Bomb Pop Cookies
This recipe for Bomb Pop Cookies is not only so tasty but so cute for the 4th of July or Memorial Day! These are the perfect dessert to bring for those red, white and blue holidays. Bursting with Sugar cookie flavors with hints of cherry flavoring in the red and blueberry flavoring in the blue, using Jello! These were so fun to make and were a huge hit for everybody involved!
If there’s one thing we all know about the 4th of July, it’s that it’s a day of patriotism, fireworks, and pretending we’re grill masters while quietly Googling “how to cook corn” because I literally forget every summer whether to start with boiling water or put the corn into cold water. It’s just not something I do often enough – don’t judge. This year let’s talk something explosively fun to the dessert table: Bomb Pop Cookies! I feel this is a new favorite to add to my collection of 4th of July recipes.
Yes, those red, white, and blue rocket-shaped popsicles chock full of artificial food dyes that you chased down the ice cream truck for as a kid have inspired a cookie that’s just as colorful, just as nostalgic, and—dare I say—even more delicious. Sorry, ice cream truck. We’ve moved on to bigger and better things, like cookies. This year, skip the store-bought sweets and try something homemade, colorful, and surprisingly easy. They are similar to my Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies, but in the shape of popsicles instead of round circles. Also, the fruit flavors added to these bad boys really shine in these Bomb Pop Cookies. The pinwheel cookies, although amazing, just have the sugar cookie flavor throughout and are merely colored with food coloring as opposed to the Jello.
These cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with the bold flavors of cherry and blue raspberry—each in its own pretty, patriotic swirl. They basically taste like summer freedom, if that freedom came in bite-sized form and made your guests say, “Wait… you made these from scratch?!” Oh yes. You did. And you barely broke a sweat, unless your kitchen gets as hot as mine does in the summer while baking. I never learn my lesson and opt for the no-bake treats in those sweltering hot months.
Let’s talk flavor: The cherry and blue raspberry combo in these cookies is nothing short of amazing. The cherry is sweet, juicy, and nostalgic—it tastes like your favorite childhood slushie from 7-Eleven, or that bright red popsicle that always stained your shirt (totally worth it). Then comes the blue raspberry. Is it a real berry? Nope. Does it taste like summer anyway? Absolutely. It’s tart, tangy, and perfectly balances out the cherry’s sweetness with just enough zing that cuts through the richness of the sugar cookie base. Together, they’re just perfect. You can even take the extra step to make the plain cookie dough a lemon flavor and still keep with the red, white and blue theme. Adding the lemon would give it a brighter and more citrusy flavor. I prefer to leave it plain, but it’s totally up to you.
Each bite is fruity, flavorful, and just the right amount of sweet. They taste like summer memories but without melting in the sun or drinking toxic water from the hose (haha).
No complicated ingredients in these bomb pop cookies. No baking degree required. Just some sugar cookie dough, food coloring, a little flavor extract magic from the Jello, and a tiny bit of enthusiasm. You divide the dough into three parts, tint and flavor two of them (one remains its original color), smoosh them together like edible Play-Doh, roll into logs, bake, and BOOM! They are an explosion in your mouth without the actual “explosion”, like my Firecracker Pop Rocks Cookies provide for you. Yes, there are actual pop rocks in those cookies, and you need them in your life.
They’re the kind of cookies that make you look fancy without actually requiring you to be fancy. Kids love them. Adults love them. You can even try to pass this off as healthy (“there’s cherry in it!”). That counts as fruit, right? Plus, they photograph beautifully, so your cookie tray can finally have its influencer moment.
So this 4th of July, between sparklers and s’mores, light up your dessert table with something patriotic and show-stopping. These cookies are fun, festive, and way easier than you might think. They also travel well if you’re heading to a cookout. Serve them as-is, or for an extra touch, stack a few in clear treat bags tied with ribbon as take-home favors. They’re easy to grab between backyard games and perfect for sharing after a round of burgers and corn on the cob. People love the look, but they really love the flavor even more.
Let freedom (and Bomb Pop Cookies) ring! Fireworks are the highlight of the night, don’t you agree? Enjoy your holiday to the fullest.
Here are some other 4th of July recipes for you to try out:
Red, White and Blue Fudge – With its festive red, white, and blue colors, you can impress anybody! A no-bake treat for summer with just a few simple ingredients!
Red, White, and Blue Mini Cheesecakes – I very much prefer making mini cheesecakes rather than a whole big cheesecake.
Patriotic Sangria – Summer is here and you aren’t going to find a much easier recipe for patriotic sangria than this one.
Red White and Blue Fluff Salad – this Red White and Blue Fluff Salad is a fun summer dessert that is also popular during the holidays.
Bomb Pop Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup 1 stick of butter softened to room temp
- 1/3 cup canola OR vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp of cherry Jello powder mix
- 1/2 tsp water
- 1/2 tsp berry blue Jello powder mix
- 1/2 tsp water
- Red and blue food coloring
- Popsicle sticks optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the sugar, powdered sugar and butter. Beat with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until it becomes light and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes.
- Add the oil and the egg, beat until it’s mixed together.
- In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar, whisk together. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture 1 cup at a time while beating on a low- medium speed until all the flour has just incorporated.
- Divide the dough into three medium sized bowls. In two small bowls add the 1/2 tsp cherry Jello powder to one small bowl with 1/2 tsp of water, stir. Repeat with the berry blue Jello powder in the other bowl.
- Pour the cherry Jello water onto one of the dough balls, then add red food coloring to that dough ball. Pour the berry Jello water onto one of the other dough balls and add the blue food coloring to that one.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Grab the non dyed dough ball and form a 8-10 inch long block, make sure it’s in the middle of the tray.
- I highly recommend plastic gloves to wear on your hands to avoid staining during this next step. Take the red dough ball and mix with your hand until the entire ball is completely red with no dough colored streaks. You may need to add more red dye to it to make it brighter.
- Form into another long block and set on the left side of the non colored dough log on the tray. Repeat with the blue dough, mix and then form and place on the right side of the non colored dough. Cover in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough out the fridge and cut 1/4 inch crosswise pieces off carefully. Place a popsicle stick down and place the entire cookie piece right on top of the popsicle stick. Using a fork, lightly press into the top of the cookie to create lines going down it.
- Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes. Let them cool completely and then serve. Enjoy!
