Whether you enjoy 4th of July fireworks, festivities, or food, with a few easy steps you can prepare a festive holiday treat the whole family will love. These 4th of July cookies are so festive, absolutely delicious, super easy to make, and are a fun recipe the kids enjoy helping with too.
I love the 4th of July. Oh, I’m as patriotic as the next gal, and I do recognize that I live in a great country, but what I love almost as much is the food! Walking around and chatting with family and friends with a plate piled high with burgers, dogs, BBQ, chops, steaks, or even grilled seafood is the perfect way to enjoy the 4th. I also love the fireworks. All those beautiful colors in the sky are always the perfect way to end the day. To celebrate this special day with an equally special treat, I love to make my red, white, and blue frosted sugar cookies. They’re so sweet and delicious, and the festive frosting ties everything together. The best part is that they’re so easy to make!
4th of July Cookies
These delicious cookies start with a simple sugar cookie dough that’s extra rich and soft thanks to sour cream. Then, I make equally simple buttercream frosting that I divide into thirds, leaving one white and coloring the other two red and blue. Finally, I frost my cooled cookies with beautiful, patriotic frosting and watch them disappear. Without exaggeration, they’re gone in just a few minutes if I don’t make a double or triple batch!
Why You’ll Love This 4th of July Cookie Recipe
- They’re absolutely delicious and the combination of the sugar cookie, the buttercream frosting, and the red, white, and blue candied sprinkles is simply irresistible and so festive.
- They’re perfect to add to the dessert menu at any 4th of July gathering, and they are sure to be a hit with all the guests.
- They are so easy to make and for any occasion or theme event.
- They are egg-free and are perfect for anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions.
4th of July Cookies Ingredients
Both the cookies and the frosting only take a few basic baking ingredients. Most of them are probably in your kitchen right now, and the ones that aren’t are available at literally any grocery store in the country. I’m positive about that!
- All purpose flour is the main ingredient in sugar cookies and provides structure.
- Baking powder is the leavening agent that helps cookies rise.
- Salt enhances the flavor of the cookies.
- Butter gives the cookies their richness and flavor, and it also gives the frosting its richness and flavor.
- Vegetable oil helps to keep the cookies moist and tender.
- Sour cream adds moisture and richness to the cookies.
- Sugar provides sweetness and helps to tenderize the cookies.
- Vanilla extract adds flavor to the cookies and the frosting.
- Powdered sugar is the main ingredient in the buttercream frosting and provides sweetness and structure.
- Milk helps thin out the frosting and makes it easier to spread.
- Red and Blue food coloring is used to color the frosting in festive patriotic colors.
- Holiday sprinkles are used to decorate the cookies.
- Coarse sugar gives the cookies their crunchy finish.
These ingredients will help to create delicious and festive 4th of July sugar cookies that everyone will love and enjoy.
How to Make 4th of July Cookies
Making these cookies is very simple. The cookie dough recipe is easy, and so is the buttercream frosting. And actually frosting the cookies doesn’t require any special frosting experience.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease one or two baking sheets.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Cookie Ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Combine the Wet Cookie Ingredients
In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sour cream with a hand mixture for one minute. Then, add the sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
Step 4: Make the Cookie Dough
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until the dough just forms into a ball.
Step 5: Bake
Roll into ¾-inch cookie dough balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Spray the bottom of a glass with nonstick spray, and use it to gently flatten the cookies a bit. Bake for 8 minutes.
Step 6: Cool
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7: Make the Frosting
Cream the butter, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Divide the frosting evenly into three bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl, blue to another, and leave the third plain.
Step 8: Finish the Cookies
When the cookies have cooled completely, frost them with a generous amount of the frosting in whatever pattern you desire. Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles and coarse sugar and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Remove the cookies as soon as they’ve baked for 8 minutes. The carry over cooking time on the baking sheet will bake them to perfection.
- You can adjust the amount of food coloring you add to your frosting for more or less vibrant color.
- Be sure your cookies are fully cooled before frosting them or the frosting won’t stick.
Variations
- You can be as creative as you like with the frosting. Go simple with a frosting spatula or break out your pastry bag and frosting tips.
- For extra tender cookies, try using cake flour.
- Go semi-homemade and use refrigerated sugar cookie dough.
What to Serve with Mini 4th of July Cookies
These cookies are perfect as part of a larger 4th of July dessert table. Pair them with everything from cakes and pies to cupcakes, dessert salads, and more. Of course, these cookies are also always great with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea.
Recipe FAQ
The easiest way to make themed cookies is to frost them. You can add almost any color you can think of to frosting, which means with just a bit of frosting, you can make any cookie match any holiday!
Yes, you can. They’ll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
The United States doesn’t have an official cookie, but the most popular cookie in the country is the chocolate chip cookie. 53% of Americans call it their favorite.
Cookie dough usually only has to be chilled if you need to control the spread of the cookies. For doughs that have an exceptionally large amount of butter, chilling is beneficial because it hardens the butter inside the dough. This slows the spread of the cookies as they bake because the butter takes longer to melt as the cookies bake.
October is U.S. National Cookie Month, celebrating the existence of cookies.
How to Store Fourth of July Cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week. To keep them even longer, place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container in single layers separated by parchment paper and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Try These Delicious and Festive 4th of July Sugar Cookies
These 4th of July cookies are super rich, buttery, and soft, and they’re topped with sweet buttercream frosting with festive colors. They’re the perfect cookies to serve at any 4th of July celebration or party. They’re also super easy to make, which is a huge bonus. Everyone always loves these cookies, and they don’t take a lot of work, so they’re definitely worth a try. Make a batch, and I know they’ll become a new favorite for all the different holidays.
More Delicious Cookies on the Blog
Here are some Lemonade Pie Cookie Bites that are a perfect summer dessert everyone will enjoy. Might want to make a double batch of these sweet treats.
4th of July Cookies
Ingredients
Mini Sugar Cookies
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Red and blue gel food coloring
- Holiday sprinkles
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a baking sheet(s).
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, oil and sour cream together on medium speed using an electric mixer, or a stand mixer, for one minute.
- Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until dough forms a ball.
- Roll the dough into about ¾ inch size dough balls and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Spray the bottom of a glass with non-stick cooking spray and gently press each cookie to flattened them a bit.
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, milk and vanilla together. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Divide the frosting into three bowls and add red coloring to one bowl, blue to another, and leave one bowl filled with white frosting. Stir the food coloring and add additional food coloring to get desired results.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, frost cookies with a generous amount of frosting, then sprinkle with festive holiday sprinkles.
- Let the frosting setup then place cookies in a container for storing and place parchment paper in between the layers.
Notes
Nutrition
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