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Patriotic Star Bright Sugar Cookies for 4th of July

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Here is a fun, patriotic cookie to serve on the Fourth of July. A tender iced shortbread cookie with a white chocolate center and festive decorations will bring a smile to young and old. Bring out the red white and blue sprinkles and let the kids help!

You will need two star-shaped cookie cutters, one large and one small. 2-1/2 inch and 1-1/2 inch cutters produced 48 cookies. If you don’t have two cutters, you can cut a round circle out of the middle instead of a small star shape. Either way, they’ll look beautiful on the table.

Star Bright Patriotic Sugar Cookies

5 from 3 votes
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Star Bright Cookies

Servings 48

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted butter, increase this to 1/4 teaspoon
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • Icing:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk or water
  • Blue food coloring
  • 12 ounces white chocolate chips or candy melts
  • Nonpareils colored sugar, red coated chocolate candies

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy.
  2. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 1 minute.
  3. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk and beat until thoroughly combined.
  4. Stir in the salt and 1 cup of flour. Mix well. Add remaining flour, stirring by hand if necessary. (Dough will be stiff.)
  5. Flatten dough onto a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
  6. Heat oven to 350 F. Prepare baking sheets by covering with parchment.
  7. On a lightly floured board or between two pieces of parchment, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
  8. Cut stars out using large cookie cutter. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1/2-inch to 1 inch apart. (The stars won’t spread.) Using the small star cutter, cut the centers out of each star on the sheet. You may need to use a toothpick or sharp knife to lift the centers out cleanly. These may be re-rolled or baked just as they are.
  9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until there is a little golden brown showing on the bottom edge of the cookie.
  10. Cool completely on racks.
  11. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with enough milk to make a creamy, spreadable icing. Begin with 2 tablespoons of liquid and add additional liquid a little at a time. Stir well until smooth. Add blue food coloring a drop at a time until you reach the desired shade of blue.
  12. Using a pastry brush or table knife, frost around the stars. Set the cookies on waxed paper or parchment on baking sheets, and allow the frosting to dry.
  13. Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Continue to heat at 15 second increments, stirring often. Heat just until most of the chocolate pieces are melted, and then let it sit for a few minutes to complete the melting process.
  14. With a small spoon, put enough melted chocolate in the middle of each cookie to cover the bottom. You may need to use a toothpick to help the chocolate get in the corners. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to even out the chocolate. The chocolate will harden quickly, so decorate as you go, sprinkling with nonpareils or colored sugar, or placing one red candy in the center of each. If the chocolate hardens, return it to the microwave and heat for 15 seconds.
  15. Once the icing around the edge of the star is firm, they can be removed from the baking sheet and served.

Star Bright Sugar Cookies Roll and CutHave fun playing around with varies sprinkles and different colored icing!

Star Bright Sugar Cookies in Red White and Blue

Thank you to Lorinda from The Rowdy Baker  for sharing this fun recipe while I’m on vacation!

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