1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour
Cream Cheese Spread
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Decorative
1 box of blueberries
Strawberries (approximately 23 per row)
Bananas (approximately 23 per row)
glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups white grape juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1. Set the butter and cream cheese aside a few hours in advance to soften.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line a rectangular or 10″ x 15″ x 1″ pan with parchment paper. Leave extra paper around the edges for easy removal later.
4. Prepare the cookie dough: In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder, and flour. Mix until well combined and free of lumps.
5. Spread the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, overlapping if necessary to ensure an even layer.
6. Bake the batter for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely.
7. While the crust is baking, prepare the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, white grape juice, and cornstarch in a saucepan over low heat and stir until thickened and clear. Remove from heat and cool completely.
8. Prepare the cream cheese spread: Mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
9. Once the dough has cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough, making sure it is especially smooth over the blueberry part.
10. Decorate the flag. In the top left corner, create a “field of stars” rectangle with blueberries. Create alternating stripes using sliced strawberries for the red stripes and sliced bananas for the white stripes.
11. Carefully spoon the cooled glaze over the fruit.
12. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. You can also make it the day before by storing it in the refrigerator.
