Icebox-style patriotic cookies made in red and blue, baked in the oven or an Air Fryer. These cookies are soft, buttery, and made with just a few basic pantry ingredients.
There’s no better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to make red, white, and blue cookies! These cookies are super simple but really fun to make, and the kids love them too! They are buttery and soft, and can be made ahead. Keep them in the fridge or freezer, and then just slice and bake!
Instead of dividing the cookie dough into 3 portions and doing white, blue, and red, I decided to do just 2 layers in blue and red and add the white color in a frosting form. Another shortcut that I used is to use canned vanilla frosting which works just fine. Finish the cookies off with a sprinkle of cute 4th of July sprinkles and you’re ready to serve!
If it’s July, that means it’s almost time for Shark Week too! Check out my easy Shark Cookies that are perfect for the occasion.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Cookie. This is a simple vanilla icebox cookie that is dyed in red and blue and then baked. It’s so simple and easy to make!
- Pantry Ingredients. If you happen to have red and blue food colorings, then you probably already have all of the needed ingredients in your pantry.
- Bake or Air Fry. I’m giving you the instructions to either bake these in the oven, or quickly make them in your Air Fryer if you don’t want to heat up your kitchen!
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you need to make these cookies, nothing fancy is needed! I used Wilton’s royal blue and Red (no taste) food colorings.
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
How to Make Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (4-5 minutes).
- Add in the egg, and vanilla extract, and continue mixing for about 30-45 seconds.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, and mix until all of the ingredients are combined into the dough.
- Divide the dough in half and place in separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl and blue to the other bowl, mixing the coloring into each portion of the dough.
- Cover and chill the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once you remove the dough from the freezer, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll out each color of dough into a rectangle shape (about ½ inch in thickness).
- Stack the 2 rectangles on top of each other, and trim the edges of the rectangle so the edges of the dough are straight. Beginning with the longer end of the rectangle, gently roll the dough and pinch the seam. Wrap and place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, or your air fryer to 325°F/160°C. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper, or your air fryer basket with air fryer parchment liners.
- Place the cookies on the cookie sheet or air fryer leaving room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or Air fry for 6-7 minutes or until the cookies are set without turning golden brown. Remove the cookies onto a wire rack, and repeat with the remaining cookies.
- When completely cooled, frost the cookies using your frosting of choice and decorate with sprinkles.
Recipe Tips
- If you choose to bake with salted butter, be sure to skip the salt in the recipe.
- For super neat layers, brush the top of both cookie dough rectangles with an egg white before stacking them on top of each other.
- It’s important that you refrigerate the cookie dough as instructed in the recipe card, if you don’t, you will get flat cookies.
- Note that there’s a difference in the baking temperature and time between an air fryer and an oven. Scroll down to the recipe card to find them.
- Change up the colors, and make Christmas pinwheel cookies, Easter pinwheel cookies, or any colors that you like!
- If you choose not to frost the cookies, you can just roll the cookie dough in sprinkles before slicing and then bake, cool, and serve.
- Use that blue food coloring to make these fun Cookie Monster Cookies next!
More Fun Cookie Recipes To Try
- Strawberry Cheesecake Stuffed Cookies
- Rice Krispie Cookies
- Soft Italian Cookies
- Soft Orange Cookies
- Banana Bread Cookies
- Red White and Blue M&M Cookies
And if you’re looking for more cookie recipes that you can make in an air fryer, check out my Air Fryer Monster cookies, and these delicious Butterscotch cookies.
FAQs
Store baked cookies in layers separated by plastic wrap or wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
These cookies are soft, buttery, a little cakey, and taste like vanilla.
I hope that you have a wonderful 4th of July! If you make these cookies, don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to let me know how they turned out.
Red and Blue Pinwheel Icebox Cookies
Equipment
- Air Fryer or Oven
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup, 1 stick, (113g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Royal Blue food coloring
- Red food coloring
- Fluffy White frosting store bought or homemade
- 4th of July sprinkles
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in a bowl of a standmixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (4-5 minutes).
- Add in the egg, and vanilla extract, and continue mixing for about 30-45 seconds.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, and mix until all of the ingredients are combined into the dough.
- Divide the dough in half and place in separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl and blue to the other bowl, mixing the coloring into each portion of the dough.
- Cover and chill the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once you remove the dough from the freezer, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll out each color of dough into a rectangle shape (about ½ inch in thickness).
- Stack the 2 rectangles on top of each other, and trim the edges of the rectangle so the edges of the dough are straight. Beginning with the longer end of the rectangle, gently roll the dough and pinch the seam. Wrap and place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, or your air fryer to 325°F/160°C. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper, or your air fryer basket with air fryer parchment liners.
- Place the cookies on the cookie sheet or air fryer leaving room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or Air fry for 6-7 minutes or until the cookies are set without turning golden brown. Remove the cookies onto a wire rack, and repeat with the remaining cookies.
- When completely cooled, frost the cookies using your frosting of choice and decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
- Nutrition values are calculated per cookie without frosting (these are rough estimates).
- If you choose to bake with salted butter, be sure to skip the salt in the recipe.
- For super neat layers, brush the top of both cookie dough rectangles with an egg white before stacking them on top of each other.
- It’s important that you refrigerate the cookie dough as instructed in the recipe card, if you don’t, you will get flat cookies.
- Note that there’s a difference in the baking temperature and time between an air fryer and an oven. Scroll down to the recipe card to find them.
- Change up the colors, and make Christmas pinwheel cookies, Easter pinwheel cookies, or any colors that you like!
- Store baked cookies in layers separated by plastic wrap or wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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