Martha Stoopert Cookie Flood Day 3 - flag cookies.txt(1/1) 3770 bytes

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Flag Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

This simple sugar cookie, decorated with royal icing in red, white,
and blue, makes a perfect patriotic treat. To achieve flawless flag
stripes, use plastic squeeze bottles to flood the cookies with royal
icing.

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small
pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 pinch of salt
Royal Icing
Super-red, tulip-red, royal-blue, and violet paste food colorings

1. Cut a 3-by-5-inch template out of lightweight cardboard, or
create a template by stacking several index cards together, then
wrapping them in plastic wrap, leaving one side smooth; set aside.
Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and
set aside.

2. Heat oven to 325F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with
the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add
vanilla, flour, and salt, and mix until just combined, 1 to 2
minutes more.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick.
Place the smooth side of the template onto the dough, and cut out a
rectangle using a paring knife; repeat to make a total of sixteen
rectangles, re-rolling dough as needed.

4. Transfer rectangles to prepared baking sheets using a wide
spatula. Chill for at least 1 hour.

5. Bake cookies until they are just beginning to color and are
lightly firm to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove to cooling rack,
and let cool completely.

6. Make the royal icing. Divide evenly between four bowls, and cover
each tightly with plastic wrap. Set one bowl aside for outlining the
cookies. Add super-red and tulip-red food coloring to one of the
bowls, and mix thoroughly, adding more food coloring if necessary to
obtain desired color. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to icing so that
it is loose enough to flow easily off of a spatula when lifted and
forms a ribbon that dissolves almost immediately. Replace plastic
wrap, and cover tightly. Repeat this process with one of the two
remaining bowls of icing using blue food coloring. To the remaining
bowl of icing add just the water, and mix thoroughly. Recover all
bowls tightly with plastic wrap.

7. Transfer the reserved outlining icing to a small pastry bag
fitted with a #5 tip. Pipe an even line on the outside edges of the
cookie. Divide the cookie in half with a horizontal line. To form
the outline of the canton (the field of stars), pipe a vertical line
one third of the way from the left side of the cookie until it meets
the first horizontal line. To form the stripes, pipe two evenly
spaced horizontal lines above the original horizontal line and to
the right of the canton. Pipe three more evenly spaced horizontal
lines from left to right under the canton. Repeat this process on
the remaining cookies. Reserve the icing in the pastry bag for the
stars. Allow the icing to dry for at least 1 hour.

8. Place the remaining three icings into separate squeeze bottles.
Flood the field of stars with enough blue icing to fill the space
evenly without overflowing. Use the tip of a small knife or a wooden
skewer to push the icing completely into the corners. Using the same
technique, flood every other stripe with the red icing. Allow the
icing to dry for at least 2 hours. Flood the remaining stripes with
the white icing.

9. Change the tip of the pastry bag with the reserved white icing to
a #16 tip. Pipe out as many stars onto the blue icing as will fit.
Allow the icing to dry. Store in an airtight container at room
temperature for up to 1 week.

Martha Stewart's Website

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