Easy Patriotic Cookie Bars

Easy Patriotic Cookie Bars – These cookie bars are easy to put together and take with you to BBQs, picnics or just to enjoy at home!

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I love when I have a recipe that can be adapted to multiple holidays and themes. These cookie bars are one of my favorites because they come together so easily and are fun to dress up.

Whether you like to plan your menus in advance or are more of a last minute throw it all together-er, these patriotic cookie bars are the perfect addition to your holiday celebrations!

How to Make Patriotic Cookie Bars

First, gather together your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

Next, grab a mixing bowl and a mixer. I like to use my hand mixer but you could also use a stand mixer if you prefer.

Cream your butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, at least 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until well incorporated. Then, add the flour, milk and powdered sugar. Start with 1 Tbsp of milk. Because you will be adding food coloring, you don’t want to add too much milk, as the batter is not supposed to be runny.

Once everything is mixed together, get two more bowls and divide the batter up as evenly as possible between the three bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to two of the bowls (red in one and blue in the other) and mix well.

How much food coloring should I add?

If you are using a more liquidy food coloring, I would add 5-7 drops to start with and see if that gives you the color you want. For gel food coloring, you won’t need to add as much because the color is more concentrated.

Once your colors are mixed in so there are no streaks, grab your 9×13 pan and line it with tin foil. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Drop each color of batter by large tablespoonfuls randomly.

Use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to carefully press the batter into the pan and spread it around. Don’t swirl your spoon/spatula too much or you will muddy up the colors and won’t be able to see the distinctive red, white and blue you are going for.

Bake for 22-25 minutes at 325 degrees F. You’ll know it’s ready when the edges are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into squares. Sprinkle with gold sprinkles and enjoy!