Irish flag cookies

Show your Irish spirit with these fun cookies, plus the kids will get a geography lesson to boot.

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Icing ingredients

Icing

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water 2 drops orange food coloring
• 2 drops green food coloring

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for four to five minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl halfway through.
2. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Blend into the butter mixture.
4. Divide dough into thirds and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Working with one-third of the dough at a time, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick on a board dusted with confectioners sugar. Cut into 1½ x 2½-inch rectangles. A cookie cutter really works best, but cutting freehand with a chef’s knife works in a pinch.
6. Place rectangles on parchment-covered cookie sheet, two inches apart. Refrigerate cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.

Icing:

1. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt,1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 tsp. water and orange food coloring.
2. Add additional water as needed to make a thin, brushableconsistency.
3. In another small bowl, stir together the remaining icingingredients.
4. Holding a cookie in one hand, brush a stripe of orange icingwith a pastry brush on the right one-third of each cookie. Continueicing remaining cookies. When orange icing sets, begin decoratingwith the green icing. Once icing is set, store cookies in anairtight container.