Name: Red, White, & Blue "Fireworks" 4th of July Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup salted butter, softened; 1/3 Cup brown sugar* ((light or dark)); 1/3 Cup granulated sugar*; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1.5 Cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1/2 Cup red, white, & blue candies + additional for pressing onto the top of each cookie dough ball ((milk chocolate m&ms)); 1/2 Cup red, white, & blue sprinkles ((jimmies and/or confetti sprinkles))

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If you’ve been looking for easy and fun red, white, and blue desserts that will bring the ‘wow’ factor to your 4th of July celebrations (or to that Memorial Day or Labor Day BBQ you’ll be going to), these super cute “fireworks” cookies are for you!

We’ve tested and tweaked this 4th of July m&m cookies recipe a handful of times, and have had both kids and adults taste test it to create the perfect treat for you summer fun. With our detailed instructions and step-by-step photos, you’ll successfully be able to whip up a festive batch of cookies in 30-minutes (no chill time needed for your dough, hooray!).

So grab your favorite red, white, and blue candies and sprinkles at the store to make the ultimate 4th of July dessert that will stand out on the potluck table.

What Makes These Easy 4th of July Cookies Stand Out

These fun 4th of July cookies are bursting with red, white, and blue sprinkles and candies! Kids and adults alike tend to gravitate towards these adorable patriotic cookies. They’re like a blend of your favorite m&m cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and funfetti cookies all mixed into one epic cookie.

The perfect cookie texture. These recipe for m&m chocolate chip cookies with sprinkles creates wonderfully chewy cookies that have a fun little crunch thanks to the red, white, and blue sprinkles and the candy coating on the m&ms! Simply put, they’re just really darn enjoyable to eat.

An easy treat that’s festive too! Nothing beats an easy dessert that’s cute too! These firework cookies are fun to make and eat… your friends and family will think these are the best 4th of July cookies too!

Ingredients Needed

Salted Butter. Butter adds richness, tenderness, and structure to cookies.
Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar. We use a combination of white and brown sugar to create the perfect level of sweetness, moistness, and chewiness. You can use light or dark brown sugar (just use whichever you happen to have in your pantry!).
Large Egg. Using a whole egg (instead of using just an egg yolk or an egg white) in our cookies helps provide structure, leavening, and moisture to our patriotic m&m cookies.
Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract is used to add depth of flavor.
Salt. Salt helps to enhance the flavor and balance our the sweetness of our cookies (especially since we’ve added chocolate chips, m&ms, and sprinkles).
Baking Soda and Baking Powder. We’re using a combination of baking soda and baking powder to create the perfect texture and rise in our 4th of July m&m cookies. We’ve found the perfect ratio to create cookies with a lovely shape.
All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose flour has the optimal protein range for baking cookies that results in chewy and soft cookies when baked properly. And it’s something we always have on hand (and it’s easy to find for those who don’t).
m&ms and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Chocolate chip m&m cookies have such a nice balance of chocolatey goodness and textures as compared to cookies that only use m&ms.
Festive Sprinkles. Using red, white, and blue sprinkles really take these patriotic m&m cookies to the next level! They give our cookies that fun firework burst look and add nice texture too.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Ingredient FAQs

How do I soften the butter?

If you’re in a rush, or didn’t manage to set out your butter to warm up to room temperature before you start (no judgement, I rarely do this), simply soften the butter in the microwave. This will take about 20-30 seconds from refrigerated, and up to a minute if you’re using frozen butter. And don’t fret if you’ve got some melty parts, you’ll still get a great batch of cookies if your butter melts a little!

Where do I get the red, white, and blue candies and sprinkles?

Look in your local grocery store’s baking aisle or in the summer section of Target. If you’re not having luck there, you can order them on Amazon (or wherever you prefer online)! I really loved the red, white, and blue sprinkles I ordered (and that you see in these photos).

How to Make 4th of July m&m Cookies with Sprinkles

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F and get out two full-size cookie sheets (optionally lining with parchment paper if desired).

STEP 2: In a large bowl (or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer) cream together the softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is cohesive (it will be a bit grainy, look kind of pale yellow, and be a bit fluffy).

STEP 3: Add in the egg and vanilla extract (your remaining wet ingredients) and mix until combined.

STEP 4: Slowly mix in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and all-purpose flour (your dry ingredients) until a dough is formed.

STEP 5: Add in the chocolate chips and m&ms and gently mix them into the dough to distribute throughout.

STEP 6: Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (about 2 Tablespoons), make dough balls.

STEP 7: Press a red, white, and blue candy on top of each dough ball then dunk the tops and sides into your sprinkles.

STEP 8: Place your topped and sprinkled dough balls about 2″ apart on a cookie sheet and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes.

STEP 9: Your patriotic m&m cookies are ready to remove from the oven when they begin to turn lightly golden brown and the edges look set.

Baking Tip for Super Chewy Cookies 4th of July m&m Cookies

For super chewy cookies, do not overbake (they will set up more once pulled from the oven). Allow your red, white, and blue m&m cookies to simply sit and cool down on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 10: Allow cookies to rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer baked cookies onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling and setting up.

Storage

Store your festive cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (but I doubt they’ll last that long!).

If you’d like to make these ahead of time, you can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months! To do so, make sure the cookies are completely cooled. Gently place into a large freezer bag or an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper (this helps prevent the cookies from sticking together). When you’re ready to enjoy, simply thaw frozen cookies in the refrigerator or on the counter.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Make These into Festive Cookie Bars Instead?

Yes you can! While our chocolate chip cookies with m&ms and sprinkles don’t take long to make, sometimes you just don’t want to scoop out the cookie dough balls and rotate the cookie sheets through the oven. If you’d like to make these into bars, simply make a single batch of the dough as directed and transfer it to an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan to bake. Press the dough into an even layer and top with sprinkles. To help prevent overly hard edges, I recommend baking your cookie bars at 350°F (in lieu of the 375°F for our drop cookies). Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are set and browning and the center is puffed up (your cookie bars should not “jiggle” if you wiggle the pan). You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bars. If it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, you’re good to go!

If you’d like to make a bigger batch, use 2x the recipe ingredients and press into a 9×13 pan.

More 4th of July Dessert Ideas You’ll Love

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