Celebrate the USA with this 4th of July Cookie Cake! This fresh berry and whipped cream-topped cookie cake recipe is one your family will LOVE!
I’ve got you covered for THE BEST showstopper, iconic Independence Day dessert! This 4th of July Cookie Cake combines fruity goodness and that classic sugar cookie deliciousness.
To save time, you can easily make this festive dessert with store-bought cookie dough and Cool Whip. Or you can use your favorite homemade dough and fresh whipped cream! It's up to you! Not only is it beautiful, but the combination flavors will have you going back for more!
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Along with this cookie cake recipe, I'll also have my viral Macaroni Salad and BLT Deviled Eggs, and this easy 3-ingredient S'mores Cookie recipe on the backyard party menu!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Like this Recipe
- Patriotic Dessert: Decorated with red, white, and blue, this American flag cookie cake is the perfect dessert to celebrate and show pride for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, summer holidays or any day of the year! It's perfect alongside this 4th of July Bundt Cake!
- Easy Recipe: Making a cookie cake is often simpler than baking individual cookies, as the dough can be pressed into a single pan and baked all at once. It's also make with simple ingredients!
- Fun for the Family: This dessert is fun to make together as a family! Kids especially love getting involved with decorating the top of the cake!
- Party Showstopper: The vibrant colors and American flag accents, this flag cake will catch everyone's attention and add to the festive atmosphere of any celebration.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Refrigerated or Homemade Sugar Cookie Dough: Forms the base of the cookie cake.
- Cream Cheese: Adds richness, a creamy texture, and a tangy flavor.
- Fresh Whipped Cream or Cool Whip: Whipped cream adds lightness and a fluffy texture to the white frosting and exposed white stripes of the flag.
- Powdered Sugar (not pictured): Adds sweetness to fresh whipped cream (if making)
- Fresh Fruit (Strawberries, Blueberries, Star Fruit): These add freshness, color and the accents to the cookie that make it look like the American flag.
Tools You’ll Need
- 15”x10” or similar Sheet Pan
- Piping Bag and Tips or Plastic Bag
- Hand Mixer
- Cutting Board
- Pampered Chef Cup Slicer and/or Utility Knife
How to Make American Flag Cookie Cake
- For the sugar cookie base, line a 15”x10” pan with parchment paper. Press the cookie dough evenly into the shape of a rectangle. Bake at 350℉ 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the edges. Cool completely before decorating.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed with a hand mixer until smooth. Whip in powdered sugar, if desired. Fold in all but 1 ½ cups of fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip.
- Spread the cream cheese topping in an even layer over the cooled cookie.
- Decorate the top of the cookie cake in the likeness of the American flag with blueberries in a square shape in the upper left corner and alternating straight lines of sliced strawberries and the remaining fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip piped between the strawberries. Top the blueberries with sliced star fruit.
Pro Tips and Substitutions
- Pre-Made Dough Tips and Substitutions: Make sure the dough is at room temperature for easier pressing and spreading in the pan. You can also make this sugar cookie cake with homemade cookie dough or with cookie dough mix packets that you can find in your grocery store baking aisle. If using the packets, you'll need to prepare two 6.25-ounce packets for this sheet pan size.
- Fruit Substitution: If you don’t have star fruit available in your area, you can create the stars with piped dollops of whipped cream or Cool Whip or white chocolate chips.
- For the red stripes, you could use fresh raspberries or halved cherries.
- For the blueberry area, you could use blackberries or purple grapes.
- Cool Whip vs. Fresh Whipped Cream: If you'd prefer fresh whipped cream in your American Flag Cookies like I did (instead of Cool Whip), simply whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer 2 cups heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Cookie Variety: You can also use chocolate chip, peanut butter, brownies, or triple chocolate cookie dough as the base of this cookie cake.
- Cookie Size: This cookie dough baked in a 15”x10” baking pan ends up being about ¼” thick once cooled. If you want a thicker cookie base, use a smaller rectangle sheet pan and adjust the cook time accordingly. You can also make individual sugar cookies to pre-assemble or allow guests to decorate as a fun activity.
