Make tie-dye cookies the easy way with our Swirled Tie-Dye Cookies technique! Bright swirls of color are baked into a buttery sugar cookie dough resulting in a cool, marbled look. The cookies are as fun to eat as they are to make.
You may also love these beautiful and delicious Marbled Star Cookies!
Ingredients
- Powdered sugar — Provides sweetness and helps keep the cookies soft and tender.
- Butter — Adds that rich, buttery flavor we all love and keeps the cookies moist and yummy.
- Vanilla extract — Gives a sweet, cozy flavor.
- Egg — Holds everything together and makes the cookies nice and chewy.
- All-purpose flour — The main ingredient that gives the cookies their structure.
- Baking soda — Helps the cookies rise a bit and stay light and airy.
- Cream of tartar — Adds a tiny bit of tang and works with the baking soda to make the cookies soft and chewy.
- Gel food coloring — Essential for those vibrant, eye-catching tie-dye swirls. The gel form keeps the dough from getting too wet. I used blue, red, yellow, green and orange.
- Nonpareils — Adds a fun, crunchy texture and even more color to make the cookies look extra festive and fun.
Directions
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Divide the dough in half and set one-half aside.
Step 2: Divide the other half of the dough into five portions and place each portion in a separate small bowl. Add food color gel to each bowl, mixing just enough to create streaks of color in the dough.
Step 3: Place the plain half of the dough onto a lightly floured 16×12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll it into a 9×12-inch rectangle. Randomly drop tablespoons of the colored dough over the rectangle. Lightly press and flatten the colored dough into the plain dough with a rolling pin. Using the parchment paper to help, tightly roll the dough from the long side into a log about 12 inches long and 2 ½ inches wide.
Step 4: Place nonpareils in a rimmed cookie sheet. Transfer the dough roll to the pan and press and roll it in the nonpareils to coat evenly on all sides. Wrap the roll tightly in parchment paper and chill for 2 hours or until firm. (I forgot to take a pic of the dough log covered in nonpareils. Oops!)
Step 5: Unwrap the dough, trim off the ends, and discard them. Cut the dough into ¼-inch slices and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Step 6: Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tie-Dye Sugar Cookies FAQ
Use gel food coloring for the best results. It’s more concentrated than liquid coloring, so you’ll get bright, bold colors without altering the dough’s texture.
Gel is best because it keeps the dough from getting too wet, but you can use liquid if that’s what you have. Just be careful not to add too much.
Swirl the colors into the dough gently and avoid over-mixing. This will keep the streaky, marbled effect intact.
Storing Your Tie-Dye Cookies
Keep your swirled tie-dye cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container or a sealed freezer bag. They can be stacked! They’ll stay tasty at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze them for up to three months. Just let them thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy them!
Swirled Tie-Dye Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- gel food coloring blue, red, yellow, green and orange gel food coloring
- ⅓ cup rainbow nonpareils
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Divide the dough in half and set one half aside.
- Divide the other half of the dough into five portions and place each portion in a separate small bowl. Add food color gel to each bowl, mixing just enough to create streaks of color in the dough.
- Place the plain half of the dough onto a lightly floured 12×16-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll it into a 9×12-inch rectangle. Randomly drop tablespoons of the colored dough over the rectangle. Lightly press and flatten the colored dough into the plain dough with a rolling pin. Using the parchment paper to help, tightly roll the dough from the long side into a log about 12 inches long and 2 ½ inches wide.
- Place nonpareils in a rimmed cookie sheet. Transfer the dough roll to the pan and press and roll it in the nonpareils to coat evenly on all sides. Wrap the roll tightly in parchment paper and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Unwrap the dough, trim off the ends, and discard them. Cut the dough into ¼-inch slices and place them 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Let rest on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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