Whether it’s at a cookout, block party, or right in your own kitchen, you’ll love these festive and colorful treats. In many cases, all you need are some red, white, and blue jimmies or cute patriotic sprinkles to make a batch of sugar cookies pop. Still, it’s worth stocking up on gel food coloring, too! Whether you need something quick and easy or like to go all out, I know you’ll find the perfect recipe on this list.
20 Patriotic 4th of July Cookie Recipes
1. 4th of July Cookies With M&M’s
Cookies are the ideal BBQ dessert. They’re easy to grab and go, they’re just as popular with grown-ups as they are with kids, and they’re super versatile to boot. These cookies are loaded with white chocolate chips for a lovely, creamy finish, and they spread pretty far, too, while staying nice and chewy. To ensure the red, white, and blue is prominent, be sure to dip your cookie dough balls in a bowl full of red and blue M&Ms and white chocolate chips just before baking. That way, they’ll stay on top, and the colors will stand out better.
2. Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s incredible what red and blue food coloring can do, right? Well, that and edible glitter stars, of course! The best thing about this recipe is that you can’t really go wrong. As long as you’re careful not to work the colored cookie dough together, you’ll get great contrast no matter how you portion it out. So, if you want to just grab at it with your hands and press the three colors together, go for it. Or, follow the instructions, roll each color into a log, and then cut your cookies off the end.
3. Fireworks Cookies and Cream Cookies
Not only are these Oreo-stuffed cookies, but the recipe calls for boxed cake mix, which will save you so much time. Plus, there’s cream cheese in the dough, making these insanely moist and creamy. Start by mixing softened butter with cream cheese until well blended. Then incorporate the eggs and vanilla before stirring through the cake mix. Just before you finish blending the dry into the wet, toss in the chopped Oreo cookies. Mix just until the chunks are evenly distributed.
4. Star-Spangled Cookies
These cookies are all about the glaze. You can use square or round cookie cutters if that’s all you have, but the stars will look super effective with the swirl of red and blue. The trick to getting the distinct colors is not to mix the icing too much. I like to drag my toothpick with the red food coloring around a few times, and then the same with the blue. That will give you streaks for the first couple of cookies, and then it will start to blend more for the next few. I find this helps the icing to last a little longer, so you’re not wasting quite as much.
5. Red, White, and Blue Pinwheel Icebox Cookies
I know these look complex, but it’s actually effortless to recreate these colorful pinwheel cookies at home. I’m sure you’ve already guessed that you need three bowls of dough here. You’ll need one big batch of sugar cookie dough, which you’ll portion into three and color accordingly. To speed things up, go ahead and roll the dough out right away. Do this between parchment paper and pop it in the fridge to chill. If you chill the dough in a block, it will be harder to roll. Then, you just need to stack each color and roll it into a log. You might need to let the dough warm slightly to prevent cracking on the outside.
6. 4th of July Sugar Cookies
Who doesn’t love a soft, buttery sugar cookie? They’re mild in flavor, with notes of vanilla and delicious glaze or frosting. Plus, they’re amazing when you add fun toppings and sprinkles. Sugar cookies are also the best kind of cookie to make when you want a flat, clean surface to decorate. And the only way to decorate these cookies and have them stay perfect is to use royal icing. Unlike frosting, which remains soft and can crack, royal icing will firm up on top, so you can even stack these on top of each other. Meringue powder is the key to getting it to dry hard without using egg whites.
7. Easy No-Bake 4th of July Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
As Independence Day gets closer, you can usually find red, white, and blue milk chocolate M&Ms all over the place. Or they’re available online year-round. Pair the red and blue candies with these white cookies, and you’ve got some super simple, ultra-patriotic cookies. You’ll probably find that using white M&Ms can be tricky since the color doesn’t stand out against lighter cookies. So I just pick those out and snack on them while I bake. If you don’t want to waste any, though, you’ll need to make something colorful. And I’ve got just the recipe below.
8. Red Velvet 4th of July Cookies
Red velvet is an American creation, and it’s just as synonymous with the states as a thick chocolate chip cookie. Of course, using red velvet means you’re halfway there to making these 4th of July cookies extra special. Again, you’ll use a cake mix for this recipe. Just add vegetable oil and eggs and blend until the soft dough is uniform.
9. Patriotic Jell-O Cookies
If you’ve never used Jell-O in cookies before, prepare to have your mind blown. Not only does it help to provide moisture and keep them tender, but it can add incredible flavor and fun color too. You’ll more or less make the cookie dough how you normally would and then split it into two portions if you want red and blue. Then, mix the Jell-O until it’s well blended and streak-free.
