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4th of July Sugar Cookies
These soft 4th of July sugar cookies are topped with a classic creamy white icing and are perfect for a birthday celebration for America with lots of red, white and blue.
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These festive 4th of July sugar cookies will bring all of the red, white, and blue to your celebrations this year. A classic buttery cookie topped with sweet icing and decorated with colorful sprinkles will be guaranteed to stand out at your Independence Day party.
4th Of July Sugar Cookies Ingredients
These cookies offer a soft texture, heightened by the warmth of vanilla extract.
The icing is velvety and creamy due to softened butter and heavy cream, while clear imitation vanilla gives it a comforting touch.
The sprinkles add a festive crunch, making these cookies a delightful treat for special occasions.
You’ll need:
For The Cookies:
- 2 cups of cake flour
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- 1 cup of sugar
- ½ cup of salted butter, softened
- ¼ cup of butter-flavored shortening, softened
- 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg white
For The Icing:
- 1 cup of salted butter, softened
- 4 cups of powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of clear imitation vanilla (or vanilla extract)
- red, white, and blue sprinkles (we used blue nonpareils, red sanding sugar, and a red/white/blue or star shape sprinkle mix)
Substitutions And Additions
VANILLA: Use clear imitation vanilla for a whiter frosting, as the regular vanilla extract will tint your frosting to an off-white.
BUTTER: You can also substitute shortening for a portion of the butter for a whiter frosting.
ICING: Use a bit of gel food coloring to make the icing color of your choice.
Make blue cookies with red icing or red cookies with blue icing for even more fun for your Fourth of July celebrations.
CREAM OF TARTAR: You can use lemon juice to replace the cream of tartar. For best results, use an equal amount of lemon juice for the cream of tartar the recipe calls for.
How To Make This 4th of July Sugar Cookies Recipe
These delightful, melt-in-your-mouth cookies are as simple to make as whipping up the cookie dough followed by the icing before decorating.
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Whisk together, then set the flour mixture aside.
STEP TWO: In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, butter, and shortening. Use a hand mixer to beat together until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract and the whole egg. Beat together until combined. Add the egg white and continue beating until well combined.
Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, as melted butter will ruin your cookies.
STEP THREE: Turn the hand mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Mix until no flour pockets remain. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
PRO TIP:
Do not skip refrigerating the dough. It needs to chill and stiffen so that it can be rolled out properly.
STEP FOUR: Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a flat surface to about ½ inch thick.
Cut out the desired shapes with floured cookie cutters (dip your cookie cutter in flour before each cut).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place six cookies on one baking sheet and six on another.
PRO TIP:
Make sure your surface is well-floured so that your dough doesn’t stick.
STEP FIVE: In a preheated oven at 375°F, place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
You want the edges to be firm without turning brown. Let the cookies cool for two to three minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
Place the other baking sheet in the oven and cook.
STEP SIX: In a medium bowl on medium speed, beat together one cup of butter and four cups of powdered sugar.
STEP SEVEN: With the beater turned on, drizzle the heavy cream into the butter/sugar mixture, add the vanilla, and beat until fluffy.
Add more cream to thin out the frosting to the desired spreadable consistency.
STEP EIGHT: Spread the frosting onto the cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles.
PRO TIP:
Add the sprinkles right away as the frosting dries a bit on the surface after a few minutes, and they won’t stick as well.
How To Serve These Red White And Blue Sugar Cookies
Serve these patriotic star-spangled cookies at your 4th of July party.
There are so many foods you can add to your festive day, including hamburgers, grilled chicken, grilled corn on the cob, macaroni salad, and coleslaw.
Serve these soft sugar cookies with our iced tea, raspberry iced tea, sweet peach iced tea, or our southern strawberry sweet tea on the side.
Try two more easy recipes with our swig sugar cookie and grandma’s Christmas sugar cookies, and change up the colors to suit your needs.
You could also try our sugar cookie bars for another perfect dessert.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES
Storing The Fourth of July Cookies
To keep your cookies for longer, here are a few tips:
ON THE COUNTER: Store the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to five days.
IN THE FRIDGE: Store the frosting in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Store the decorated 4th of July cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to three months. Freeze the frosting for up to three months.
A celebration of America is not complete without some sweet treats for the perfect ending to the day. These easy 4th of July sugar cookies fit the bill perfectly.
A star cookie cutter and some fun colors will add to the charm of these patriotic cookies. The kids will have so much fun helping decorate with loads of sprinkles on top of these “fireworks cookies”.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to transport homemade sugar cookies so they stay looking nice?
Store and transport these chewy cookies in a single layer so that the icing and sprinkles don’t get flattened.
What are the best cookie cutters to use for sugar cookies?
Stainless steel cookie cutters work well for sugar cookies. Cover them in flour before using them so they don’t stick to the dough.
Does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled?
The sugar cookie dough does need to be chilled to ensure it is the right consistency to roll out and cut.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Ooey Gooey Cookies
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- Almond Joy Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
4th of July Sugar Cookies
These soft 4th of July sugar cookies are topped with a classic creamy white icing and are perfect for a birthday celebration for America with lots of red, white and blue.
Prep Time 55 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ¼ cup butter flavored shortening, softened
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 egg white
Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla, or vanilla extract
- red white and blue sprinkles (we used blue nonpareils, red sanding sugar, and a red/white/blue/star sprinkle mix)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Whisk together, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, butter, and shortening. Use a hand mixer to beat together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, and the whole egg. Beat together until combined. Add the egg white and continue beating until well combined. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Turn the hand mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until no flour pockets remain. Cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll the dough out on a flat surface to about ½ inch thick. Cut out the desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place 6 cookies on one baking sheet and 6 on another.
- Place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. You want the edges to be firm without turning brown. Let the cookies cool for 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet. Place the other baking sheet in the oven and cook.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup of butter and 4 cups of powdered sugar. With the beater turned on, drizzle heavy cream into the butter/sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Add more cream to thin out the frosting to a desired spreadable consistency. Spread the frosting onto cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, as melted butter will ruin your cookies.
- Do not skip refrigerating the dough. It needs to chill and stiffen so that it can be rolled out properly.
- Make sure your surface is well-floured so that your dough doesn’t stick.
- Add sprinkles right away as the frosting dries a bit on the surface after a few minutes, and they won’t stick as well.
Nutrition
Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 803IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Gloria says
These are yummy and fun – we love them!