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1
Special Equipment: 24 yards of red-white-and-blue ribbon cut into 1-yard lengths; a 3- to 3 1/4-inch round cookie cutter; a small glass or bowl (about 2 1/2-inches wide); a wide drinking straw or paring knife to cut a hole in the dough for the ribbon
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2
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
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3
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes.
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4
Beat in the 2 beaten eggs and vanilla.
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5
Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1 cup at a time.
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6
Divide the dough into 2 pieces and flatten them into neat rectangles about 3/4-inch thick.
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7
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.
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8
Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
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9
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
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10
Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften for about 10 minutes.
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11
Roll it out on a lightly-floured piece of parchment to 3/16-inch thick.
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12
Cut out rounds with a 3- to 3 1/4-inch cookie cutter and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets at least 1 1/2 inches apart.
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13
Repeat with the second piece of dough, rerolling and cutting the scraps as necessary.
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14
To make ring imprints on the cookies, press the rim of a small glass or bowl (about 2 1/2-inches wide) halfway into each dough round.
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15
Freeze the cookies on the cookie sheets for 20 minutes.
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16
(This will help the cookies hold their imprints.)
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17
Combine the remaining egg with 6 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 teaspoon water.
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18
Whisk together with a fork to make an egg wash.
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19
At the top of each cookie, use a wide straw or the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut a circle or rectangle wide enough to thread a ribbon through.
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20
Working with 2 to 3 cookies at a time, lightly brush the rounds with egg wash (avoid the imprint) and sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
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21
Lightly tap each cookie on the counter to shake off excess (the frozen dough will be sturdy enough to withstand this).
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22
Bake the cookies until set and the edges are beginning to brown, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets once.
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23
Transfer the sheets to a baking rack and cool the cookies completely on the sheets.
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24
(If the holes for the ribbon have closed up a bit, just cut away some of the dough with a paring knife while the cookies are still warm).
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25
Thread a yard of ribbon through each cookie and tie the ends.
