Oooh! Ahh! 45 Amazing Cookies for the 4th of July (2024)

Home Recipes Cooking Style Comfort Food

Updated: Feb. 01, 2024

Looking for a festive sweet? These Fourth of July cookies bring all the patriotic colors, summer flavors and nostalgic feelings you want this time of year.

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Bomb Pop Cookies

The sound of the ice cream truck has even my husband running out to the curb with money in hand. Our neighborhood has a big potluck on the Fourth, so I decided to make cookies that resemble Bomb Pops. These Fourth of July cookies were a big hit! —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

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Oatmeal S’more Cookies

I can’t count how many times I have made these cookies—they are our favorites. I love to bake all kinds of goodies with my two daughters, and my husband loves to sample the treats. —Carmen Rae, New Haven, Indiana

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Cheery Cherry Cookies

With a tall glass of ice-cold milk, a couple of these cherry cookies really hit the spot for dessert or a snack. The coconut and bits of cherries provide a fun look and texture.
—Judy Clark, Elkhart, Indiana

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Peach Cobbler Cookies

My sister brought me fresh peaches one year, and we decided to make these fruity cookies. They also make fantastic ice cream sandwiches—just put some vanilla ice cream between two cookies for a delicious summer treat! —Anna Miller, Churdan, Iowa

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Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

If you’re tight on time, you can use store-bought cookies, but I highly recommend making these oatmeal chocolate cookies from scratch. The dessert sandwiches are pure fun. Sometimes I decorate the sides of the sandwiches with colorful jimmies, too. —Diane Halferty, Corpus Christi, Texas

If you’re looking for patriotic bars and brownies, check out these Fourth of July bars.

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Gooey Butter Cookies

As a native of St. Louis, I wanted to make a cookie version of the famous gooey butter cake. And although many gooey butter cake recipes use a cake mix, my cookies are made from scratch.—Julia Nouss, Richmond, Virginia

If you’re looking for sweets that are festive and simple to make, check out these easy Fourth of July cookies.

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Summertime Fun Cookies

Use this basic sugar cookie recipe to make the perfect poolside treat. Kids (and adults) won't be able to get enough. —Coleen Walter, Bancroft, Michigan

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Watermelon Slice Cookies

Once when I made these butter cookies for a party, a neighbor thought they were so attractive that she froze one to show friends. They’re easy to make and make great Fourth of July cookies! —Sue Ann Benham, Valparaiso, Indiana

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Berry Shortbread Dreams

Raspberry jam adds fruity sweetness to these rich raspberry-filled shortbread cookies. They will absolutely melt in your mouth! —Mildred Sherrer, Fort Worth, Texas

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Beach Ball Cookies

These cookies are as colorful as beach balls and just as fun. They’re delightful for kids’ parties, school bake sales or as playful Fourth of July cookies. Use bright, bold colors, or soft pastels for springtime. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon. Here are some fun July Fourth crafts ideas for kids.

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Cherry-Filled Cookies

This luscious cherry filling peeking out of these rounds is just a hint of how scrumptious they are. Using a doughnut cutter to shape each cookie top really speeds up the process.

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Air-Fryer Fried Cookies

Deep-fried Oreos are quickly becoming a county fair favorite. Now you can make them at home quickly, easily and mess free. —Margarita Torres, Bayamon, Puerto Rico

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Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies

These pies are soft, cakey cookies studded with tart, juicy blueberries and filled with tangy cream cheese frosting. I bring them to family and school events and they are always the first thing gone! Make sure to continually scrape the side of the bowl with a spatula while mixing the batter and frosting. —Kathy Martino, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Chocolate Malted Cookies

These cookies are the next best thing to a good old-fashioned malted milk. With malted milk powder, chocolate syrup, and chocolate chips and chunks, these are the best cookies I've ever tasted … and with six kids, I've made a lot of cookies over the years! —Teri Rasey, Cadillac, Michigan

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Coconut Key Lime Thumbprints

This is the cookie recipe I created for the Las Vegas World Food Championships in 2013. It's similar to a shortbread thumbprint cookie, but with lots more personality. —Amy Freeze, Avon Park, Florida

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Cherry Icebox Cookies

As a home economics teacher, I often supplied treats for school functions. These delectable cookies were always popular. The bright red cherries make them great 4th of July cookies. —Patty Courtney, Jonesboro, Texas

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Double-Chocolate Rolo Cookies with Pretzels

These chocolate Rolo cookies were a big hit with my father. The generous size makes them wonderful for gift-giving, and they’re always the first to go at parties. —Melissa Keenan, Larchmont, New York

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Chocolate-Cherry Sandwich Cookies

I make these often at Christmastime, but they're a winner for summer parties, too. Chilling the cookies before you dip them into chocolate is important because it firms up the filling. —Amy Sauerwalt, Columbia, Maryland

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Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

I layer a creamy, coffee-flavored filling between buttery shortbread, then dip the sandwiches in chocolate. Guests always love them.—Bertha Seyer, Oak Ridge, Missouri

