

When you are ready to continue, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets either with Silpat (my favorite), or parchment paper. After letting your dough stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes, roll the dough out either between two sheets of parchment dusted with flour, or on your floured countertop until the dough is approximately 1/8" thick (get out your ruler!). Cut out your cookie shapes (keep it even- if you cut 10 rounds, cut 10 stars!) from your dough. After cutting as many cookies as possible from your piece of dough, transfer each cookie by spatula to the cookie sheet and bake 12-18 minutes (the stars may get done before the rounds- it's best to put them on separate sheets if you're able). Allow cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat with your second dough half, and combine, chill and re-roll any scraps.

Now for the fun! Using store bought or homemade icing tint about ½ of your icing red, with the food coloring of your choice, and thinly ice all of your round cookies red. Next, ice all of your stars white, and sprinkle with small blue sprinkles or edible blue luster dust. Set both your stars and round out to dry. After your iced cookies have dried, use a little bit of fresh (color does not matter since it won't be seen) icing on the bottom of the stars to glue on top and in the middle of your red round cookies.