These Red White and Blue Cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with patriotic color, thanks to red, white, and blue M&M’s. They’re the perfect simple patriotic dessert to celebrate summer holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. With a slightly golden brown edge, sweet vanilla center, and a little bit of crunch from the candy shell, these are an easy way to bring a red, white and blue treat to your party spread. They’re quick to make, kid-friendly, and easy to prep ahead for decorating or gifting.
Made with basic pantry staples like all-purpose flour, butter, and sugar, this cookie recipe is a great idea for anyone craving festive flavors without any fuss. The Greek yogurt adds just the right amount of tang and softness, giving the cookies a tender bite that keeps them chewy for days.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love These Patriotic Cookies
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Red White and Blue Cookies
- More Recipes You Will Love
- How to Store Patriotic Cookies
- What to Serve with Red, White and Blue Cookies
- Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions About Red, White and Blue Cookies
- More Recipes You Will Love
- Red White and Blue Cookies
Festive desserts are kind of our thing. If you’re craving more patriotic treats, check out our Red, White and Blue Dump Cake, Patriotic Poke Cupcakes, Red, White and Blue Poke Cake, Red, White and Blue Trifle, Layered Cheesecake, Red, White and Blue Candy Bark and Red, White and Blue Fruit Cups. And if you need an adult beverage to sip on, the Bomb Pop Cocktail is as fun and colorful as it gets!
Why You Will Love These Patriotic Cookies
- Festive and Fun: A colorful twist on a sugar cookie that works perfectly for any patriotic holiday.
- Soft and Chewy Texture: Thanks to Greek yogurt and the right balance of wet and dry ingredients.
- Simple Ingredients: Everything is easy to find at your local grocery store.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make the dough ahead of time and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.
- No Chill Time: The dough comes together quickly and bakes right away for last-minute treats.
Ingredients
Just a quick trip to the grocery store for a few simple ingredients and you will be ready to make these chewy cookies.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- All-Purpose Flour: We used this as the base for these cookies; you could try a gluten free blend if desired.
- Sea Salt: Balances sweetness provides texture and enhances all other flavors.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Creates air in the dough to help the cookies rise making them light and fluffy.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness to the cookies, and a very light crunch if you roll them before baking.
- Unsalted Butter: Controls the salt content and balances the sweetness. A room temperature butter will allow the cookies to spread more than cold.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds depth to baked goods and provides a subtle vanilla flavor. I love this one from Rodelle, and you can get it on Amazon.
- Greek Yogurt: Provides moisture and structure in replace of eggs in a typical cookie dough.
- M&M’s: A chocolatey crunch to this soft sugar cookie but also provides our fun festive theme! Use any mix in of your choice.
For this cookie recipe, you'll want to have on hand measuring cups and spoons, stand mixer with paddle attachment, mixing bowl, baking tray, parchment paper, cooling rack and a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop (I love this set with 3 sizes).
Substitutions and Variations
Love this recipe but want to make it your own? Here are some helpful ideas for you to change these red, white & blue cookies.
- Add White Chocolate Chips: For extra creamy sweetness alongside the M&M's.
- Swap M&M’s: Swap them all together for any chip or chunk variety or even chopped chocolate bars.
- Add Freeze-Dried Strawberries: For a naturally fruity red boost throughout the dough.
- Swap Greek Yogurt for Cream Cheese: It makes the cookies even richer with a slight tang.
- Mix in Brown Sugar: Replace a portion of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
How to Make Red White and Blue Cookies
Check out how quick and easy it was to make this red, white and blue M&M cookie.
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together sugar and butter for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
Mix pure vanilla extract and Greek yogurt to the batter just until combined.
Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix for one minute.
Fold in 1 cup M&Ms, then scoop out 17 equally sized balls of dough (about 3 tablespoons). You will want to place them about 1 ½ inches apart on your lined baking sheet as they will spread.
Optionally, roll cookie dough balls in about ¼ cup of granulated sugar, then lightly add the remaining M&Ms to the top.
Bake for 14-15 minutes or until they start to get a golden brown color along the edges of the cookies (note: adjust the baking time by 2-3 minutes for crispy edges).
Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack.
