Festive Red, White & Blue Patriotic Cookie Bars: Your Easy Guide to Swirled Sugar Cookie Perfection for Holidays
Celebrate the spirit of patriotism with these unbelievably fun and delicious Patriotic Cookie Bars! Adorned with vibrant, swirled red, white, and blue icing, they are an absolute showstopper for any American holiday. Whether you’re planning a 4th of July barbecue, a Memorial Day gathering, or just want to add a touch of festive cheer to your dessert table, this easy sugar cookie bar recipe is your ticket to a crowd-pleasing treat. Forget individual cookies; these bars are quicker to prepare and a breeze to serve, making them perfect for parties and potlucks.
If you’re a fan of classic sugar cookies, you’ll adore this recipe. These bars offer the same soft, sweet, and buttery texture you love, but in a convenient bar form. The magic truly happens with the beautiful marbled icing, transforming a simple dessert into a stunning, edible work of art. The best part? You don’t need to be a professional baker to achieve this impressive look. Our straightforward steps ensure a smooth process from start to finish.
Why Patriotic Cookie Bars Are Your Go-To Holiday Dessert
With holidays like the 4th of July just around the corner, or as you plan for Memorial Day and Labor Day celebrations, a simple yet impactful dessert is essential. These adorable Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars are precisely what you need! I often make them the night before an event, allowing the icing ample time to set beautifully. This not only saves you stress on the day of the celebration but also ensures perfectly firm, ready-to-cut bars. They were a huge hit with my family and friends, and I’m confident they’ll be a favorite in your home too!
One of the many advantages of cookie bars over traditional cookies is the time-saving aspect. No endless rolling, cutting, or transferring individual cookies to baking sheets. Instead, you press the dough into a single pan, bake, and then generously frost. This recipe, while having a few distinct steps, is designed for efficiency. Plan for approximately 1.5 hours of active preparation and baking time. Many steps can be done concurrently; for example, you can prepare the delicious frosting layers while the cookie base is baking. Keep in mind that allowing the bars to sit for several hours (preferably overnight) is crucial for the icing to properly set, resulting in clean cuts and a stable dessert. This is why I always recommend preparing them the day before you plan to serve them.
Mastering the Perfect Patriotic Cookie Bar Recipe
Crafting these dazzling red, white, and blue cookie bars is a delightful process. The recipe is divided into three main components: the soft cookie base, a thin vanilla icing layer, and the vibrant royal icing swirl. Each part plays a crucial role in creating the ultimate patriotic dessert. Below, we’ll walk through the ingredients and detailed steps to ensure your cookie bars are a resounding success.
Ingredients for Your Festive Patriotic Cookie Bars
Gathering your ingredients beforehand ensures a smooth baking experience. Make sure your butter is softened for easy creaming, and your sour cream and egg are at room temperature for better incorporation into the dough.
Cookie Bars:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
The sour cream in this recipe is a secret ingredient for wonderfully moist and tender cookie bars. It adds a subtle tang that perfectly complements the sweetness of the sugar. Using softened butter is key for creating a light and airy dough when creamed with sugar.
Vanilla Icing Layer:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP softened unsalted butter
- 2 TBSP milk (any kind works, whole milk often yields a richer glaze)
This thin layer of vanilla icing acts as an essential primer for the royal icing. It provides a smoother surface for your colorful swirl and helps prevent the royal icing from sinking into the cookie bars, ensuring those vibrant colors pop!
Royal Icing Layer:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 5 TBSP milk
- 2 TBSP corn syrup (adds shine and helps prevent brittleness)
- 1 tsp almond extract (for a delightful flavor, vanilla can also be used)
- Red and blue gel food coloring (I highly recommend using Wilton Color Right bottles or other gel-based colorings for their intensity and consistency, they’re amazing!)
Gel food colorings are superior to liquid ones because they provide rich, vivid colors without significantly altering the consistency of your icing. The corn syrup in the royal icing is a fantastic addition, giving the icing a beautiful sheen and making it slightly more pliable, which is great for swirling and prevents it from being too brittle once set.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Patriotic Perfection
Follow these detailed steps to create your spectacular patriotic cookie bars. Paying attention to each stage will ensure the best results, from the tender cookie base to the mesmerizing marbled icing.
- **Prepare Your Oven and Pan:** Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking pan or a quarter baker’s sheet with non-stick cooking spray. This prevents sticking and ensures easy removal of the baked bars.
- **Mix the Wet Ingredients:** In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step incorporates air, making your cookies tender. Beat in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. Ensure there are no lumps of butter remaining.
- **Combine Dry Ingredients:** In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookie bars. A few streaks of flour are acceptable; they will disappear during baking.
- **Spread the Dough:** Transfer the cookie dough to your prepared 9×13 pan. Use a spatula or your hands (lightly floured if sticky) to spread the dough evenly to all edges of the pan. Gently flatten the surface until it’s mostly smooth and even. This ensures consistent baking.
- **Bake the Cookie Base:** Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The center should look set and not wet. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the cookie bars cool completely on a wire rack before attempting to frost them. Cooling is critical; frosting warm bars will result in melted, messy icing.
- **Prepare the Vanilla Icing Base:** While the cookie bars are cooling, prepare your first layer of icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, softened butter, and milk until completely smooth and lump-free. This should form a relatively thin glaze. Once the cookie bars are entirely cool, spread this thin layer of vanilla icing evenly over the surface. This step is key for creating a smooth foundation and preventing the vibrant royal icing from absorbing into the cookie, thus enhancing the marble effect.
