Red, White & Blue Cookies

I made this for no one in particular on 4th of July weekend. Ended up coming in handy as we got a last minute invite to a pool party! This is basically a sugar cookie with decorative fruit on it. It does have cream cheese frosting, which, normally I am not a fan of, but it mixed with the other flavors well and tasted pretty good.

• 3/4 cup unsalted softened butter, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
•  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 cups strawberries, halved
• 2 cups banana slices

Beat 1/2 cup butter with a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg and 1 tsp of vanilla, beat until smooth, scarping sides of bowl as necessary. 

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture while beating on low speed. Beat until completely combined, about 1 minute. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13x9 inch baking sheet with cooking spray. Press dough evenly into sheet, forming a slight edge on all sides. Bake until edges are very lightly browned, 18-20 minutes. Cool completely. 

Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp cream; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tsp vanilla. If mixture seems too thick, add 1 more Tbsp of cream. Beat 1 minute. Spread in a thick layer over cookie.

Arrange blueberries in a square in top left corner of cookie. Arrange strawberry halves in parallel horizontal lines, leaving 2-3 inches between rows, then add banana slices in between strawberries to resemble the American flag.

NOTES: You can tell I didn't follow the instructions completely by my photo. The original recipe has the entire cookie looking like one big flag, which is picturesque, but not very flavorful. The way the recipe instructs means that someone will get an only blueberry slice and someone else will get only banana/strawberry. With my mini flag version, everyone gets the best of both worlds. However, this means a lot more slicing on your part. I had to make the banana and strawberry veerrrrrry thin to fit in proportional rows. I think it was worth it. 

Serves 12

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Total TIme: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Recipe from People Magazine