Red White and Blue Cookies
These Red White and Blue Cookies are a fun way to celebrate the 4th of July! These cookies are a fun twist on the classic sugar cookie, and they’re quite tasty!
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Fireworks. Did you grow up shooting off fireworks in the backyard? My younger sister and I grew up in downtown Charleston, and backyard fireworks were strictly banned down there. With all of the old wooden homes, that could have easily turned into a situation like Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the great Chicago fire of 1871.
However, we did shoot off some bottle rockets and some of those sparkler cones whenever we’d go up to visit my grandparents in upstate South Carolina. They lived out in the country, and my grandpa was the town judge. We could pretty much do whatever we wanted up there! But with that said, one of my favorite fireworks was the popper. You know what I’m talking about, right? Those little white balls that pop really loud when you throw ’em on the ground. Inevitably, I’d end up chasing my sister around throwing poppers at her feet. Then I’d spend the next 20 minutes in timeout.
Robbie has followed in his Dad’s footsteps when it comes to poppers. We introduced him to poppers last year around the 4th of July, and he was hooked! Fireworks are only sold in New York state for a couple days before the 4th of July and a couple days before New Year’s Eve.
This past New Year’s Eve, I found poppers at the store, and I got Robbie a couple packs. I was so excited for him! Well it turned out to be a downpour on New Year’s Eve, so we couldn’t throw poppers outside. The little guy was devastated. We ended up going to a friend’s house down the street, and he offered to let Robbie pop some poppers down in his unfinished basement. 2 poppers later, we were on our way back upstairs. Those things sounded like grenades going off in that small basement! (Don’t worry…we’ve definitely made up for that popper-fail once the days turned warm and dry again.)
Red White and Blue Cookies
Red White and Blue CookiesWith 4th of July approaching quickly, I thought it would be fun to make a festive dessert. Last year, I made this Red White and Blue Cheesecake Cake, and that was one seriously yummy cake! This year I decided to go with cookies. I love a good sugar cookie, and these Red White and Blue Cookies are just a twist off of a classic sugar cookie. Truthfully, these cookies are a breeze to make. The only challenge comes from stacking and rolling the dough so that it looks festive once it’s baked. But the look on Robbie’s face when he saw these cookies made it worth the extra effort!
For my readers in the US, what are your plans for the 4th of July this year? Will you be shooting off fireworks, or maybe chasing your sister around with poppers in hand? Either way, be safe and have fun…and make sure to have a batch of these Red White and Blue Cookies on hand for the festivities!
P.S. If you’re looking for other fun 4th of July ideas, check you this post on 15 Budget Friendly 4th of July Party Ideas. You might recognize these cookies over there!
Did you make a batch of these Red White and Blue Cookies? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for more tasty cookies? Check out these other favorites:
Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
Frosted Maple Sugar Cookies
Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Red White and Blue Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- red food coloring see note
- blue food coloring
- Sanding sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium-high speed).
- Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Place 1 piece back in mixer bowl and add several drops of red food gel; mix until color is uniform throughout dough.
- Repeat process using another piece of dough and the blue food gel. (Note: The 3rd piece of dough does not get colored.)
- Press each piece of dough into 4” squares and cover each piece individually with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove one piece of dough and place between 2 sheets of wax paper. Roll dough into a 9”x12” rectangle. Repeat process with the remaining 2 pieces of dough. Refrigerate dough (still between sheets of wax paper) for 30 more minutes.
- Remove all 3 pieces of dough from refrigerator. Peel top layer of wax paper off each piece and discard.
- Flip the piece of plain dough on top of the red dough; remove wax paper. Flip the piece of blue dough on top of the plain dough; remove wax paper.
- Cut the stacked dough crosswise to create (2) 4.5”x12” stacks of dough. Roll each of the stacks into a tight log lengthwise. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a serrated knife, slice each log into ¼” rounds. Place each round onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops of cookies generously with sanding sugar. (Note: If dough is too soft, refrigerate for another 30 minutes.)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just begin to turn brown.
- Let cookies cool on pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks until completely cooled.
Notes
We didn’t use fireworks in our family, but there were areas during certain times of the year (like New Year’s) where you could go to view ’em, which is always nice. I heard they’re kinda messy, but totally FUN! Speaking of fun…these cookies! Love all those pretty, colourful layers, David! Can’t go wrong with a sugar cookie, either. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
We were totally out in the driveway yesterday celebrating Father’s Day with those little white ‘poppers.’ Robbie loved it! He’s such a boy…anything he can do to make noise! 🙂 And then we came inside and found some cookies. Pretty much the perfect day if you ask me! Haha. Thanks, Dawn!
David, these cookies are so fun and festive! The pretty swirls are mesmerizing! They would definitely be a hit for our Independence Day celebrations.
