The Best Easy Rainbow Sugar Cookies
Whether you are celebrating St. Patrick’s day or just want a bright and happy cookie, this recipe is for you. Easy Rainbow Sugar Cookies start with a simple cookie dough that does not require chilling. But it is the easy and adorable decorations on top that truly make them special.
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Easy Rainbow Cookies
These delicious rainbow sugar cookies start with a cake mix which means that the recipe is easy to make. Adding ingredients like corn starch and extra flour help to create a soft texture.
You can decide whether you want to make your own buttercream or use store bought {that is what I did} for the blue sky and white puffy clouds.
The best part however is transforming rainbow gummy candy strips into the gorgeous rainbows. Then using mini Rolo or Peanut Butter cups for the pots of gold.
These colorful rainbow sugar cookies are so much fun and people will love every single sweet bite. This fun cookie recipe makes a perfect St. Patrick’s Day treat. So are these Lucky Charm Cookies.
What Goes Into this Recipe
- White Cake Mix– It creates a wonderful base for this easy sugar cookie recipe.
- Corn Starch– The addition of corn starch helps give the colorful sugar cookies a light and soft texture.
- Butter Flavored Crisco– Using a combination of butter flavored shortening and butter creates a cookie that is thick.
- Candy– Everyday candy is transformed into rainbows and pots of gold for a sweet and adorable St. Patrick’s Day cookie.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Rainbow Sugar Cookies
- Combine the dry ingredients and whisk them together in a mixing bowl. Then add the butter, shortening, eggs and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients into a thick dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop sugar cookie dough into your hands. Roll in a dough ball and form the cookie dough into discs. Place the discs on a silicone mat {or parchment paper} lined baking sheet.
- Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until they are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.
- While the cookies are baking make the pots of gold. Place a small amount of melted chocolate on top of each mini Rolo {or peanut butter cup}, then top with gold coin sprinkles.
- Before you begin to assemble the cookies, gather the frosting, rainbow candy and pots of gold.
- To begin, spread a small amount of blue frosting on top of each cookie. Using a piping {or zipper} bag with the white frosting, pipe two clusters of clouds on each side of the cookies.
- Take one of the candy rainbow pieces and place an end into one cluster of clouds and the other end in the second cluster. The rainbow should form an arch.
- Finally, add a pot of gold to one end of the rainbow. Continue with the remainder of the colorful cookies and allow them to set up.
Expert Tips
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a medium cookie scoop will keep all of the cookies the same size and help them bake at the same rate.
- Form the dough into a disc. This dough is thick and will not spread a bunch, so forming the cookie dough into a disc keeps the cookies a nice size and shape.
- Use store bought frosting. You can always make your own buttercream but using store bought keeps this recipe simple and quick.
- Make the pots of gold before you are ready to assemble. Do not try to make them as you go. It is important that they get a few minutes to set up.
- If the rainbow candy doesn’t stick in the frosting clouds, add a bit more white frosting. Sometimes the candy can be a bit temperamental but adding a little extra frosting helps.
- For best results, give the cookies enough time to set up before serving. The frosting will take about an hour to harden.
Storage and Freezing
Store: To store them, place the cookies in a single layer. A good airtight container at room temperature works wonderfully.
Freeze: The sugar cookie alone will freeze great for up to 3 months. I would suggest decorating them after defrosting.
Recipe FAQs
These cookies taste like a light sugar cookie with white frosting and candy on top. They are absolutely delicious and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.
This particular cookie is decorated with different kinds of candy and frosting to form clouds, a rainbow and pot of gold.
No, they do not have to be refrigerated. In fact, they would be best at room temperature in an airtight container.
The wonderful thing about this recipe is the dough does not have to be chilled. You can make the dough and start baking right away.
Do you love sugar cookies? Try these amazing recipes…
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Easy Rainbow Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 box white cake mix {15.25 ounces}
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup butter {softened}
- ½ cup butter flavored Crisco
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Frosting & Decorations
- 1 can white frosting {divided}
- 1-2 drops blue food coloring
- 22 mini Rolo candies {or mini peanut butter cups}
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate melting wafers
- 3 Tablespoons gold coin sprinkles {or gold sugar sprinkles}
- 11 Air Head rainbows {cut in half}
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Combine the white cake mix, cornstarch and all purpose flour in a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine.
- Add the softened butter, shortening, eggs, vanilla extract to the dry mixture and cream together using a hand held {or stand} mixer. The dough will be a nice thick consistency.
- Use a medium cookie scoop, measure the dough into your hand and form the cookie dough mounds into round discs. Place the cookie dough discs onto a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet, baking 8 cookies at a time.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are baked through but not over baked. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Assembly
- While the cookies are baking, add a bit of melted chocolate to the top of a mini Rolo {or peanut butter cup} candy and top with gold coin sprinkles to cover {work one pot of gold at a time}. Set aside and allow the chocolate to harden.
- Divide the white frosting into two bowls with ¾ of the frosting in one bowl and the remaining ¼ in a piping bag {or zipper bag}. Color the bowl of frosting with blue food coloring until it is the desired color.
- To assemble, gather your blue frosting, white frosting in a piping {or zipper} bag, pots of gold and rainbow candies. Working one cookie at a time, frost the top of the cooled cookie with the blue frosting to cover. Take the piping {or zipper} bag of white frosting and pipe dots {or clouds} on the top of the cookie in two spots about an inch apart. Take the rainbow candy and place one end into one cloud and make an arch, place the other side of the rainbow in the other bunch of clouds {white frosting}. If the rainbow does not want to stick, add additional white frosting. Then place a pot of gold on one side of the rainbow and press slightly.
- Continue until all of the cookies are decorated and then allow them to set up until the frosting has dried. Store the rainbow cookies in an airtight container in a single layer at room temperature for up to 4 days. The sugar cookies can be frozen undecorated for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop {or about 1.5 tablespoons}. Doing so will keep all of the cookies the same size and help them bake at the same rate.
- Form the dough into a disc. This dough is thick and will not spread a bunch, so forming the cookie dough into a disc keeps the cookies a nice size and shape.
- Use store bought frosting. You can always make your own buttercream but using store bought keeps this recipe simple and quick.
- Make the pots of gold before you are ready to assemble. Do not try to make them as you go. It is important that they get a few minutes to set up.
- If the rainbow candy doesn’t stick in the frosting clouds, add a bit more white frosting. Sometimes the candy can be a bit temperamental but adding a little extra frosting helps.
- Give the cookies enough time to set up before serving. The frosting will take about an hour to harden.
Nutrition
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