Easy Patriotic Cookie Platter

July 2, 2012 | 31 Comments »

If you’ve made cookies for very long, chances are you’ve had this conversation.  It’s the one every cookie decorator DREADS.

“Hi, Callye, did you get your invite to the July Fourth potluck?”

“Oh yeah, it was in my box.  I am super excited!”

“Have you decided what you are going to bring yet?”

“I was thinking about a dip recipe that I saw online.  Everyone really liked it the last time I made it.”

“Oh really?  That’s a bummer, because we were REALLY REALLY hoping you would bring cookies.”

“Well, I guess I could do that…how many do you think y’all need?”

“Well…if you count the kids, I think there will be about 50 people there, so if you make about two for each person, I’m thinking we’ll only need about 100 or so.”

My face is smiling, but my stomach has instantly tied itself into one hundred knots.  Even though I know that a hundred cookies can easily be a three day project, I hear myself saying yes.  Of course, I didn’t have three days to spare, so I needed a plan B…fast.  Luckily I have buddies like Maryann and Lisa to inspire me!

This platter is an easy way to make a lot of cookies in a little bit of time.  I started with three batches of mini-star cookies using my basic sugar cookie recipe and iced them with simple red, white, and blue 20-second icing.  It took a little planning on my part, I knew that I would need a more red and white cookies than blue, so I organized them onto cookie sheets accordingly.

This is the equivalent of 6-7 dozen cookies, but it only took me about two hours to cover them all.

To arrange this platter you will need:

  • piping icing {white or blue}
  • food color pen
  • yardstick
  • round bowl or plate that is about 6-7 inches in diameter
  • large  round platter

I prefer a round plastic platter like this one from Amazon because it’s huge and it’s lighter than a glass platter loaded with cookies.

Mark a round guide in the center of the platter with the food safe marker.  The yardstick makes it easy to find the center.

Next use royal icing to pipe a circle around the guide, and stick the cookies to the platter.  The purpose of this is to keep the arrangement from sliding around a lot when the platter is moved.

Once the center is set, begin arranging the remaining colors in rings around the blue.

After the bottom layer is in place, begin stacking the rest of the cookies on top.  I added a few tiny white cookies to the blue section just like a real flag.  With each layer the arrangement looks better and better.

Don’t stress over any leftover cookies, they can be used to replenish the platter throughout the night.

Of course, this platter can be as small or as large as you’d like and would also make a great Captain America shield {totally my son’s idea} for an Avengers party!

Even if you haven’t started baking, you still have time to throw this together.  I made all these cookies with time to spare for Jalapeno Popper Dip {try it, it’s amazing}.

If you like this project, here are some other simple patriotic cookie platter ideas:

Have a safe, happy, and hopefully not too hot fourth of July!

Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Independence Day/Memorial Day Cookies, Military/Patriotic Cookies, Tutorials
31 Comments »