Patriotic Starburst Cookie Platter

I love making cookies for Independence Day. Not so much because of the barbecues and fireworks, but for a more practical reason. I find 4th of July cookies tend to be easier to decorate than other holidays. Hey, they don't call it the lazy days of summer for nothing. :)  

Let me explain. Independence Day cookies are usually in just three colors: red, white, and blue. If you disregard white, that's only two colors you have to mix! Also, this holiday is all about the stars and stripes. When it comes to piping those on a cookie, that's straight-line city!

For this year's cookie set, I decide to reuse an idea I did for New Years-- the starburst cookie platter. I just modified the colors of the original for a more patriotic twist. For the step-by-step tutorial of how to create this starburst cookie platter, please visit the original post here.

There were two things I've discovered since I made the first starburst cookie platter that I wanted to share with you. First, Rainbow Dust ProGel food colors are amazing. They come in unique colors I've never seen before in other food coloring brands, like this navy blue color for instance. Navy was always a difficult color for me to mix, but now having this ProGel makes it easy.

You can buy individual colors here on Amazon. Or, you can go crazy like me and buy the complete set of 37 colors from How Sweet Is That online.

The second discovery was round serving platters I found at the Dollar Tree. They are 14-inches in diameter and the perfect size for this starburst cookie platter. Because they are just a dollar, there is no need to ask for your dishes back when you bring cookies to a guest's house. I show the serving platter in action in the pictures below.

Patriotic Starburst Cookie Platter

Now on to the cookies! Below is a quick summary of how to build the starburst cookie platter. For the step-by-step details on how to cutout and decorate the cookies, please visit this previous post.

For this platter, there are 3 different size star pieces. I used 7 cookies for each star size, plus one big star to put in the middle. That is a total of 22 pieces. I also made sure to make extra pieces for any mess ups.

To arrange the platter, first start with the largest of the star pieces. Space them evenly in a circle with the pointed ends pointed towards the center.

Next, place the medium sized star pieces in between the larger star pieces.

Then, layer the smallest of the star pieces on top where you see gaps from the other pieces.

Lastly, place a large star cookie in the middle on top of it all. On this large cookie, I made a 4th of July graphic with the free font, Bodoni Antiqua Bold, and added it using my Pico Projector. You can make your own graphic or download the one I made here.

For more easy Fourth of July cookie ideas, check out these links:

• Airbrushed Patriotic Bunting Cookies
• Patriotic Barn Star Cookies