Description

These festive star-shaped sugar cookies are a delightful treat, especially during patriotic holidays. The bright red, white, and blue icing mimics the sparkle of fireworks, adding a fun and colorful touch to the dessert table.

Ingredients

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies:

all-purpose flour

baking powder

salt

unsalted butter, room temperature

powdered (confectioners’) sugar

large egg, room temperature

pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing:

meringue powder

warm water

pure vanilla extract

powdered sugar, sifted

blue gel food coloring

red gel food coloring

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 °F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness, cut into star shapes, and transfer to baking sheets. If needed, chill the cookies for 20 minutes to prevent spreading.
Bake cookies for 7–8 minutes until the edges are just set. After cooling for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, transfer to a wire rack.
For the icing, beat meringue powder with warm water until foamy, then add vanilla and powdered sugar. Whip until soft peaks form and adjust with more water if needed.
Outline and flood cookies with white icing and let them dry completely.
Dye the remaining icing red and blue and pipe firework designs using small round tips. Let cookies dry fully before serving.

Notes

If you want to prevent spreading, chill the dough before baking.
Gel food coloring is preferred for brighter and more vibrant colors without affecting the icing consistency.
For different holidays, you can use different shapes like flags or letters.
To add extra sparkle, sprinkle edible glitter on the decorated cookies.
You can make the dough in advance and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes per batch
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 120
Sugar: 14g
Sodium: 35mg
Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Unsaturated Fat: 2g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 1g
Cholesterol: 20mg