- **Craft the Royal Icing & Color:** In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and almond extract until the royal icing is perfectly smooth and has a pourable consistency – not too thick, not too runny. Separate approximately 3 tablespoons of the white icing into two small, separate bowls. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring to one small bowl and blue gel food coloring to the other. Stir each until the color is vibrant and even. Transfer the colored red and blue icing into separate small plastic baggies or piping bags.
- **The Swirl Technique:** Pour the remaining white royal icing onto the vanilla-frosted cookie bars. Quickly and gently spread it over the entire surface using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, aiming for a smooth and even layer. Now, snip a tiny corner off each of the baggies holding the red and blue icing. Pipe thin, even lines of red and blue icing down the length of the cookie bars, spacing them out randomly or in a patterned design. Immediately, take a thin knife, skewer, or toothpick and gently swirl the red and blue lines into the white icing in even, sweeping motions. Be careful not to over-swirl, or the colors will blend too much, and you might start to see unwanted purple sections forming. The goal is a beautiful, distinct marbled effect.
- **Set and Serve:** Allow the patriotic cookie bars to cool and set completely for several hours at room temperature, or even better, overnight. This waiting period is crucial for the royal icing to harden, allowing for clean, neat cuts. Once set, cut the Patriotic Cookie Bars into festive squares or rectangles and enjoy your beautiful and delicious creation!
Tips for Picture-Perfect Patriotic Cookie Bars
- **Room Temperature Ingredients:** Ensure butter, egg, and sour cream are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together more smoothly, creating a more cohesive and tender dough.
- **Measure Flour Correctly:** Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge. Don’t scoop directly from the bag, as this compacts the flour and can result in too much flour, leading to dry bars.
- **Don’t Overmix:** Once you add the flour, mix until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make your cookie bars tough.
- **Even Spreading:** Take your time spreading the dough into the pan. An even thickness ensures uniform baking.
- **Cool Completely:** This cannot be stressed enough! The cookie bars must be completely cool before applying any frosting, especially the royal icing. Otherwise, the icing will melt and run, ruining the swirl effect.
- **Gel Food Coloring is Best:** As mentioned, gel food colorings provide superior, vibrant colors without diluting your icing, unlike liquid food colorings.
- **Gentle Swirling:** When swirling the red and blue icing, use a light hand. One or two passes with a knife are usually enough to create a beautiful marble effect. Less is more here!
- **Patience is a Virtue:** The setting time for the royal icing is essential. Resist the urge to cut into the bars too soon. An overnight rest is ideal for the best results.
- **Storage:** Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze unfrosted bars, or even frosted bars (once set), in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Variations to Customize Your Cookie Bars
While the classic red, white, and blue swirl is undeniably festive, you can easily customize these cookie bars for other occasions or simply to suit your taste:
- **Sprinkle Power:** After swirling the icing, immediately add patriotic sprinkles (stars, confetti, red/white/blue mixes) for an extra layer of texture and festivity.
- **Flavor Extracts:** Swap out the almond extract for vanilla, lemon, or even a hint of peppermint in your royal icing for a different flavor profile.
- **Different Base:** While these are sugar cookie bars, you could adapt the frosting to other bar recipes, such as chocolate chip cookie bars or lemon bars, for a different twist.
- **Cut-Out Fun:** Once the bars are baked and completely cooled (before frosting), you could use large cookie cutters to cut out shapes (stars, circles) for a unique presentation, then frost individual shapes.
After you try our Swirled Patriotic Cookie Bars try a few of our other delicious sugar cookies:
- Buttermilk Sugar Cookies
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- Maple Donut Cookies
- Watermelon Sugar Cookies
- Under the Sea Cookies
Patriotic Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
Cookie Bars:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups flour
Vanilla Icing Layer:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP softened butter
- 2 TBSP milk
Royal Icing Layer:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 5 TBSP milk
- 2 TBSP corn syrup
- 1 tsp almond extract
- red and blue food coloring I use the Wilton Color Right bottles and they’re amazing!
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Cream together sugar and butter. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt to butter mixture, beat until smooth.
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Transfer dough to a 9×13 pan or quarter bakers sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray. Spread dough to edges and gently flatten until it’s mostly even.
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Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
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Whisk vanilla icing together and spread the thin layer over the cookies. This gives the royal icing a smoother surface and makes it easier to marbleize the icing.
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Whisk royal icing ingredients together until smooth. Separate roughly 3 TBSP worth of icing each into 2 small bowls. Add a few drops of red coloring to one of the bowls and blue to the other. Stir until color is even. Transfer blue and red icing to separate baggies.
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Pour white icing onto the cookie bars and quickly spread over the entire surface, until smooth and even. Cut the corners of each of the baggies holding red and blue icing. Pipe red and blue lines of icing down the length of the cookie bars. Take a thin knife and swirl icing in even motions. Don’t over-swirl or you’ll start to see purple sections forming!
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Let cookie bars cool and set for several hours before cutting. Cut Patriotic Cookie Bars into squares and enjoy!
Video
Nothing brings joy quite like a little bubble fun during the summer, right?! Speaking of lucky moments, I have to tell you how incredibly fortunate this particular photo shot was. Seriously! The stars truly aligned, and we captured the perfect bubble-face picture of my daughter. She absolutely adores it, and it’s proudly framed in our house, a cherished memory from a delightful day. Much like these cookie bars, some things just come together perfectly!