Red, White, & Blue “Fireworks” 4th of July Cookies

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.

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.

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

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

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).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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.