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The Fourth of July is one of the most fun holidays of the year! It’s a day that brings families and friends together to celebrate freedom, independence, and patriotism. And what better way to show your support for America than with these donut cookies!
These delicious treats are easy to make, but they look so festive and impressive. They would be perfect for your 4th of July celebration or even just as a snack!
Why You’ll Love 4th of July Donut Cookies
If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July, look no further than these adorable donut cookies!
Summer is in full swing, and everyone is busy with their holiday celebrations. We’re all looking for an easy dessert that can be prepared ahead of time, but still tastes delicious.
These patriotic donut cookies are perfect for your 4th of July party! They are easy to make, and they look so cute. You can have them ready before guests arrive, or you can make them on the spot as a last-minute treat.
These red white and blue donut cookies are sure to please! They’re topped with sprinkles for a festive look and covered in red frosting (or whatever color you like).
The best part about these cookies is that they taste as good as they look!
You can find the full recipe with ingredients and instructions in the printable card below.
Equipment Needed To Make Donut Cookies
- Cookie Cutter or Plastic Spoon
- Oven
- pan
Ingredients For 4th of July Donut Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Salt
- ROYAL ICING
- Warm Water
- Meringue Powder (I used Wilton)
- Powdered Sugar
- Karo Syrup
How To Make 4th of July Donut Cookies
In the mixing bowl of a Stand Mixer, add the Butter, Sugar, and Egg, and blend with the whisk attachment until smooth, and creamy.
Add the vanilla, and mix until blended. In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Salt, and mix well to blend. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix until blended, and smooth.
Place a large piece of Parchment paper on the Kitchen Counter, and sprinkle with Flour. Place half of the Cookie dough on the Parchment paper, and with a Floured Rolling Pin, roll the Dough to ½ inch thickness.
Cut out the Donuts with the Cookie Cutter, and place them on a Parchment paper lined Cookie Sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies begins to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven to a wire rack, and cool completely.
ROYAL ICING:
In the mixing bowl of a Stand Mixer, place the Warm Water, Meringue Powder, and Karo Syrup, and blend with the Whisk attachment until completely blended and smooth.
Add the Powdered Sugar, about 2 cups at a time, and mix on low, until all the Powdered Sugar has been added.
Scrape down the sides of the Mixing Bowl as needed, and blend until the Icing is smooth and creamy.
In two bowls, place about 1/3 of the Icing in each bowl, and leave the remaining Icing in the Mixing Bowl. In one of the bowls, add several drops of Blue Food Coloring Gel, until you have the desired color of Icing.
In the other bowl, add a couple of drops of Red Food Coloring Gel, and stir well.
If needed, add more Red Food Coloring Gel, until you have the desired color.
Place the icing in a plastic Pastry Bag, (You’ll have three bags, one Red, one White, and one Blue), and snip off the very end of the bags.
Pipe the icing around the outside of the Cookies, (see photos) and pipe around the inside of the Donut hole.
Fill in with the Icing, and add Sprinkles of choice. Allow about 1 hour for Icing to completely set.
Serve, and Enjoy!
What to Serve/Pair with Your Donut Cookies
Fruit Salad
Ice cream
Wine, Margarita
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Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Marshmallow Glaze
- Homemade Muffins
- Fruits
How To Reheat & Store
Best Way To Store 4th of July Donut Cookies
The best way to store 4th of July donut cookies is by putting them in an airtight container.
This will keep the cookies fresh for a longer period of time.
If you want to get the most out of your cookies, make sure that you store them in a dry place.
The last thing you want is your cookie going stale or developing mold.
When storing your cookies, make sure that they are not exposed to heat or moisture.
This can cause the cookie to go bad quicker than it should and ruin the taste and texture of your delicious dessert.
The best way to store your donuts is by putting them in an airtight container with a desiccant packet inside.
You can buy these packets at any grocery store or drug store near where you live and they will help keep your cookies fresh longer than if they were left out on a countertop or table without any protection from moisture and other elements that could damage them over time.
How Long Will 4th of July Donut Cookies Last In the Fridge?
In general, you can expect donuts to last about a week in the refrigerator. The best way to store them is by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and then putting them in an airtight container.
This will keep the donuts from drying out and becoming stale.
If your family eats a lot of donuts and you want to make sure they don’t go stale before you finish cooking them, it might be a good idea to freeze some of them for later.
You could also freeze some of the frosting as well if you want to cover some of your donuts with it after they are cooked.
If you want to keep your donuts fresh for even longer than one week, try making mini versions instead of full-sized ones!
They’re much easier to store and won’t take up as much space in your refrigerator or freezer.
Storing Your Donut Cookies in the Refrigerator and Freezer
If you want to store your donut cookies for a while, they can stay fresh in the refrigerator. Keep them covered in the container they were baked in or transfer them to an airtight container.
If you want to freeze your donut cookies, follow these steps:
Cool completely and then place in a freezer-safe container or zippered bag. Label with the date and contents.
