Donald & Hillary as Cookies (Whaa!), Plus our Go-To Recipe + Icing for Decorating

In just a little over a month, we're going to vote for the 45th President of the United States—a very serious event that will affect many lives in tangible ways. It's been a notably heated year of campaigning—if you tuned in for the first presidential debate, or read the news any given day, you probably have an ulcer now because of this—and the heat is only rising the closer we get to November 8th. Lies mount, suspicions rise, rumors fly. What we need these days, besides a capable president, is a respite: a laugh, a hug, something unbearably sweet.

Us? We're making cookies.

If you're really feeling the red and blue, our new 2016 election-themed set of cookie cutters is here to break the ice (or spark some kindly controversy) at your upcoming election party. There are Donalds—complete with swoopy hairdos—and Hillarys, too. Elephants, Donkeys, flags, and U.S.A. maps round out the set.

We've even got the perfect sugar cookie recipe and royal icing combo to use (it's what our expert baker-in-residence Erin McDowell uses as her go-to for decorating any cookie-cutter cookies):

And if something a little chunkier—more complicated—is actually what you need to chew on during these coming weeks, we've got a handful of goodies for you, too.

Chocolate chip or sugar cookies forever? Vote in the comments.