Watch Martha Decorate Rainbow Cookies to Support Military Families

While everyone is cooped up inside their homes during the coronavirus pandemic, there's nothing like a delicious baking project to brighten your spirits. And our founder demonstrated the perfect cheerful dessert when she filmed a Facebook Live for the USO, the leading nonprofit organization for active-duty service members and military families. "The USO is such an important organization offering a lot of solidarity to our armed forces all over the world. I thought I would make the symbol of the rainbow in a sugar cookie," said Martha.

Martha got creative, choosing a variety of colors and patterns to decorate her cut-out rainbow sugar cookies using royal icing. "You can play around with your decorating—it's so much fun," Martha said. She also demonstrated how to sprinkle sanding sugar on the frosted cookie, "which adds a little extra sweetness to the cookie."

If you want to make the cookies but don't have a rainbow-shaped cutter, our founder said you can freehand the shape using a knife like she did, or a biscuit cutter. She even offered a handy tip for how to freeze sugar cookie dough, meaning you can make a batch to enjoy now and save the rest for later. "Wrap it first in plastic wrap, then put it into a plastic bag. Do not try to put it in the freezer badly wrapped because it will pick up all the flavors of the freezer and dry out. You can keep it in the freezer for about a month. When you want to use it, place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight and then it's ready to roll the next day," she explained.

During the Facebook Live segment, Martha shared that she had her own military connections. Her brother, Frank, served in Vietnam as a helicopter rescue pilot, she had an uncle who was an airplane mechanic in the Navy, and her father was in the cavalry.

Given the unprecedented times, Martha delivered a crucial message to viewers. "It's extremely important, no matter where you are, to honor the people who are helping you if you do get sick. Help the hospital workers, the doctors, the nurses, the ambulance drivers, the policemen, and the firemen, anybody who's out there on the front lines—they're fighting a war against an invisible virus. Honor them in whatever way you can. Most importantly, follow protocol," said Martha.