Freeze for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
To reheat, place frozen donuts on a microwave-safe plate and heat for one minute at 50% power or until thawed, 2 minutes at full power if needed depending on microwave wattage (check frequently).
Can I Freeze Donut Cookies?
The answer is yes. You can freeze donut cookies, but it’s not as simple as just storing them in the freezer.
First, you need to wrap them individually and then put them in an airtight container or plastic bag.
When you are ready to eat them, remove them from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before eating.
This will allow the cookie to thaw slowly and not turn into a soggy mess.
If you like your donuts warm, you can heat them up in the microwave or oven according to your preferences before serving.
How To Reheat Donut Cookies
To reheat donut cookies in the microwave, place one or two at a time in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 10 seconds.
Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cookie; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
You may need to reheat it once or twice more depending on how cold your cookie is.
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4th of July Donut Cookies FAQs
Is there anything I should know before I make it?
Yes! The Donut Cookie is a unique dessert item that’s unlike any of the other treats in your bakery.
While it seems like it would be simple to bake up a batch, there are actually some things you need to know before you start mixing up the batter.
1. Make sure your ingredients are fresh. The donut cookies will only be as good as your ingredients.
If you’re using stale flour or expired eggs, then your donuts will not come out well at all. This is especially important for baking powder and baking soda, which start to lose their leavening power over time.
2. Sift together dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients to prevent clumping.
When adding dry ingredients to wet ones, they tend to clump together if they’re not sifted first; this will make it more difficult for them to mix together properly in the batter and can result in an uneven texture overall when baked.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes, you can make donut cookies ahead of time. They will store well in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Just be sure to refrigerate them if they are not being eaten right away.
If you want to make them ahead of time, I recommend chilling the batter for at least 2 hours before baking, or even overnight.
Chilling the dough allows all of the ingredients to come together so that when you bake them, they will have a cohesive texture and taste great!
What are the 4th of July Donut Cookies?
The 4th of July Donut Cookies are a great recipe to make for your family or friends on the 4th of July.
You can also use this recipe for other holidays, like Memorial Day and Labor Day.
This is a fun, easy recipe that everyone will love!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Food Lab’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
These 4th of July Donut Cookies are so cute! Not only are they pretty to look at, but they’re also really delicious.
They’re very festive and would make such a great addition to any party, or dessert table they’re placed on.
These are sure to please young and old alike, and the Royal Icing tastes as it came from a professional bakery.
Everyone is sure to love these, and they’ll love you for making them!
Check out this Kitchen Toolbox! It has cheat sheets that will help you cook easier and faster.
4th of July Donut Cookies Recipe
4th of July Donut Cookies
The Fourth of July is one of the most fun holidays of the year! It’s a day that brings families and friends together to celebrate freedom, independence, and patriotism. And what better way to show your support for America than with these donut cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Butter - softened
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 2 teaspoons of Vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups of Flour
- 1 teaspoon of Salt
- ROYAL ICING:
- 3/4 cups of Warm Water
- 1/3 cup of Meringue Powder (I used Wilton)
- 2 - 16 ounce bags of Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Karo Syrup
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a Stand Mixer, add the Butter, Sugar, and Egg, and blend with the whisk attachment until smooth, and creamy.
- Add the vanilla, and mix until blended.
- In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Salt, and mix well to blend.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix until blended, and smooth.
- Place a large piece of Parchment paper on the Kitchen Counter, and sprinkle with Flour.
- Place half of the Cookie dough on the Parchment paper, and with a Floured Rolling Pin, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
- Cut out the Donuts with the Cookie Cutter, and place them on a Parchment paper lined Cookie Sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until Cookies being to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool completely.
- ROYAL ICING:
- In the mixing bowl of a Stand Mixer, place the Warm Water, Meringue Powder, and Karo Syrup, and blend with the Whisk attachment until completely blended and smooth.
- Add the Powdered Sugar, about 2 cups at a time, and mix on low, until all the Powdered Sugar has been added.
- Scrape down the sides of the Mixing Bowl as needed, and blend until the Icing is smooth and creamy.
- In two bowls, place about 1/3 of the Icing in each bowl, and leave the remaining Icing in the Mixing Bowl.
- In one of the bowls, add several drops of Blue Food Coloring Gel, until you have the desired color of Icing. In the other bowl, add a couple of drops of Red Food Coloring Gel, and stir well.
- If needed, add more Red Food Coloring Gel, until you have the desired color.
- Place the icing in a plastic Pastry Bag, (You'll have Three bags, one Red, one White, and one Blue), and snip off the very end of the bags.
- Pipe the icing around the outside of the Cookies, (see photos) and pipe around the inside of the Donut hole.
- Fill in with the Icing, and add Sprinkles of choice.
- Allow about 1 hour for Icing to completely set.
- Serve, and Enjoy!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How Your 4th of July Donut Cookies Turned Out!
If you get a chance to try it, let us know! Leave us a comment below, or share it with a picture on Instagram or Facebook! Don’t forget to tag us @kelly_reci_ and use the hashtag #Kellysthoughtsonthings so we can see what amazing meals you are cooking up!