Description
Celebrate with these festive Patriotic Crinkle Cookies that are soft, chocolaty, and bursting with vibrant red and blue colors. Perfectly sweet and coated in powdered sugar, these cookies bring a fun and flavorful twist to any holiday or special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Additional
- Red gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until fully combined and uniform in color.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter with the granulated sugar and powdered sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Divide and Color Dough: Split the dough evenly into two bowls. Add red gel food coloring to one portion and blue gel food coloring to the other. Mix each thoroughly until the colors are vibrant and uniform.
- Shape Cookies: Roll balls from both colored doughs. Then, roll each ball in powdered sugar until completely coated, giving the classic crinkle appearance.
- Bake: Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies crackle on top but remain soft inside.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Using gel food coloring rather than liquid ensures vibrant colors without changing dough consistency.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature for easy creaming with sugars.
- Do not overbake; the cookies should be soft and chewy, not hard.
- Rolling the dough balls in powdered sugar before baking creates the iconic crinkle effect.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
