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Bake Patriotic Thumbprint Cookies this Summer

These red, white, and blue patriotic thumbprint cookies are perfect for the upcoming summer holidays. There’s nothing tastier than a cookie to celebrate! Instead of buying treats, bake your own homemade cookies.

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What flavor are Patriotic Thumbprint Cookies?

These patriotic thumbprint cookies are delicious! It’s a cherry almond cookie with a little extra flair for a fun and celebratory finish. The kids love to help make these, they come out so cute and it makes a for a fun day in the kitchen for all! 

It’s no secret that we love making cookies. Double butterscotch cookies that are easy to freeze are usually my go to, but these patriotic cookies also make for a great summer treat. 

Lemon and blueberry are also favorite summer flavors. This lemon blueberry cookies recipe has a great shortcut–a cake mix!

How many cookies are in a batch? 

This recipe will make you about 24 cookies. If you need more than that for a party or event it’s easy to double the batter and make 48. 

What makes these cookies blue? 

To make the blue portion of the cookies, you’ll see below that I used blue gel food coloring. With the gel food coloring, you get way more payoff in terms of color.

I’ve also found that the gel food coloring seems to stay true to color when baked. Liquid food coloring can sometimes end up looking grey or even green when you add blue and then bake.

If you aren’t a fan of food coloring, you can always leave it out and add some blue sprinkles on top to get the red, white and blue finish. Alternately, you can do half your cookies with a cherry in the thumbprint and half with blueberries. You’ll still get the red, white and blue effect without adding any food coloring. 

square image of a stack of finished patriotic cookies.

Can I freeze these cookies for later use? 

I wouldn’t recommend it, for one reason: the cherries. I think once they’re frozen and thawed out they’ll be kind of yucky.

The whole point of freezing cookies or chocolate chip wheat muffins is so you can pull them out and instantly have a great treat, ready to go. If you freeze these cookies I’d definitely do so without the cherries on top! 

What do I need to make these patriotic cookies? 

three in process images of patriotic thumbprint cookies batter in the bowls then grouped together, then rolled into balls and thumbprint pressed in.

How to make red, white, and blue thumbprint cookies: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Drain cherries well and dry on a paper towel, patting the top to dry as much as possible.
  3. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
  4. Add egg, almond and vanilla extracts, flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Mix about 30 seconds, or until combined.
  6. Separate mixture in half, into two bowls.
  7. Add blue food coloring to one half and mix until evenly distributed.
  8. Place both bowls of dough into refrigerator for 5 minutes.
  9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Take dough out of refrigerator and sprinkle dough onto table and hands.
  11. Take about 1 tsp of each color, press together, and gently roll into a ball, taking care to keep colors separate.
  12. Place on cookie sheet and gently press the center of each cookie ball with your thumb.
  13. Add a cherry to each thumbprint.
  14. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
  15. Cool on cookie sheet.

Can I use baking mats in place of parchment paper? 

Yes, I would think so! Parchment paper works well in this case because it keeps the cookies from sticking and gives you an easier way to remove them from the sheets once they have cooled. Baking mats should do the same thing! 

Do I cool these on a baking rack? 

I love using baking racks, but in this case my patriotic cookies will finish baking while they cool on the baking sheets. It’s the best way to make sure they don’t get overdone in the oven but are still the perfect consistency after cooling! 

tall image of finished patriotic thumbprint cookies in a bowl with a red plaid tablecloth underneath.

Printable Patriotic Thumbprint Cookies Recipe: 

Yield: 24 Cookies

Patriotic Thumbprint Cookies

picture showing patriotic cookies in a bowl all ready to eat

These red, white, and blue patriotic thumbprint cookies are perfect for the upcoming summer holidays. There's nothing tastier than a cookie to celebrate!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white flour, plus extra for hands
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 24 Maraschino cherries, without stems
  • blue gel food coloring
  • parchment paper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Drain cherries well and dry on a paper towel, patting the top to dry as much as possible.
  3. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
  4. Add egg, almond and vanilla extracts, flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Mix about 30 seconds, or until combined.
  6. Separate mixture in half, into two bowls.
  7. Add blue food coloring to one half.
  8. Place both bowls of dough into refrigerator for 5 minutes.
  9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Take dough out of refrigerator and sprinkle dough onto table and hands.
  11. Take about 1 tsp of each color, press together, and gently roll into a ball, taking care to keep colors separate.
  12. Place on cookie sheet and gently press the center of each cookie ball with your thumb.
  13. Add a cherry to each thumbprint.
  14. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
  15. Cool on cookie sheet.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

2 cookies

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 245mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g

Do you have any other delicious recipes I can make for my holiday parties? 

I definitely do! I’m happy to share with you some of my favorite recipes that come together quickly and easily for summer holidays like Memorial Day and the 4th of July! Try out some of these salads, desserts, and more at your next family gathering. 

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