Fireworks Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons one large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Fireworks and star cookie cutters
Gel paste food colorings: black, orange, yellow, red, white, blue
Piping bag
#2 icing tip
Squeeze bottles
Toothpicks
White star sprinkles
Meringue powder
Food-only paintbrush
White sparkling sugar
Royal Icing

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a mixing bowl, cream the Crisco and sugar together.
Beat one egg in another bowl and measure out 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of egg into mixing bowl with water and vanilla until mixed.
Blend in remaining dry ingredients on low speed till mixed.
Roll the cookies to 3/4-inch thickness.
Before baking, dough can be wrapped in wax paper and chilled in refrigerator for 30 minutes to provide firmer dough for cutout cookies.
Bake 11 to 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet until the edges just begin to brown. Be careful not to over bake.
Remove from oven once done and cool completely on a wire rack. As cookies are cooling, prepare Royal Icing.
Make, divide, and tint the royal icing. Make black, orange, two shades of yellow, red, white, and blue. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of each icing bowl to prevent crusting.
Place the black icing in a piping bag fitted with a #2 tip. Outline all of the cookies.
Thin the orange and yellow icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring gently between each addition. The icing should be the consistency of glue and a ribbon of icing dropped back on itself will disappear in a count of “one-thousand one, one-thousand two.” Thicker is ok, but if your icing is thinner consistency, stir in sifted powdered sugar.
Cover the thinned icing with a damp dishtowel for a few minutes. Stir gently with a silicone spatula and pout into squeeze bottles.
Fill in the stars and top of the fireworks with the icings, starting with the orange and working inward to the lighter yellow. Use a toothpick to guide the orange icing all the way to the edges.
Place a toothpick in the center of the star and drag out toward the corners.
Thin the red, white, and blue icings as described above. Pour into squeeze bottles.
Fill in sections of the outlines firework. On the blue icing, place white star sprinkles. Use a toothpick to guide into place if needed.
For the stripes, fill in the section with white icing. (Do this for about 6-8 cookies at a time.) Go back to the first cookie filled and add red icing on top of the white.
Let the icing dry uncovered for 6-8 hours, or overnight.
Once completely dry, mix 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder with 1/2 teaspoon water. Use a small paintbrush to paint the mixture onto the stars and tops of the fireworks. Sprinkle on the sparkling sugar and shake off the excess. We suggest doing this over a basket-style coffee filter, which catches excess sugar and acts as a filter of sorts to transfer back into the bottle.