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Patriotic Sugar Cookies

Patriotic sugar cookies with soft, buttery dough and crisp-edged thickness, finished with royal icing that sets smooth for bold red, white, and blue decorating. Thick star, round, and flag shapes bake in minutes and pipe clean outlines for a crisp, festive look.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill + icing dry time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies
  • 2.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 lb unsalted butter softened
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs large
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp almond extract optional
Royal Icing
  • 4 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 3 tbsp meringue powder
  • 7 tbsp warm water start with 6 tbsp, add 1 more if needed
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 0.5 red gel food coloring
  • 0.5 blue gel food coloring
Decorations
  • 1 red, white, and blue sprinkles
  • 1 star-shaped sugar sprinkles
  • 1 white pearl sprinkles

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the cookie dough
  1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the pure vanilla extract and almond extract.
  4. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms, stopping as soon as the dry flour disappears.
  5. Divide the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
Bake the cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness, then cut into stars, rounds, and flag shapes.
  3. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
  4. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look barely done with a slight softness.
  5. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Make and color the royal icing
  1. Beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 6 tbsp warm water on medium-high speed for 4–5 minutes until stiff and glossy.
  2. Add the last tbsp of warm water if needed to reach a thick but pipeable consistency.
  3. Divide the icing into three bowls and tint one bowl red gel food coloring and another blue gel food coloring, keeping one bowl white.
Decorate
  1. Transfer the icings to piping bags or squeeze bottles for outlining and flooding.
  2. Outline and flood the cookies with the red and blue icings, leaving the remaining sections white if desired.
  3. Let the base coat dry for 30 minutes before adding detail layers.
  4. Add red, white, and blue sprinkles, star-shaped sugar sprinkles, and white pearl sprinkles while the icing is still slightly tacky.
  5. Let cookies dry fully for at least 2 hours before stacking so the icing sets hard.

Notes

Pro tip: Chill the dough at least 1 hour so the cookies hold sharp star and flag edges, and avoid overmixing after the flour goes in for a thick, chewy center. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days (icing stays set). Freeze baked cookies without sprinkles/with icing fully dried for up to 2 months—thaw overnight and decorate fresh, if you prefer. For a nut-free version, omit the almond extract while keeping the rest the same.