Hint: Getting a perfectly round shape starts with how well you roll them out. But a little pro tip, after baking when the cookies are still warm, use a round cookie cutter that is slightly larger and slowly move it in a circle around them.
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How to Store Patriotic Cookies
Here are some ways to store these deliciously soft cookies.
- Countertop: Once the cookies have fully cooled, place in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, place in an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between each layer of cookies for 5-6 days.
- Freezer: Alternatively, you can place them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. These thaw quickly, so take one out a few hours before you are ready to eat these deliciously chewy cookies!
What to Serve with Red, White and Blue Cookies
- Lemonade: Classic summer drink that pair perfectly with sweet cookies. Try our honey strawberry lemonade.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies: Offer alongside for a more traditional option on the dessert table. Give our chocolate chip cookie brownie bars or banana chocolate chip cookies a try.
- Vanilla Ice Cream: Create easy ice cream sandwiches with the baked cookies.
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies: Another fruity blue cookie that complements the patriotic color scheme.
- Party Favorites: Add our bacon wrapped sausages, meatball sliders, BBQ sliders or slow cooker Buffalo chicken wing dip to your party tray and make it a mix of savory and sweet bites.
- Popsicles or Frozen Fruit Bars: Cold treats that match the festive vibe of July cookies.
Top Tips
Here are some of our best tips to help you make the best red, white and blue cookies.
- Use Room Temperature Butter: Softened butter creates a better blend with the sugar for a smooth butter mixture.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you combine flour and wet ingredients, mix only until just combined.
- Use a Kitchen Scale: For the most accurate measurements of flour and sugar and to prevent dry cookies.
- Cool Completely: Let the cookies rest on a wire rack after baking to set their soft texture.
- Top with Extra M&Ms: Gently press a few into the top of each cookie right before baking for a picture-perfect finish.
Frequently Asked Questions About Red, White and Blue Cookies
Do you have questions about making our red, white and blue cookies? Here are some helpful Q and A's.
Yes. You can divide the dough into balls, freeze on a sheet tray, and store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to a couple days before baking.
Rolling the cookie dough balls in sugar adds a slight crunch to the outside, but it’s completely optional.
You can, but since the M&Ms already provide strong patriotic red and blue colors, food dye or red food coloring is not necessary.
Use a medium cookie scoop or measure out about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie for even baking and consistent size.
After the cookies have cooled completely on a cooling rack, store them in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap for the best shelf life.
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Red White and Blue Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stand Mixing and Paddle Attachment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- 3 tablespoon Cookie Scoop
- Cooking Rack
Ingredients
- 250 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 200 grams granulated sugar about 1 cup, plus more for rolling
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cup M&M's divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together sugar and butter for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
- Mix pure vanilla extract and Greek yogurt to the batter just until combined.
- Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix for one minute.
- Fold in 1 cup M&Ms, then scoop out 17 equally sized balls of dough (about 3 tablespoons). You will want to place them about 1 ½ inches apart on your lined baking sheet as they will spread.
- Optionally, roll cookie dough balls in about ¼ cup of granulated sugar, then lightly add the remaining M&Ms to the top.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until they start to get a golden brown color along the edges of the cookies (note: adjust the baking time by 2-3 minutes for crispy edges).
- Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- After baking when the cookies are still warm, use a round cookie cutter that is slightly larger and slowly move it in a circle around them.
- Softened butter creates a better blend with the sugar for a smooth butter mixture.
- Mix just until combined.
- For the most accurate measurements of flour and sugar and to prevent dry cookies it is always best to use a kitchen scale.
- Let the cookies rest on a wire rack after baking to set their soft texture.
- Gently press a few into the top of each cookie right before baking for a picture-perfect finish.
Nutrition
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Abi says
Perfect timing! I was looking for cookies with red and white M&M's for making this weekend for a potluck, going to bake them, thanks for sharing!
Eva Filer says
Our pleasure, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Madhu says
These cookies are bursting with patriotic vibes! I will try this soon!
Eva Filer says
I hope you enjoy them, they are my kiddos new fave!
Eva Filer says
These cookies are my kiddos favorite! I just love the crunchy outside from rolling it in the sugar too!