My rainbow chocolate chip cookies are super tasty and extra fun for summer desserts! I start with a classic chocolate chip cookie dough then infuse it with swirls of rainbow color, making them perfect for parties. Soft and chewy, these vibrant cookies are easy to make and are sure to brighten up your day!
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Tie-Dye Swirls
I’m always looking for fun and easy dessert ideas my kids will love, and this one checks the boxes. With their bright rainbow swirls, these chocolate chip cookies are more than enough to impress my boys.
These cookies are so simple to make with just a few basic ingredients. Once I’ve made the cookie dough, I just divide it into 6 portions and stir in the gel food coloring. I combine a little of each color into one ball of tie-dye cookie dough, top them with more chocolate chips, then bake!
These are easy enough to make as a fun after school treat for the kids, but pretty enough to share with guests. Because of their beautiful rainbow color, they’re great for birthday parties, St. Patrick’s Day, pride celebrations, or any summer occasion!
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Get the Most Vibrant Colors!
To achieve these vibrant rainbow colors, I used the brand Chefmaster Liqua-Gel in the colors: super red, neon brite orange, lemon yellow, leaf green, neon brite blue, and neon brite purple. Gel coloring works so much better than liquid.
Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheet
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter slightly melted (1½ sticks)
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 19 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips divided (1 cup + 3 tablespoons)
- Gel food coloring red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple*
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until well mixed, about 2 minutes.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture and beat on high until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat on low just until combined. The dough will be very thick, but it shouldn’t be crumbly.
- Gently fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips by hand. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips aside for now.19 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- Separate cookie dough equally into 6 bowls. This works out to be around 200 grams of dough per bowl.
- Color one bowl red, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, and one purple. Stir the colors into the dough well so each color is fully combined into the dough.Gel food coloring
- Take about a teaspoon of each color of cookie dough, and roll them together in your hands to create one cookie dough ball. Each cookie dough ball will be around 38 grams. The cookie dough ball will look like a tie-dye style of swirled colors.
- Using the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips, press a few into the top of each unbaked cookie.
- Place the tray of cookies into the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. This is an important step to help prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- While the cookies chill, preheat oven to 350°F.
- On a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place a few chilled cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake only 1 tray of cookies at a time.
- Bake chilled cookies for 14 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Notes
- The dough can get sticky so I recommend lightly spraying your hands with non-stick cooking spray before rolling the dough.
- Take care not to overmix the dough after adding the food coloring. Too much handling could muddy the color, and you’ll lose the vibrancy.
- Letting the cookie dough chill in the freezer prevents over-spreading in the oven. Plus, if the dough is too warm, it can get a little messy due to the food coloring.
- Bake 1 tray of cookies at a time, and leave the rest of the dough in the freezer to chill. If you don’t have enough baking sheets, you can place the cookie dough on large plates or trays, and stick those in the freezer.
How to Make Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies Step by Step
Prep: Gather the list of ingredients to make this rainbow chocolate chip cookie recipe. Bring eggs close to room temperature for best results. Melt the butter slightly in the microwave. It should be softened, but still relatively intact — not a fully liquid pool.
Combine Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together ¾ cup of unsalted butter, 1½ cups of brown sugar, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar until well mixed, about 2 minutes.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add in 2 large eggs and 1 tablespoon of vanilla into the butter mixture and beat on high until fully incorporated, for about 1 minute.
Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat on low just until combined. The dough should be thick but not crumbly.
Add the Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips by hand (not with the mixer). Put 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips aside for topping the cookies later.
Color the Dough: Separate the cookie dough equally into 6 bowls. Using gel food coloring; color one bowl red, one orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, and one purple. Stir well so each color is fully combined into the dough.
Form the Cookie Dough Balls: Take about a teaspoon of each color of cookie dough, and roll them together in your hands to create one cookie dough ball. The cookie dough ball will look like a tie-dye style of swirled colors. Using the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips, press a few into the top of each unbaked cookie. Place the tray of cookies into the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. This is an important step to help prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Bake the Cookies: On a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place a few chilled cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake only 1 tray of cookies at a time, and leave the rest of the dough in the freezer. Bake the chilled cookies for 14 minutes. The cookies may still look a little underdone when you remove them from the oven, but they’ll continue to set as they cool.
Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack or serving plate.
How to Store
Store rainbow chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days; in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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