These 4th of July Cookies are a simple make-ahead treat your entire family will love! Filled with red, white, and blue candies for the perfect patriotic look.
Searching for more patriotic treats? Try these mini cherry pies!
Recipe Features
- Make-Ahead: You can make this cookie dough in advance and pop it into the oven for a fresh cookie minus the fuss.
- Freezer Friendly- Freeze dough OR baked cookies to extend the life!
- Perfect Patriotic Cookies- Great for any celebration.
Ready for the EASIEST red white and blue cookies? We make these every year and get rave reviews. The secret is the light and fluffy dough made with all pantry staples! I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked for this very easy cookie recipe. You cannot go wrong with these M&M cookies.
4th of July Cookie Ingredients
We call these Patriotic M&M Cookies. The biggest difference between these and my easy M&M cookies is simply the color of candy that we use. Pro tip- After searching store after store we found that Target carries all of the seasonal candy colors.
- All- Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt
- Granulated Sugar AND Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Red, White, and Blue Candy Coated Chocolate Pieces
Patriotic Cookies Recipe
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the granulated and brown sugars and softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Beat on low speed until fully incorporated and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until just until the dough starts to form and the flour is incorporated into the batter, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Fold in 3/4 cups of the colored candies.
- Spoon and roll 1″ rounds of dough. Place onto a plate or baking tray and chill dough for 30 minutes inside the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking trays.
- Optional- Press additional candies onto the tops of each cookie.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or just until the edges start to lightly brown.
- Remove from the tray and allow to cool before storing.
Fourth of July Cookie Tips:
- Keep your mixer at low speed. I know it can be tempting to speed things up but you do not want to heat the butter too much otherwise your cookies will spread during baking and be more flat and crisp.
- Try to use room temperature ingredients. This will help everything incorporate easily and help the dough from overheating- thus giving you thick and chew cookies every single time.
- Chill your dough. Don’t skip this step. Chilling the dough helps solidify the butter which results in less spreading and a more fluffy cookie.
You can make cookie dough and keep it stored in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. That means you can have this dough ready to bake in advance and wow everyone with your baking skills without the fuss of whipping up a dough. Just be sure to keep the dough stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Alternatively, you can make AND bake the cookies up to 3 days in advance. Remove the cookies 1 hour before you plan to serve to allow them to come to room temperature.
These cookies stay fresh for about 3 days after baking. Be sure to keep them stored in an airtight container or zip top bag for optimal freshness.
My favorite method is to FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH. Scoop and roll the dough into 1″ rounds. Place them onto a cookie tray and flash freeze for 20 minutes. From there, I transfer them into a labeled freezer safe zip top bag. When we are ready to enjoy, I simply bake as directed in a preheated oven!
You can also freeze baked cookies. If stored properly they will last up to three months.
More Cookie Recipes You NEED To Try!
- Best Coconut Macaroons
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars
- Coconut Lime Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Best Rice Krispie Treats
- Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Oreo Truffles
- Salty Brownie Cookies
- How to Freeze Cookie Dough
- Red White and Blue Oreo Cookies
- 4th of July Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Still hungry? Follow One Sweet Appetite on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!
4th of July Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups M&M candies divided
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the granulated and brown sugars and softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Beat on low speed until fully incorporated and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until just until the dough starts to form and the flour is incorporated into the batter, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Fold in 3/4 cups of the colored candies.
- Spoon and roll 1″ rounds of dough. Place onto a plate or baking tray and chill dough for 30 minutes inside the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking trays.
- Optional- Press additional candies onto the tops of each cookie.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or just until the edges start to lightly brown.
- Remove from the tray and allow to cool before storing.
Notes
- Keep your mixer at low speed. I know it can be tempting to speed things up but you do not want to heat the butter too much otherwise your cookies will spread during baking and be more flat and crisp.
- Try to use room temperature ingredients. This will help everything incorporate easily and help the dough from overheating- thus giving you thick and chew cookies every single time.
- Chill your dough. Don’t skip this step. Chilling the dough helps solidify the butter which results in less spreading and a more fluffy cookie.
Nutrition
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