Buttery Shortbread Stars with Fluffy Marshmallow Creme Dip
These Red, White, and Blue Star Cookie Dip Cups are the perfect summer dessert for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, summer parties, bake sales, and edible gifting.
Buttery homemade shortbread stars are sprinkled with red, white, and blue sanding sugar and paired with a fluffy marshmallow creme dip swirled with patriotic colors. They're packaged in clear domed cups with inserts for a festive treat. Although they look like something straight from a bakery display case. These cookies and dip are surprisingly easy to make at home.
Whether you're creating festive treats for a cookout or putting together giftable dessert cups, these cookie dippers are certain to be a crowd-pleaser.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Refrigeration/Freezing Time: 1 hour
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Makes: 6 dozen cookies/6 cookie cups
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes - Store covered at room temperature for up to a week
- Freezer-Friendly: Freeze now, bake later
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Beautiful summer holiday presentation
- Perfect for gifting and parties
- No refrigeration required
- Easy to customize with different cookie-cutter shapes and different colors
Ingredients for Shortbread Star Cookies
Simple ingredients - amazing taste!
Making the Shortbread Cookies: Step-by-Step
- The Dough: Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium to large bowl with an electric mixer for around 2 minutes. Add the flour and beat just until combined, another minute or so. That's it!
- Refrigerate or Freeze the Dough: Transfer the dough to a gallon Ziploc bag. Roll the dough to an even thickness. Remove any dough that ends up on the tracks of the bag, and seal. Refrigerate or freeze the dough for at least an hour.
- Cut the Stars: Cut away the Ziploc bag and place the dough on a piece of parchment paper that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. Cut stars using a 1.5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer the stars to a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper, keeping about an inch between the stars.
- The Sanding Sugar: Sprinkle red, white, and blue sanding sugar on the tops of the cookies. I like to lightly press the sanding sugar with the back of a spoon to ensure that it sticks to the cookies.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in a preheated 325°F oven for around 20 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Marshmallow Creme Dip
- Ingredients: Here's what you'll need.
- Make the Dip: Add the Marshmallow Fluff, confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor with a steel blade. Process for around 30 seconds or until totally combined and creamy. That's it!
- Swirl the Dip: Transfer the dip to the inserts of the 9-ounce plastic dome cups, and an additional dish for snacking. Dip toothpicks in the red and blue gel food color, and place 3 to 4 dabs on the dip. Lightly swirl the colors with another toothpick to create a mable effect.
Packing the Cookie Cups
I used 9-ounce clear dome plastic cups with 2-ounce inserts to package the cookie cups. I started by placing 10 to 11 of the star cookies in the cups. For a festive and professional look, I added a round label to the cups.
I packaged four complete cookie cups and served the remaining cookies with extra dip for snacking.
Whether you package the red, white, and blue star cookies for packaging with a dip, or serve them at your next summer gathering, they're guaranteed to bring smiles and compliments. Yum!
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- The Ziploc Bag: For years, I've used the technique of placing the shortbread dough in a gallon Ziploc bag and evenly rolling it with a rolling pin. The quantity of dough in this recipe is perfect for evenly filling the Ziploc bag to around ¼-inch thickness.
- Freeze: Although you can refrigerate the dough, my consistent preference is to freeze the shortbread dough. Sometimes, I'll leave it in the freezer for several days before using it.
- Go Light on Beating: Beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar just until you achieve a creamy texture. Overbeating introduces air that can cause the cookies to puff and then collapse when baked. Avoid overmixing the dough once the flour has been added. Overmixing the flour can toughen the cookies.
- Confectioners' Sugar Rather than Flour: I like to sprinkle confectioners' sugar on the parchment paper rather than flour before adding the dough. Confectioners' sugar works as well as flour and imparts a subtle sweetness to a not overly sweet dough. Flour can make the cookies gummy.