What to Serve at a Patriotic Party
What's better than an Americana cookie? Having an Americana cookie, cupcake, ice cream, and pie too! Patriotic Cupcakes, Red White and Blue Ice Cream, and Blueberry Pie all boast America's colors that will impress everyone!
Check out these July 4th Recipes to go along with these desserts for your holiday party!
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover cookie cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Any longer and the cookie will become too soggy and the topping will start to break.
Freezing and thawing is not ideal as it will negatively impact the texture of the cookie.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you'd prefer fresh whipped cream in your American Flag Cookies like I did (instead of Cool Whip), simply whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer 2 cups heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form. Either way will work great with this recipe.
You can omit it completely if that’s what you prefer. Simply double the fresh whipped cream or use 16oz Cool Whip instead for the base spread and topping. You can also try Neufchatel cheese, which has less fat and a softer consistency than cream cheese.
You can simply bake the cookie and decorate the top in whatever shape or pattern you’d like.
Yes! It’s best the day it’s made and within 24 hours. The fruit tends to bleed into the cream cheese any longer than that.
To make this a gluten-free flag cookie, you will need to choose a store-bought or homemade cookie dough base.
More Recipes Like This
American Flag Cookie
Ingredients
- 16.5 ounce Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Sugar Cookie Dough room temperature
- 8 ounce regular or light cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional
- 8 ounce Cool Whip or Fresh Whipped Cream see notes
- ½ pint strawberries cored and sliced into ¼” slices
- ¾ cup Blueberries
- 1-2 starfruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a 15”x10” pan with parchment paper. Press the cookie dough evenly in the shape of a rectangle. Bake 13-15 minutes. Cool completely before decorating.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Whip in powdered sugar, if desired. Fold in all but 1 ½ cups of the fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip.
- Spread the cream cheese topping in an even layer over the cooled cookie.
- Decorate the cookie in likeness to the American flag with blueberries in a square shape in the upper left corner and alternating rows of sliced strawberries and the remaining fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip piped between the strawberries. Top the blueberries with the sliced star fruit.
Video
Notes
Pro Tips and Substitutions
- Pre-Made Dough Tips and Substitutions: Make sure the dough is at room temperature for easier pressing and spreading in the pan. You can also make this sugar cookie cake with homemade cookie dough or with cookie dough powder packets that you can find in your grocery store baking aisle. If using the packets, you'll need to prepare 2 6.25-ounce packets for this sheet pan size.
- Fruit Substitution: If you don’t have star fruit available in your area, you can create the start with piped dollops of whipped cream or Cool Whip, blueberries, or white chocolate chips. Yes! For the red stripes, you could use fresh raspberries or halved cherries. For the blueberry area, you could use blackberries or purple grapes.
- Cool Whip vs. Fresh Whipped Cream: If you'd prefer fresh whipped cream in your American Flag Cookies like I did (instead of Cool Whip), simply whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer 2 cups heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Cookie Variety: You can also use chocolate chip, peanut butter, brownies, or triple chocolate cookie dough as the base of this cookie cake.
- Cookie Size: This cookie dough baked in a 15”x10” pan ends up being about ¼” thick once cooled. If you want a thicker cookie base, use a smaller rectangle sheet pan and adjust the cook time accordingly. You can also make individual sugar cookies to pre-assemble or allow guests to decorate as a fun activity.
Carrie J
I’ve made this several times over the years and it’s delicious! Your use of starfruit takes it over the top!
Laura Ashley
Thank you so much!!🤩 Yours are always so pretty too!
Joanne Trumbetas
Made this cookie for our Memorial Day picnic and it was the hit of the party!
So easy to make, and was the perfect delicious dessert to end the meal.
Laura Ashley
Aww!! Joanne, that makes my heart so happy to hear! THANK YOU so much!! I love that it was a hit!