Happy Birthday, America!!!

Can you handle one more *just under the wire* 4th of July cookie post?

There was a cookie idea I'd been planning to make all month. When I started yesterday, it just wasn't coming together quite right. So, I went to my cookie cutter stash and thought, "ok...what I can I make cute in red, white, and blue?"

Pumpkins? Not quite right.
Butterflies? Hmm...maybe.
Armadillos? Promising...

CAKES?!? Now, why didn't I think of that before?!?

I'm so happy with the way the star looks on the top of that cake, I may use it on ALL cake cookies from now on. {You've been warned.}

Also, I think these cookies have sealed the deal. Black outlines are my favorite. Hands-down. They just add that graphic quality and certain pop. I may do all black outlines from now on. {You've been warned again.}

To make the star cake cookies, you'll be putting to shapes together, like this:
Cut out tiered cakes and small stars...

...use the star cutter to cut out where you want to place the star on the cake...

...place the star in the cut-out and freeze for 5-10 minutes before baking.
(You DO freeze your cookies before baking, right?)

For the double-decker cookies, you'll put those together just like these double-decker valentine cookies.

(The stars on the blue cookies are just sugar pearls.)

For the star-topped cakes, just outline with a #2 tip and black icing.

Before filling a black outline with another color, you'll want to let it dry for at least one hour to prevent bleeding. {I use AmeriColor Super Black.}

After an hour, fill in the outline with thinned white icing. Let the icing dry for at least one hour.

Again with the #2 tip, go over the outline of the star and pipe "bunting" across the cake. Fill in the bunting with red and blue icings. (Piping consistency icing is fine here...flood icing in tiny spaces has a tendency to collapse.)

Place small star sprinkles on the bunting with tweezers, or place on and nudge gently into place with a toothpick.