- Dough Scraps: Anytime you use cookie cutters for shapes, you inevitably end up with scraps of dough. One of my favorite uses of the scraps is to gather them up, cover them with a piece of parchment paper, roll them to about ¼-inch thickness, and use a crinkle pastry wheel to make cookie fries!
- Gel Food Color: Gel food color works best because it creates vibrant colors without thinning the dip. For the swirled marble effect, use small amounts of gel food color. I've found that a toothpick works best for adding and swirling the color.
Frequently Asked Questions
I purchased the 9-ounce plastic dome cups with 2-ounce inserts from WebrestaurantStore. I had previously purchased something similar from Amazon, but ended up sending it back because the dome lids didn't properly fit.
Because I wanted to package some of the cookies in the 9-ounce cups, I wanted a cookie that was small enough to look intentional, but large enough to have structural integrity. My choice was a 1.5-inch metal star cookie cutter.
When stored in an airtight container, the cookies should stay fresh for up to a week.
Absolutely! Stars work perfectly for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day. Try hearts for Valentine's, bunnies for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween, turkeys for Thanksgiving, and snowflakes and Christmas trees for Christmas. The key is to keep them small - 1.5 inches or less.
Other Festive Desserts You'll Love
Want more inspiration? Try these recipes!
Did you make this recipe? We'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review below. Then, share a picture on Instagram and tag @pudgefactor so we can see it.
Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Flipboard, and Instagram.
Thank you so much for visiting PudgeFactor. We hope you'll come back!
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of culinary inspiration as a bonus!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Pudge Factor.
Red, White & Blue Star Cookie Dip Cups
Equipment
- Medium to large bowl
- 2 half sheet pans
- Parchment paper
- Electric Mixer
- Gallon Ziploc Bag
- Rolling Pin
- 1.5-inch star cookie cutter
- 9 ounce plastic dome cups with insert
Ingredients
Star Shortbread Cookies
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (3 ounces, 85 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (0.5 ounces, 15 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (10 ounces, 284 grams) all-purpose flour
- Red, white and blue sanding sugar
Fluffy Marshmallow Creme Dip
- 1 ¼ cups (5 ounces, 142 grams) Marshmallow Fluff
- ¾ cup (3 ounces, 85 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces, 85 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Red and blue gel food color
Instructions
Star Shortbread Cookies
- Place butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat together on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Do not beat until light and fluffy. Mix the flour at low speed until it disappears into the dough, about 1 minute. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. (See Tip 1)
- Transfer the dough to a gallon-size Ziploc bag using a spoon or spatula. Put the bag on a flat surface. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle that completely fills the bag. As you roll, occasionally turn the bag and lift the plastic from the dough to prevent creases. Seal the bag, and place it in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (See Tip 2)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Put the Ziploc bag on a cutting board and cut it open with kitchen shears. Discard the bag and turn the firm dough onto a parchment-lined board dusted with confectioners' sugar. Cut star shapes with a 1.5-inch cookie cutter - transfer to prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops with red, white, and blue sanding sugar.
- Bake in a 325°F preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Yield: 72 cookies.
Fluffy Marshmallow Creme Dip
- Process the Marshmallow Fluff, confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a food processor for 30 seconds, or until well combined and creamy.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the dip to the 2-ounce plastic cup inserts; smooth the tops. Dip the end of a toothpick in red gel food color and dot the top 3 or 4 times. Repeat with another toothpick and the blue gel food color. Take another toothpick and lightly swirl the food color in the dip.
Cookie Cup Assembly
- Create 2-inch round labels and place them on the outside of the cups. Place 10 or 11 of the red, white, and blue star cookies in the cups. Add the dip insert and secure the dome lid.
Video
Tips/Notes
- You should only beat the dough ingredients enough to combine them. If you beat too much air into the cookie dough, the cookie stars will puff up and lose their shape.
- The dough should be very cold and firm when working with it. If it softens, return the dough to the refrigerator or freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up.
Leave a Reply