Having seen so many perfectly joined cookie "puzzles" in recent days,

I was always discouraged because once I baked the dough pieces that were to fit together,

they always baked up "wonky" and never matched up well together.

But then I learned the secret.

You cut the pieces, bake them together,

and while the cookies are still hot out of the oven,

re-cut all the pieces.

I had a perfect opportunity to try out my new baking tip with this "wooden" Americana flag.

With it's homespun look, there was no need for precision.

So I just cut a huge random rectangle cookie.

From the rectangle, cut out a star corner and thin wooded planks that will represent the stripes.

(see photo below)

Once they've baked together, carefully re-cut all the pieces.

They will then fit together beautifully!

Outline and flood the corner square with blue glaze.

Outline and flood the wood blanks with alternating red or white stripes.

(see photo below)

After the blue square has dried for at least an hour, add a random white star over its top.

Dry the cookies overnight.

Make a mixture of chocolate brown, gold, and white gel colors to form a dirty tan color.

Using a fan brush, brush across all surfaces to give them a wooden look.

Antiqued Text Cookies (Tutorial)