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Miniature Peanut Butter Treats

This recipe is one of my family's favorites, and I make the treats a lot, especially at Christmas. I have three children and eight grandchildren, and every one of them loves those "peanut butter thingies," as the grandchildren call them! —Jodie McCoy, Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Devil's Food Whoopie Pies

These mini cookie cakes were one of my favorite treats while I was growing up in Pennsylvania. We called them gobs because they are gobs of fun to eat! The recipe can make fewer or more, depending on how large or small you make the cookies. Place the finished chocolate whoopie pies in large cupcake liners for a professional look. —Pamela Esposito, Galloway, New Jersey

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Frosted Peanut Cookies

Oats, chopped peanuts and peanut butter frosting make this a nice change of pace from a traditional peanut butter cookie. After folks sample these, compliments and recipe requests always follow. —Alicia Surma, Tacoma, Washington

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Raspberry Ribbons

I make these attractive, buttery cookies to serve at our remote guest lodge, and all the cooks in the kitchen are addicted to them! —Patsy Wolfenden, Golden, British Columbia

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Orange Twists

These soft and sweet twists have a long shelf life. You can make a number of flavor variations with this recipe, including lemon, cherry and almond. I sometimes add a confectioners’ sugar glaze. —Raine Gottess, Lantana, Florida

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Grandma's Star Cookies

My husband's grandma would make these butter cutouts only with a star cookie cutter. I use various shapes for celebrations throughout the year. —Jenny Brown, West Lafayette, Indiana

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Berry-Cream Cookie Snaps

My mom and I made up this recipe by combining two others. These cute cookies are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy inside. You could also bake the cookies flat and serve the filling as a cookie dip if you'd like. —Crystal Briddick, Colfax, Illinois

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White Velvet Cutouts

We make and decorate these cutouts for different holidays and give lots of them as gifts. Last year, we baked a batch a week before Christmas to be sure we'd have plenty to give and plenty for ourselves, too. These rich cookies melt in your mouth. —Kim Hinkle, Wauseon, Ohio

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Copycat Berger Cookies

After a friend who had recently traveled to Baltimore sent me a package of Berger cookies, I was hooked. They disappeared so quickly, I decided to try to re-create them at home. After many tests and tweaks, my husband and I gained 6 pounds between the two of us, but it was worth it—I landed on a reproduction of the famous cookie I’m so proud of. —Marina Castle Kelley, Canyon Country, California

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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite desserts. I thought it would be great to capture all that wonderful flavor, so I made these strawberry shortcake cookies topped with pink strawberry frosting. —Allison Anderson, Avondale, Arizona

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Rainbow S'moreo Cookies

Homemade Oreo-style cookies are pretty great on their own, but they're even better when you add graham cracker crumbs to the cookie dough, stuff them with marshmallow creme and roll them in sprinkles. You can change the color of the sprinkles depending on the holiday or occasion. —Colleen Delawder, Herndon, Virginia

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Lemon Meltaways

Both the cookie and the frosting are spiked with lemon in these melt-in-your-mouth goodies. Your family won't be able to get enough of this lemon butter meltaway cookie recipe. —Mary Houchin, Lebanon, Illinois

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Glazed Strawberry Cookies

I learned to bake with my grandmother and mother. I knew I was giving them a sweet new family tradition when I shared this recipe with them. —Andrea Zulauf, Livonia, New York

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Red Star Cookies

These super stars are plenty sweet and sturdy, making them great for shipping. Slip decorated cookies in stacks of three inside plastic storage bags then rest stacks in disposable plastic containers. Put containers in a cardboard box, then add crumpled newspaper so everything is tightly packed. Seal it with a kiss—or a card. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Giant Lemon Sugar Cookies

These wonderfully chewy cookies have a light lemon flavor from both the juice and zest. The sanding sugar on top adds sparkle and a bit of crunch. —Michael Vyskocil, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

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Popcorn Cookies

It's so much fun to surprise people with the crushed popcorn in these yummy cookies. They're definitely a distinctive cookie on the holiday tray.—Leigh Anne Preston, Palmyra, Indiana

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Mini Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Peanut butter lovers go nuts for these rich little sandwich cookies. On a hot day, sandwich ice cream between the cookies instead of frosting. It cools you right down. —Keri Wolfe, Nappanee, Indiana

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Homemade Honey Grahams

The way my boys eat them, I would spend a fortune on honey graham crackers at the grocery store. So I decided to make a homemade version that is less processed—and less expensive. These are wonderful, although they still don’t last long. —Crystal Jo Bruns, Iliff, Colorado

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S'mookies

S'mores are one of my favorite desserts. I wanted to create a cookie to replace the graham cracker—that's when my s'mookie was born. Just as delicious as the classic.—Maria Davis, Hermosa Beach, California

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Baked Elephant Ears

My mother-in-law handed down this recipe from her mother. These are a special treat—even better, I think, than those at a carnival or festival. —Delores Baeten, Downers Grove, Illinois

Originally Published: June 08, 2020