Stars and Stripes Piñata Cookies

Ingredients:

Dough

• 4 and 1/4 cups flour, plus a little extra for working with
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 330 g of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• 0.5 tsp red gel food coloring (really red)
• 0.5 tsp white gel food coloring
• 0.5 tsp blue gel food coloring (royal blue)m
• 10 clear mint candies, crushed
• Red, white, and blue star sprinkles for cookie filling

Royal icing

• 450 g of powdered sugar + a little for thickening
• 2 tbsp. dry egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Special equipment: a small rectangular baking pan measuring 9 x 15 x 6 cm; cookie cutters measuring 7 cm and 4 cm.

Preparation:

1. Dough: Line a rectangular pan with baking paper, allowing it to hang over 10 cm on both sides.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on low speed. Once combined, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until light and creamy, stopping the mixer occasionally and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
4. Reduce the mixer speed again and slowly pour in the egg mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour in three additions. Once the dough thickens, increase the mixer speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once all the flour is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes until smooth.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl, form it into a ball, and divide it into 3 equal portions (approximately 350 grams each). Place the dough pieces in three separate bowls. Pour red food coloring into one bowl and mix it with the dough. Pour white food coloring into another bowl and mix it with the dough. Pour blue food coloring into a third bowl and mix it with the dough. Cut each piece of dough into 6 equal portions.
6. Place one piece of red dough on the bottom of the prepared pan and press it down, covering the entire bottom. Place the white piece of dough on top and press it down, followed by the blue piece. The dough should form an even rectangle. Repeat this process until all the dough is in the pan. It will be about 5 cm higher than the metal pan—this is normal. (The dough brick should be about 12 cm high.) Place the dough in the freezer for 2 hours to firm up.
7. Preheat oven to 175°C.
8. Pull the dough out of the pan by the overhanging edges of the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the cake crosswise into 20 0.3 cm thick slices and arrange them on a baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes to firm up the dough. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats. Cut a 7 cm star out of each dough slice and arrange all the stars on the lined baking sheet. Cut a small 4 cm star out of the center of each star. Arrange the small stars on the lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
9. Place crushed candy canes in the center of each large star (they'll fill the entire window as they melt in the oven). Bake the large and small stars in the oven until firm and the candy canes are melted, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
10. Meanwhile, divide the remaining dough in half and place each half between two pieces of waxed paper. Roll out to a thickness of 0.3 cm. Freeze for 30 minutes to set. Cut out 10 large stars, arrange them on a lined baking sheet, and cut out small stars in the centers. Arrange these on the baking sheet as well. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes to firm up. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
11. Royal icing: In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and dry egg whites. Add 5 tablespoons of water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form, adding an additional 1 tablespoon of water if necessary. Transfer the icing to a zip-lock bag and seal the bag. Snip off a small corner at the bottom.
12. Turn the window cookies over and pipe icing around the edges. Top 10 cookies with the same star cookies, but without the window. Sprinkle a pinch of star sprinkles into the center of each cookie. Top with the window stars and press down. Let the icing set for 10 minutes.