American Flag Cookie Cake

Every year I celebrate the Stars and Stripes with my rendition of the classic American flag cake, complete with silky buttercream frosting and the season’s freshest berries. But this year I’m swapping the cake batter for shortbread cookie dough and saluting the red, white and bluewith a new twist on the iconic Independence Day dessert. Behold, the American Flag Cookie Cake.

This updated take on a Fourth of July favorite features a buttery shortbread cookie base topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Raspberries and blueberries form the festive garnish while white chocolate chips finish off the star-studded finale to your July 4th feast.

Preheat your oven for this updated take on the classic American flag cake and find inspiration for more red, white and blue eats with recipes for Patriotic Pavlova with Watermelon Stars,Frozen Chocolate-Covered Bananas, Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies and Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream.

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American Flag Cookie Cake

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

 

Prep Time: 45 min

 

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

For the cookie:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For the toppings:
4 ounces cream cheese (half of one 8-ounce package), at room temp
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries
3 cups raspberries
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Equipment: Quarter size (9x13 inches) rimmed baking sheet

Directions:

Make the cookie cake:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into pieces, and using two forks or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it's the consistency of wet sand. Press the cookie dough firmly and evenly into a non-stick quarter size (9x13 inches) rimmed baking sheet.

Bake the shortbread for 10 to 15 minutes until it is pale golden. Remove the shortbread from the oven, place it on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely while still in the pan. Once it has cooled, use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the edges then invert the shortbread cookie onto your serving platter.

Make the frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the butter and continue blending until combined. Add the vanilla extract then sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and blend just until combined. (Over-blending the mixture will cause the frosting to be too runny.)

Spread the cream cheese frosting in an even layer on the cookie cake. Position the blueberries in the top left corner of the cake in even rows to form the blue portion of the flag then position the raspberries in horizontal lines across the cake, leaving about 1 inch between each row, to form the stripes. Position the white chocolate chips between the blueberries to form the stars.

Using a sharp knife, slice and serve the cookie cake immediately, or refrigerate it until ready to serve.