Of all the summer holidays, the 4th of July is one of my favorites! Usually we are do a lot of swimming and boating, and of course, eating, as we celebrate throughout the day. All that is followed by beautiful city wide fireworks, which are always the perfect way to end the day, and of course, more food! How do you celebrate the 4th?
Did I mention we do quite a bit of eating?! This year we will be enjoying the holiday with a picnic table full of food, something on the grill, and desserts waiting in the fridge. I will be serving these 4th of July Patriotic Sugar Cookies as part of our dessert tray. These cookies are easy to make and decorate and they are fun to eat too!
Red, White, and Blue Celebration Cookies
(printable recipe at end of page)
(makes 5-6 dozen cookies)
2 cups Butter (softened)
2 cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
5 cups Flour
3 teaspoon Baking Powder
Royal Icing Recipe
3/4 cup Warm Water
5 tbl. Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
2.25 lbs Powdered Icing Sugar
Red and Blue Food Coloring
Red Icing Color
Blue Icing Color
Cookie Toppings
white confetti sprinkles
red, white and blue sprinkles
chocolate candy pearls
red, white and blue stars
mini decor balls
mini red, white and blue sprinkles
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, a little at a time. Mix until flour mix is incorporated and dough comes together.
Divide dough into small batches that will fit between a large piece of parchment paper. Roll out dough to desired thickness. This recipe will take approx. 6-7 pieces of parchment paper. Stack the parchment paper covering the cookie dough on to a baking sheet, cover tightly with saran wrap, and let it chill in the fridge. Repeat the process until all dough is used, and all the sheets of parchment are in the fridge. By the time you are done, the first sheet you put in should be cold. If not, wait about 30 minutes.
Take out the first sheet, cut out, and start baking at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. The best thing is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies. When you have used all of the dough from one sheet that you can, re-roll it and place on the same parchment paper again. Refrigerate like when you started. Keep cooking until all cookies are done. 
Let cookies cool on cooling rack. 
Use a whisk to mix together the warm water and meringue powder in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix for 30 seconds. Add Cream of Tartar and mix for 30 seconds more. Add confectioner’s sugar and mix for 10 minutes on low speed. 
Take 1 cup of frosting and put it into a small bowl. Tint the icing red.
Take another cup of frosting and put it into another small bowl, and tint it blue.
Using the white frosting, outline the cookie with a #2 decorating tip then fill in the inside of the star. Use a toothpick to move the icing around to fill in the star. Don’t allow the cookies to dry. You need them wet so the fireworks can be made and the candies can be attached. 
To make the fireworks on the cookies, place a dot of blue frosting
Use a toothpick to pull the blue frosting into a firework. Do the same with a dot of red frosting. The fireworks make a great background for all the sprinkles. 
Begin decorating the cookie with all the edible candies. Put them in any design that you like. Get creative and make it fun! I used an assortment of candies such as white confetti sprinkles, chocolately pearls, red, white and blue stars, mini decor balls, and or course, sprinkles! The sprinkles that are large make great decor for these cookies!
Thank you for joining me today and have a wonderful 4th of July Celebration! Check out the list below for more 4th of July food inspiration from my fellow bloggers! There are so many amazing recipes to choose from!
- All American Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog with Patriotic Slaw by Our Good Life
- Celebration Nachos by Palatable Pastime
- Patriotic Berry Trifle by Making Miracles
- Patriotic Charcuterie by Hostess at Heart
- Patriotic Rice Krispie Treats by Family Around the Table
- Red, White, and Blue Blueberry Shortcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Red, White, and Blue Bundt Cake by House of Nash Eats
- Red, White, and Blue Marbled Layer Cake by Lemon Blossoms
- Red, White, and Blue Celebration Cookies by The Freshman Cook
- Red, White & Blue Cheesecake Salad by Cheese Curd in Paradise
- Red, White, and Blue Strawberry Bites by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Red, White, & Blue Summer Salad by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Summer Berry Filled Cupcakes by Cookaholic Wife
red, white, blue, 4th of July, sugar cookies, cookies, icing, frosting, holiday cookies, delicious cookies
dessert, cookies, treats, holidays, picnic food, snacks
sugar cookies, dessert, treats, snacks, picnics, celebration
Celebrate the red, white, and blue with these fun and tasty sugar cookies, topped with edible sprinkles, chocolate balls, and lots of fun cookie adornments.
- Cookie Recipe
- 2 cups Butter (softened)
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 5 cups Flour
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- Royal Icing Recipe
- 3/4 cup Warm Water
- 5 tbl. Meringue Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 2.25 lbs Powdered Icing Sugar
- Red and Blue Food Coloring
- Red Icing Color
- Blue Icing Color
- Cookie Toppings
- white confetti sprinkles
- red, white and blue sprinkles
- chocolately pearls
- red, white and blue stars
- mini decor balls
- mini red, white and blue sprinkles
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, a little at a time. Mix until flour mix is incorporated and dough comes together.
- Divide dough into small batches that will fit between a large piece of parchment paper. Roll out dough to desired thickness. This recipe will take approx. 6-7 pieces of parchment paper. Stack the parchment paper covering the cookie dough on to a baking sheet, cover tightly with saran wrap, and let it chill in the fridge. Repeat the process until all dough is used, and all the sheets of parchment are in the fridge. By the time you are done, the first sheet you put in should be cold. If not, wait about 30 minutes.
- Take out the first sheet, cut out, and start baking at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. The best thing is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies. When you have used all of the dough from one sheet that you can, re-roll it and place on the same parchment paper again. Refrigerate like when you started. Keep cooking until all cookies are done.
- Let cookies cool on cooling rack.
- Use a whisk to mix together the warm water and meringue powder in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix for 30 seconds. Add Cream of Tartar and mix for 30 seconds more. Add confectioner’s sugar and mix for 10 minutes on low speed.
- Take 1 cup of frosting and put it into a small bowl. Tint the icing red. Take another cup of frosting and put it into another small bowl, and tint it blue.
- Using the white frosting, outline the cookie with a #2 decorating tip then fill in the inside of the star. Use a toothpick to move the icing around to fill in the star. Don’t allow the cookies to dry. You need them wet so the fireworks can be made and the candies can be attached.
- To make the fireworks on the cookies, place a dot of blue frosting
- on the wet cookie.
- Use a toothpick to pull the blue frosting into a firework. Do the same with a dot of red frosting. The fireworks make a great background for all the sprinkles.
- Begin decorating the cookie with all the edible candies. Put them in any design that you like. Get creative and make it fun! I used an assortment of candies such as white confetti sprinkles, chocolately pearls, red, white and blue stars, mini decor balls, and or course, sprinkles! The sprinkles that are large make great decor for these cookies!