Fireworks were also illegal in the town I grew up in. My dad would drive to the neighboring state though, and get his supply. He would get a pack of 1000 firecrackers all connected, sneak down the street after dark, light them, and run home. What a commotion they made as they all went off! And what a cloud of smoke! The cops always came, but they couldn’t pinpoint who was the naughty one!
These cookies really are a lot of fun, Kelly! And the best part is you could mix up the colors based on the holiday.
I’m cracking up at the story about your Dad causing that commotion. Hilarious! New York allows some small fireworks, but nothing too crazy. Honestly, that’s all we need here. Some poppers and maybe a bottle rocket or two is good enough for me! Oh, and lots of cookies, of course. 🙂
The only time we have fireworks here is for New Years. But, I got to tell it’s like WWIII come midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Your patriotic cookies gave me an idea for our next National Day (2020). I just have to round up some yellow and blue food coloring. Thanks for a great idea.
Hah! I know what you mean with the fireworks, Ron. We’ve only ever played around with the small ones, but one of our neighbors at the previous house always bought the crazy big ones. (I suspect they were illegal…hah!) As far as these cookies go, they are quite easy and tasty…and you could totally mix up the colors for any occasion. I do recommend using gel coloring (if you can get that over there) as it has a much deeper color and doesn’t fade as much while baking.
I bet those poppers were loud in the basement, lol!
These cookies are so festive and fun, David! Perfect for 4th of July get togethers!
Oh my gosh, those poppers in the basement were SO loud. Robbie couldn’t handle it…poor guy! But he definitely got over it with one of these cookies. Haha! Thanks so much, Marissa!
Hey David..love your thought of celebrate 4th july get together, and this looks perfect, sounds soo delicious.. i will definitely make this..Thanks for sharing…keep shared your new amazing ideas with recipes…!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Santosh! These cookies are quite tasty, and you could totally mix up the colors for any occasion. Cheers!
Hi David! Growing up we always had the smaller fireworks which we did at home, but the big deal was going to the county fairgrounds where they did the good stuff. We would bring a blanket and some snacks and have a great time! These cookies are so festive! I can imagine the look on Robbie’s face when he saw these! Have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend my friend!
I hear ya, Dorothy! We’ve only ever done the small fireworks at home, but it is fun to go see the big ones. Hopefully we’ll be able to take Robbie to see them soon. The problem is the sun sets so late in the summer that it makes it way past his bedtime before the fireworks start. I’m thinking another year or so should work, though.
Thanks so much for the Father’s Day wishes, my friend! We had a great day together yesterday…and, yes, poppers in the driveway were involved. 🙂
What a fun cookie and perfect for the 4th! My favorite was the spraklers and running around the yard with them. I don’t think they are nearly as exciting now though…either they’ve changed or I’ve grown up and they’ve lost some of their appeal.
I agree with you about sparklers, Kathy! We had some sparklers last year at Laura’s family’s 4th of July picnic. They were fun initially, but I totally got bored by them. Robbie loved ’em though, so that’s what counts! (Robbie also loved these cookies…imagine that. Haha!)
These are so much fun, David. They practically look like fireworks. 😉 Isn’t it exciting when you make that first slice into the rolled up colorful dough!? I bet Robbie is a big fan of these. 🙂 Happy July 4th! ~Valentina
I was totally nervous/skeptical when I sliced into that log of cookie dough. I’m glad they worked out! Robbie is (was) a huge fan of these cookies…almost as much as me! 🙂
This fourth of July, I’ll be on a beach, in Hawaii! I doubt I’ll be cooking, but I’ll perhaps think of you fondly while I enjoy some pineapple and hula dancing.
I’m thinking you should pack some cookies to take with you. I mean that pina colada only needs one hand. You clearly need cookies in the other hand. 🙂 Seriously, though, enjoy that trip…it sounds awesome!
Hey if y’all moved down here, y’all can enjoy fireworks year round! They used to be banned but now its a free for all! I can only imagine how loud those poppers were in that basement – hats of to y’all for going for that second one!
And speaking of poppers – these are gorgeous! So love the pops of red and blue – perfect for the 4th!
Interesting! Most fireworks are still banned up here in New York, but we can go across the border to get the “real” ones if we want. Personally I’m good with the poppers…I’m afraid I would catch something on fire with the big ones! Haha!
These are just wonderful! How fabulous and festive they look! What a great idea, David 🙂 You are so creative!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Alexandra! These cookies turned out quite well, and the best part is you can use the same recipe but mix up the colors based on the occasion. 🙂
insanely lovely cookies David! well, we in indian shoot fireworks on Diwali as it is our biggest festival. But I have a severe phobia of fireworks still 😉
I totally understand about the fireworks phobia, Priya. They’re loud! I’ve seen photos of Diwali, but I hope to experience it in person one day. Thanks so much for the kind words, my friend!
these are the cutest cookies (biscuits as we say here) david. so attractive! cheers sherry