Patriotic Desserts: 4th of July Cookie Bars
It is hard for me to believe that Independence Day is in less than a week. Summer always flies by for me and this summer is definitely not an exception. Where has June {not me… the month :)} gone? Who knew that time would go by so quickly even when you are home and not quite so busy. No matter what, we are never busy enough to celebrate the 4th of July and these 4th of July Cookie Bars would be the perfect addition to that celebration. Loaded with flavor and the colors of our flag, they are the perfect treat. Keep scrolling to see how you can make them.
The 4th of July has ALWAYS been a family day for me. Even when I was a young girl my parents always got together with relatives to celebrate, eat great food and enjoy each others company.
Fast forward to now and it is still the same. My family still gets together in the exact same location that they have been for over 80 years.
Family comes from all over, we catch up and celebrate with my favorite thing…FOOD. These 4th of July Cookie Bars are what I will be taking.
Thank you so much for stopping by! This 4th if July cookie bars recipe contains affiliate links, I receive a small amount of compensation if you choose to purchase from my links (for example – as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). I only link to products that I know and love!
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How to Make Patriotic 4th of July Cookie Bars
The base for the dough is my Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie dough but I have added a little bit of almond extract to it. Cherries and almonds just go together so nicely!
In a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, press about 2/3 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust in a 375 degree {preheated oven} for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
Easy Fresh & Canned Fruit Filling
For the fruit filling mixture, I combined a can of cherry filling with a heaping cup of fresh blueberries {but frozen would work too}. Stir them together well, making sure that everything is evenly distributed.
Then pour the berry mixture over the partially baked crust and spread out. I will sometimes move berries around a bit to be sure that every square gets a bite of both cherry and blueberry.
For the topping, you want to roll out the remaining 1/3 of the cream cheese sugar cookie dough and cut out small stars.
What to Use if You Don’t Have a Small Star Cookie Cutter
If you don’t have a small star cookie cutter then you could always use a larger one but I would suggest baking the cookies separately for 8 minutes and then adding them to the top of the mixture.
Bake the dish with the large cookies for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the fruit is nice and bubbly.
Place the stars in any pattern that you like on top of the fruit. NOTE: Just be sure to not overlap the cookie or it will be hard to get that area cooked through.
This is an optional step but I like to go back and sprinkle each cookie with a little bit of sanding sugar. Regular sugar will do the trick too.
The reason I like doing this step is because it adds texture to the top of the cookies as they bake.
Place your 4th of July Cookie Bars back into the 375 degree oven and baked for about 35-45 minutes. You can see that the fruit has bubbled up around the sides of the pan. The sugar cookies are a light brown around the edges as well.
I move it directly to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before cutting it into squares.
You can add a quick glaze or serve it without. Either way the bars are fabulous.
I am so excited to share them with my family on Saturday and I just know yours will love them too!
What other kinds of fruit combinations can be used?
- Raspberries & Blackberries
- Strawberries & Blueberries
- Cherries & Blackberries
Do you want other 4th of July patriotic desserts and dishes? Try these recipes…
- Red, White & Blue Fruit Salad
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Broccoli Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Smoked Sausage Baked Beans
- Caramel Drumstick Pie
- Easy Cheesecake Fruit Dip
- American Flag Fruit Pizza
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Patriotic Desserts: 4th of July Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 cup butter {softened}
- 8 oz. cream cheese {softened}
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Fruit Mixture
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree oven and spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and baking powder. Beat in flour gradually, until completely combined.
- Take 2/3 of the dough and press into the bottom of the prepared 9x13 baking pan. Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to just turn light brown. Remove from oven.
- While the crust is baking, combine the canned cherries and fresh blueberries. Stir together until both berries are mixed together well. Pour berries over the partially baked crust.
- Take the remaining 1/3 of the sugar cookie dough and roll it out to about 1/4" thick. Cut about 50 small stars. Place the stars on top of the berry mixture in any design {as long as they are not overlapping because they will not cook through}. Place in the oven and bake for another 35-45 minutes or until the berries are bubbly and the edges of the stars turn slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle over the bars, cut and serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
