The Best 4th of July Cookies on the Block
on Jun 27, 2017, Updated Sep 13, 2024
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The Best 4th of July Cookies on the Block are super puffy and soft sugar cookies with the cutest sprinkles ever – and they travel well, too. They’re the perfect festive treat for the Fourth!
If you love celebrating all things American independence, then you are definitely going to want to make these cookies.
Bring them to a 4th of July party if you aren’t in charge of dinner. You can make the dough ahead of time, they are so cute, and everyone loves a soft sugar cookie with sprinkles!
These cookies are perfect at a party or potluck with some Classic Burgers or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches, a Cucumber and Tomato Salad, and a big batch of Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade.
Or, check out all these 4th of July recipes for more inspiration!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for any patriotic potluck, cookout, or party.
- They taste just like a Lofthouse sugar cookie.
- Great for Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Greek yogurt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Sprinkles
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make The Best 4th of July Cookies on the Block
- Step #1. Cream the butter and sugar together with a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
- Step #2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until very smooth. Then, add the Greek yogurt and stir just until combined.
- Step #3. Add the dry ingredients (baking powder, soda, salt, and flour) and stir until combined.
- Step #4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- Step #5. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into two pieces.
- Step #6. Flour your surface and roll the dugout to ½-inch thick and cut with cookie cutters.
- Step #7. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10 to 11 minutes.
- Step #8. When the cookies are fully cooled, make the frosting by beating the butter, vanilla, 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, and salt until fluffy.
- Step #9. Add the powdered sugar mixture to the butter mixture.
- Step #10. Frost cookies generously and top with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
Recipe FAQs
The secret to super soft texture is the Greek yogurt, which can also be subbed out for sour cream. Don’t use reduced fat or fat free products here though, full fat is best.
I love this set of stainless steel biscuit/cookie cutters and used them for this recipe. I used a 3-inch circle cutter for these cookies.
The dough needs to be chilled for at least 4 hours before using, but it can stay in the fridge for up to 36 hours. Great if you need to work ahead a bit!
If you are traveling with these cookies a short distance, just carry them in a single layer. If you are going a longer way, I recommend taking the cookies and frosting separately before serving.
Expert Tips
- You can make these cookies for any holiday by changing out the sprinkles you use. They would also be great for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
- Be sure to use full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream in these cookies or they won’t turn out as well.
- Make sure the cookies are fully cooled before frosting them or the frosting won’t stick to the cookies.
More 4th of July Recipes to Consider
Summer Recipes
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
No Bake Desserts
Berries and Cream
Salads
Tortellini Salad Recipe
Side Dishes and Salads
Italian Pasta Salad
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
The Best 4th of July Cookies on the Block
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- Dash of salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. You can use a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer, or a fork and some elbow grease to do this. It’s up to you.
- Add the egg and vanilla and stir until very smooth.
- Add the Greek yogurt and stir until combined.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all-purpose flour and stir until well combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, wrap well, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 36 hours.
- When you are ready to bake the dough, remove it from the fridge, unwrap, and divide it into 2 pieces. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick on a well-floured surface and cut into shapes (I used a 3-inch circle cookie cutter). Place the cut out cookies on a parchment- or baking-mat-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. The tops of the cookies will be light but the bottom should be lightly brown.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- To make the frosting, add the butter, vanilla, 1 tablespoon of cream or milk, and the dash of salt to a large bowl and beat until fluffy, about a minute (a stand or hand mixer work well for this). Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add the additional tablespoon of cream or milk and beat again.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, add a generous helping of frosting and 4th of July sprinkles.
Notes
- You can make the dough up to a day ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
- You can also bake the cookies a day ahead of time and store them (unfrosted) in an airtight container.
- If you are taking these 4th of July cookies to a party, they travel best in a single layer.
- Store leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container.
Hey, urgent question! Wondering if the butter used is salted or unsalted, thanks so much!!
Use what you have on hand, it was test with salted butter.
My dough turned out really wet, seemed like it would definitely be too wet to cut out even after 24 hours of chilling, so I added 2 additional cups of flour. This made the resulting cookies good texturally, but very bland. Definitely needed more sweetness. They do taste a lot like the store bought version though! Next time I’d keep the additional flower and add more sugar and more vanilla to the dough.
Sounds like something was off, an extra 2 cups is a whole lot of flour!
These cookies look wonderful! The sprinkles are super cute, and I bet they taste amazing. I want one!!