Description
Celebrate the 4th of July with these festive marbled cookies featuring vibrant red, white, and blue colors. These soft, buttery cookies are swirled with gel food coloring for a fun patriotic look and finished with colorful sprinkles, perfect for holiday gatherings and summer parties.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Coloring and Decoration
- Red gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
- Red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature while you prepare the dough.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and light, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract and blend until fully combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour together with the baking powder, then gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated to avoid overworking the dough.
- Divide and color the dough: Split the dough into three equal parts. Leave one plain, color one portion red with red gel food coloring, and the other blue with blue gel food coloring.
- Create marbled effect: Gently swirl the three dough colors together by folding them lightly to achieve a marbled look, being careful not to fully blend the colors.
- Shape and decorate: Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of the marbled dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Top each cookie with red, white, and blue sprinkles for added festive flair.
- Bake: Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookie edges turn golden brown.
Notes
- Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely to prevent breakage.
- For more vibrant colors, add gel food coloring a drop at a time to achieve the desired hue without altering dough consistency.
- Use room temperature butter to ensure proper creaming and a tender cookie texture.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Feel free to customize sprinkles or use different colors to match other occasions.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