10. 4th of July Meringue Cookies
I love making meringue cookies for a few reasons. First, they’re so easy to make if you have a stand mixer. The whisk will do most of the hard work. You’ll just need to get the ingredients ready. Second, they’re great for people with allergies or gluten intolerances because they contain no flour or nuts. But mostly, I love that you can make a huge batch with just a few egg whites. So, if you’re feeding a crowd, this one recipe will give you 60 cookies!
11. Red, White, and Blue Shortbread Cookies
Sugar cookies are tender, soft, sweet, and perfect for icing. But then, so are shortbread cookies. In fact, I’d argue they’re even better. Sugar cookies usually contain a few extra ingredients, and if you overcook them, they will darken around the edges and turn crisp. In contrast, shortbread needs just a few ingredients, and it’s designed to be firm yet crumbly. As long as you don’t over-mix the dough, it will be tender on the inside, with a slight bite around the edges.
12. 4th of July Lemon Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
One of the best things about shortbread has to be its versatility. It’s delicious with chocolate, lavender, or chopped nuts, but especially with lemon zest and chewy cranberries. Once you’ve beaten the butter and sugar, mix the vanilla and lemon zest right away. I like to stir it and let it sit for a few minutes so the natural oils in the lemon zest will start to release. Then, remix it before adding the dry ingredients. Finally, incorporate the cranberries before you finish processing in the dry items to keep it tender.
13. Chocolate Icebox Cookies
We’ve talked a lot about light, vanilla-based cookies with colorful sprinkles and candies. But what about those of us that like things a bit bolder? These chocolate icebox cookies are a fantastic recipe to have on hand. Not only are the cookies ridiculously tasty, but you can make this dough way ahead of the big day and just store it in the freezer. These will cook from frozen, and all you need to do is slice off however many cookies you need, saving the rest for another day.
14. Stars and Stripes Sugar Cookie Bars
What’s better than iced cookies? Thick, decadent cookie bars with an extra thick layer of luscious frosting and colorful sprinkles, of course. Since these are so thick, it’s really important to be gentle with the dough and to not over-bake them. The last thing you want is a dry cookie base. To achieve that fantastic feathered effect, just pipe your red and blue frosting in lines horizontally and then carefully drag a toothpick through the lines vertically. Start with the lines from top to bottom, leaving a gap between each. Then, work from the bottom to the top in between those lines.
15. 4th of July Sprinkle Cookies
If you want fun colors without frosting or glaze, this recipe is for you. All you need is to add festive jimmies to the dough and bake! Since sprinkles are more or less just sugar, they will start to soften as soon as you add them to the dough. So, to prevent streaking, only mix them in once you’re ready to portion and bake.
16. Red, White, & Blue Funfetti Sandwich Cookies
As much as I love sandwich cookies, it’s important to note that you’ll need to make a lot more than you usually would. That’s because you’ll use two cookies to make one portion. Of course, you can make your cookies smaller, but it’s still extra work and time in the kitchen. Feel free to use readymade frosting for these. It’s smooth and sweet and perfect every time!
17. 4th of July Sugar Cookie Bars
I love making cookie bars because they’re nice and thick, and it’s so much easier just to press the dough into a baking tray. Instead of spending time scooping out individual portions, you can make one giant cookie sheet and cut it however small you like. A great way to add those patriotic colors without sprinkles is to use dried cranberries and blueberries. The colors will match, and you’ll get a nice hint of fruity goodness in each bite.
18. 4th of July Flag Cookies
After years of piping cookies, frosting, and choux pastry, I don’t have the most steady hand. So I usually steer away from intricate designs, like the stars and stripes. But this clever recipe gives you that star-spangled banner without any added frosting. All you need are some Twizzlers Pull ‘n Peel for the stripes and mini-blue M&Ms for the stars. How easy is that?
19. Heath Bar Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies need salt to make them pop. I mean, they’ll be scrumptious no matter what, but adding salt will take the flavor to the next level. These cookies are sweet, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chunks and caramel, not to mention a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Toffee bits usually have a touch of salt to them, so you could leave the added sea salt out if you want. But trust me when I say you’ll never go back once you taste these.
20. Gumdrop Cookies
Gumdrop cookies are a fun and easy way to add a bit of color to your cookies. It might take some time to pull out all the red and blue ones, but I believe in you! I find these are best when you cut the candies in half. That way, you get some of that chewy, gummy texture without it being too overwhelming. Cut them too small, though, and they might just melt and make a mess. Click on a star to rate it!
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