Red, White & Blue Cookies (July 4th Cookies)

Festive Red, White & Blue Cookies are classic chocolate chip cookies filled with patriotic colored m&m candies. The best way to celebrate the Holiday is with these July 4th cookies. Soft-baked, thick, and chewy chocolate chip cookies that you’ll love. Learn how to make this simple recipe, with simple ingredients, with all my tips for success. 

We love festive and patriotic desserts at my house! Try my Red, White & Blue Drink, these flourless Red, White & Blue Cookie Bars, and this 4th of July Patriotic Jello Pie. 

Red, White & Blue Cookies (July 4th Cookies Recipe)

Y’all know by now that I love making festive Holiday foods. These Red, White & Blue Cookies are the perfect recipe to make for a 4th of July party or gathering. It’s a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses patriotic (red, white and blue) m&m’s. 

Everyone loves cookies and m&m’s, so these are always gone in a hurry. 

Ingredients Needed

Here is the list of ingredients that you will need to make these 4th of July cookies. 

• Butter – I use salted butter in all my baking recipes, but unsalted butter can be used as well. Just add a pinch more salt, if wanted, to the recipe. 
• Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar is preferred in most cookie recipes. But if you prefer that darker, richer molasses flavor then try using dark brown sugar. Using light brown sugar will also keep the cookies pale and light. 
• Granulated Sugar
• Large Egg
• Vanilla Extract – Using pure vanilla extract makes such a difference in cookie recipes! It is worth the extra cost and I highly recommend that you use pure vanilla extract and not imitation. 
• All-Purpose Flour – This can easily be substitute with a gluten-free flour. Just make sure that it’s a 1:1 ratio with all purpose flour. I prefer using unbleached flour for all my baking. 
• Cornstarch – This helps keep the cookies really soft and gives it a fluffy texture.
• Baking Soda
• Salt – Use table salt, sea salt, or kosher salt. 

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Red, White & Blue M&M’s

Learn how to make this recipe with the easy steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of this post where there is a recipe card with a print it button, you can pin it, and where you will find the ingredients, detailed instructions, and all my tips. 

• Preparation : Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper, use a silpat liner, or spray with cooking spray. Set aside. 
• Butter + Sugars : I prefer using a stand mixer when making cookies because I feel like it beats it all together better. Add the softened butter and both sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a mixing bowl + hand mixer) and beat on medium speed, increasing speed as needed, until it’s combined well and lighter in color. You should be beating it for 1-2 minutes to achieve this. 
• Egg + Vanilla : Add the large egg and vanilla extract. Beat until it’s mixed in. 
• Dry Ingredients : Combine the dry ingredients into a small bowl and stir with a wire whisk. Add half the dry ingredients into the bowl, mix on low speed just until combined, and then add the other half and mix just until combined. 
• Chocolate : Add in the bag of mini chocolate chips and the red, white, and blue m&m’s. Mix just until it’s all combined together. 
• Cookies : Take about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Place 12 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet. If wanted, you can either save some of the m&m’s or use additional m&m’s to press onto the tops of the cookie dough balls. Or save them for after they come out of the oven. Either way works. 
• Bake : Cook for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should only be slightly browned on the edges while the center will still look pale. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for at least 15-20 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my helpful tips for this recipe.

• Beating Butter + Sugar : It’s so important to make sure that you beat the butter and sugars for at least 1-2 minutes. The mixture should look fluffy, pale in color, and just like a really soft mixture. 
• Cookie Scoop : I always recommend that everyone has a cookie scoop in their kitchen. It’s the best way to get uniform and pretty looking cookies, with those perfectly round edges. 
• Use Parchment Paper : Using parchment paper (I use pre-cut parchment paper sheets) makes cookies bake up evenly in the oven, and avoids an over browned bottom of the cookies. Pre-cut parchment paper sheets make it so easy to use too. No measuring and cutting needed. 

FAQ’s

• How To Store Leftover Cookies
  • Store cookies, at room temperature, in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. 
• Freezing Cookies
  • Cookies freeze really well either unbaked or baked! 
  • Prepare the recipe as stated up to the point where you roll the dough into balls. Place the unbaked cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag, freeze flat for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, let the cookie dough balls come to room temperature (still cold is fine, but not all the way frozen) and bake as directed in the recipe. 
  • To freeze already baked cookies, simply place the cooled cookie into a freezer-safe container or Ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let a frozen cookie sit at room temperature for several minutes, or you can warm it up in the microwave. I love placing frozen cookies or cookie bars into my kids’ lunches. By the time lunch hits, the cookie will be thawed and ready to eat. 
• Variation Ideas
  • Because there are different colored M&M’s for all the holidays, these cookies are so fun to make for all the Holidays. Simply use the coordination m&m’s instead of the patriotic mix in this recipe. You can even use regular multi-colored m&m’s for anytime!

More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
• M&M Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• No Egg Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies