4th of July sugar cookies are soft, thick, bakery-style sprinkle cookies made for patriotic parties, summer cookouts, and holiday dessert trays. They have a tender sugar cookie texture, bold vanilla flavor, and red white and blue sprinkles in every bite.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: 4th of July Sugar Cookies
🕒 Ready In: ~30 minutes
👪 Serves: 36 cookies
🥣 Main Ingredients: Butter, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, flour, red white and blue sprinkles
👌 Difficulty: Easy - mix, scoop, bake
⭐ Why You'll Love It: These 4th of July sugar cookies are soft, thick, and packed with patriotic sprinkles, making them an easy festive cookie for summer parties.
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These patriotic sugar cookies bake up soft in the center with lightly golden edges, making them easy to stack, pack, and bring to a Fourth of July celebration. The dough holds its shape well, so the cookies look festive without needing frosting, piping, or extra decorating.
If you love red white and blue desserts, you might also like our red white and blue cookie cake, sugar cookie bars, or lemon coconut bars.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Why You'll Love 4th of July Sugar Cookies
- Key ingredients
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make 4th of July Sugar Cookies
- Recipe Notes & Tips
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Options
- 4th of July Sugar Cookies faqs
- More Dessert Recipes You'll Love
- Get our Baking Tips & Tricks Ebook
- 4th of July Sugar Cookies
Why You'll Love 4th of July Sugar Cookies
Soft, thick texture: Cream cheese helps these cookies bake up tender and bakery-style.
No decorating needed: Red white and blue sprinkles make them festive straight from the oven.
Great for parties: They are easy to stack, pack, and bring to cookouts or holiday gatherings.
Classic vanilla flavor: A full tablespoon of vanilla gives them that sweet sugar cookie taste.
Key ingredients
- Cream cheese: Helps the cookies bake up soft, thick, and tender with a richer flavor than basic sugar cookies.
- Butter: Gives the dough classic sugar cookie flavor and helps the edges bake up lightly golden.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cookies and keeps the texture soft instead of chewy.
- Vanilla extract: Adds bold bakery-style flavor that makes these cookies taste like classic vanilla sugar cookies.
- All purpose flour: Gives the dough enough structure to hold the sprinkles and bake into thick cookies.
- Red white and blue sprinkles: Make the cookies festive without frosting or extra decorating.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Change the sprinkles: Use different holiday sprinkles to make these sugar cookies work for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any party theme.
- Add almond extract: Replace 1 teaspoon vanilla with almond extract for a bakery-style sugar cookie flavor.
- Make them extra festive: Press a few extra sprinkles on top of each dough ball before baking so the colors stand out.
- Add white chocolate: Stir in ½ cup white chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie with more texture.
- Make them smaller: Use a smaller cookie scoop and reduce the bake time by 1 to 2 minutes.
How to Make 4th of July Sugar Cookies
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Step 2: Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Step 3: Fold in the red white and blue sprinkles. Chill the dough for 20 minutes so the cookies bake up thick and soft.
- Step 4: Scoop the dough into balls and place them spaced apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look soft. Cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Chill the dough: A quick 20 minute chill helps the cookies bake up thicker and keeps them from spreading too much.
- Use softened cream cheese: Softened cream cheese blends smoothly into the dough and prevents little lumps.
- Do not over mix: Mix just until the flour disappears so the cookies stay soft and tender.
- Use jimmies sprinkles: Jimmies work best because they hold their color better than nonpareils.
- Do not over bake: Pull the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look soft. They will finish setting as they cool.
- Press sprinkles on top: Add a few extra sprinkles before baking for a brighter, more festive look.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Options
- Make ahead: The cookie dough can be made and chilled up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freeze the dough: Scoop the dough into balls, freeze until firm, then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
- Bake from frozen: Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze baked cookies: Let the cookies cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
4th of July Sugar Cookies faqs
To keep 4th of July sugar cookies soft, do not overbake them and pull them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container so they do not dry out.
4th of July sugar cookies can spread too much if the butter or cream cheese is too warm or if the dough is not chilled. Chilling the dough for 20 minutes helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up thicker.
Jimmies are the best sprinkles for 4th of July sugar cookies because they hold their color better and do not bleed as much into the dough. Nonpareils can work, but they are more likely to streak the dough as you mix.
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4th of July Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Fold in the red white and blue sprinkles.
- Chill the dough for 20 minutes so the cookies bake up thick and soft.
- Scoop the dough into balls and place them spaced apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look soft. Cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Nutrition
Notes
- Chill the dough: A quick 20 minute chill helps the cookies bake up thicker and keeps them from spreading too much.
- Use softened cream cheese: Softened cream cheese blends smoothly into the dough and prevents little lumps.
- Do not over mix: Mix just until the flour disappears so the cookies stay soft and tender.
- Use jimmies sprinkles: Jimmies work best because they hold their color better than nonpareils.
- Do not over bake: Pull the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look soft. They will finish setting as they cool.
- Press sprinkles on top: Add a few extra sprinkles before baking for a brighter, more festive look.
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