Best Flag Cookies Recipes

IRISH FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
• In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Blend into the butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and shape into balls.
• Working with 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. With a knife, cut dough into rectangles about 2 inches high by 3 inches long. (6 x 8 cm).
• Place rectangles on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.

ITALIAN FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low to incorporate. Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and place them in bowls. Add 15 drops green food coloring to one bowl and 25 drops of red to another and mix well to combine.
• Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Starting with the green, pour the dough out into a long strip about 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Pour the white on top of the green in the same manner, forming another strip of the same dimensions; finish with the red. Wrap well, turn on its side so the colors are in the order of the Italian flag and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and slice the dough into 1/4-inch slices. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until just barely beginning to brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• 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.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 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.
• 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 16 rectangles, re-rolling dough as needed.
• Transfer rectangles to prepared baking sheets using a wide spatula. Chill for at least 1 hour.
• 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.
• Divide the royal icing evenly among 4 bowls, and cover each tightly with plastic wrap. Set one bowl aside for outlining the cookies. Add red food coloring to one of the bowls, and mix thoroughly, adding more food coloring if necessary to obtain desired color. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of water to icing so 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 another bowl of icing using blue food coloring. To the third bowl of icing, add just the water, and mix thoroughly. Recover all bowls tightly with plastic wrap.
• Transfer the reserved outlining icing to a small pastry bag fitted with a No. 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 1/3 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 3 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.
• Place the remaining 3 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.
• Change the tip of the pastry bag with the reserved white icing to a No. 16 tip. Pipe out as many stars onto the blue icing as will fit. Allow the icing to dry.

FRUITY IRISH FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough into thirds; place each in separate medium bowl. Add different flavor dry gelatin mix to dough in 2 bowls; mix well. Leave dough in remaining bowl plain.
• Cut 18x4-inch strip from parchment; use to line 9x5-inch loaf pan, with ends of paper extending over sides. Press dough, 1 flavor at a time, into prepared pan, placing plain dough in between layers of colored dough. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350ºF. Use parchment handles to remove dough from pan; invert onto cutting board. Cut into 3/8-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice crosswise into 3 pieces. Place, 1 inch apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until centers are set. Cool 5 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

SUGAR STAR & FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2- to 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars as desired., Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate with icing and additional sugars if desired.

CHECKERED FLAG COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup butter and chocolate chips. Cover and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted; stir until smooth. Add the contents of one cookie mix package, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons flour; stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until dough is firm., Meanwhile, place the remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in the remaining cookie mix, egg and flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm., Meanwhile, place the remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in the remaining cookie mix, egg and flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm., On waxed paper, roll out the plain and chocolate dough into separate 9x5-in. rectangles. Cut each rectangle into nine 1-in. strips. Stack the strips in groups of three, alternating plain and chocolate strips, and forming six separate stacks. , Form two blocks by placing one plain-topped stack on each side of a chocolate-topped stack and one chocolate-topped stack on each side of a plain-topped stack; press together gently., Cut both stacks into 1/4-in. slices. Place 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately insert a skewer into each cookie. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

SUGAR STAR & FLAG COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2- to 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars as desired.
• Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate with icing and additional sugars if desired. Yield: 10 dozen. Editor's Note: If shipping these cookies, consider decorating with royal icing (recipe also in Recipe Finder).