Buttery shortbread cookies dipped in white chocolate and decorated with patriotic sprinkles. These patriotic shortbread cookies are so fun and festive! This recipe contains an affiliate link.
You might also like our red, white, and blue fruit pizzas, our patriotic Oreo truffles, or our patriotic lollipop centerpiece!
Watch our step by step video!
Patriotic Shortbread Cookies
While walking through Sam’s Club I saw that they were selling patriotic cookies in the bakery section. Cookies dipped in a white coating and drizzled in red and blue frosting. The shades they used were a bit drab, but I liked the idea! I came home and used my shortbread cookie recipe to make my own version and love how they turned out. These patriotic shortbread cookies are FUN to make and easy, too! I love how bright and colorful they are. Perfect for any patriotic BBQ and a hit with kids.
Shortbread Star Cookies
I love how simple shortbread cookies are. 3 ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, and flour. No eggs, leavening, or flavor add-ins, although you can add a splash of vanilla if you’d like. The melt-in-your-mouth texture can’t be beat and they are so fun to customize.
You can use any size star cookie cutter that you’d like, but I find that the smaller the cookie, the easier it is to dip. My stars are about 2 1/2″. I have an entire set of nesting star cookie cutters and this size is the second smallest. The perfect 2-bite cookie. This recipe made 40-star cookies.
Shortbread Star Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (salted butter)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2 cups flour
- 8 oz. white chocolate candy melts (or white almond bark)
- 8 oz. red candy melts
- 8 oz. blue candy melts
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, divided
- patriotic sprinkles
Supplies
How To Make Patriotic Shortbread Cookies
Combine butter, powdered sugar, and flour in a large bowl using an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment). The dough may appear crumbly, but keep mixing and it will turn into a soft dough. Trust me! You can also form the dough with your hands.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. The dough should be 1/4″- 1/2″ thick.
Cut out using a small star cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes*. Let cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.
*The edges and bottoms of the cookies should be a light golden brown. I cook these cookies a little longer than normal so that they are nice and set up. Perfect for dipping.
While cookies cool go ahead and get your melted red, white, and blue chocolate ready.
Heat 8 oz. of each color of chocolate with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in microwave-safe bowls. Heat for 30 seconds, stir. Repeat heating in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth.
Note: I find that it’s easiest to dip one color at a time. This way you don’t have to worry about the other colors cooling and hardening while you are dipping the other cookies.
Dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Flip over with a fork and cover the cookie completely. Lift the cookie out of the melted chocolate with a fork, tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
Place dipped cookies back on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with patriotic sprinkles or let the cookies set up and drizzle candy melts across them later.
Repeat with the other colors until all cookies have been covered.
You’ll have a bit of leftover melted chocolate in all colors. Reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, if necessary, so that they are melted and smooth again. Pour into disposable frosting bags (or ziploc baggies), make a small cut in the corner, and drizzle over cookies. You can also drizzle the melted colors over the cookies with a spoon, working in quick motions so that only a small amount of color is drizzled over each cookie (bags work better).
Allow cookies to set up.
Tip: Break off any of the drizzle that spilled over the edges and hardened onto the parchment paper. This will leave the cookies with crisp edges. Watch my video to see how I do this.
Once hardened, store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Patriotic Shortbread Cookies Recipe
SHORTBREAD STAR COOKIES
Equipment
- electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter salted butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 8 oz. white chocolate candy melts or almond bark
- 8 oz. red candy melts
- 8 oz. blue candy melts
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil divided
- patriotic sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine butter, powdered sugar, and flour in a large bowl using an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment). Note: The dough may appear crumbly, but keep mixing and it will turn into a soft dough. Trust me! You can also form the dough with your hands.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. The dough should be 1/4″- 1/2″ thick.
- Cut out using a small star cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes*. Let cool on a baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.*The edges and bottoms of the cookies should be a light golden brown. I cook these cookies a little longer than normal so that they are nice and set up. Perfect for dipping.
- While cookies cool go ahead and get your melted red, white, and blue chocolate ready.
- Heat 8 oz. of each color of melting chocolate with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in microwave-safe bowls. Heat for 30 seconds, stir. Repeat heating in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth (this takes about 1 minute total).Note: I find that it's easiest to dip one color at a time. This way you don't have to worry about the other colors cooling and hardening while you are dipping the other cookies.
- Dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Flip over with a fork and cover the cookie completely. Lift the cookie out of the melted chocolate with a fork, tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
- Place dipped cookies back on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with patriotic sprinkles or let the cookies set up and drizzle candy melts across them later.
- Repeat with the other colors until all cookies have been dipped and covered.
- You'll have a bit of leftover melted chocolate in all colors. Reheat them in the microwave, if necessary, so that they are melted and smooth again. Pour into disposable frosting bags (or ziploc baggies), make a small cut in the corner, and drizzle over cookies. You can also drizzle the melted colors over the cookies with a spoon, working in quick motions so that only a small amount of color is drizzled over each cookie.
- Allow cookies to set up. Break off any of the drizzle that spilled over the edges and hardened onto the parchment paper. This will leave the cookies with crisp edges.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
Those are adorable and look so tasty too. Pinned!