This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip is the ultimate no-bake treat for your 4th of July celebration! Packed with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits, it’s sweet, festive, and perfect for scooping with graham crackers or Nilla wafers. Decorated with red, white and blue M&M’s, this crowd-pleasing dip is perfect for Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend as well!
Looking for more showstoppers for the 4th? Check these out: 4th of July Charcuterie Board, 4th of July Mini Cupcakes and these fun and easy Star Spangled Gumdrops!
4th Of July Dessert
If you’re looking for a fun, festive, and totally irresistible dessert for the 4th of July, this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip is it! Made with pantry staples and no baking required, this sweet dip is packed with mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits for layers of flavor and texture in every bite.
Decorated with red, white, and blue M&M’s, it doubles as a patriotic centerpiece for your dessert table. Serve it with graham crackers, animal crackers, or Nilla wafers and watch it disappear in no time. It’s the kind of recipe that looks impressive but couldn’t be easier to make – perfect for holiday parties, potlucks, and BBQs!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This no-bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip is bursting with flavor and fun! Rich, creamy, and loaded with sweet mix-ins, it’s the perfect red, white, and blue treat for your Independence Day party.
- No baking required – A festive, make-ahead treat that keeps the oven off!
- Perfect for parties – Fun, patriotic, and a total crowd-pleaser for the 4th of July.
- Packed with flavor – Chocolate, peanut butter, and toffee in every delicious bite.
What You’ll Need
Celebrate the 4th with this festive Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip! Loaded with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits, it’s a sweet and easy crowd-pleaser that doubles as a patriotic showstopper.
Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need and, as always, you can find the full printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Red, White, and Blue M&M’s: Turn this dip into a patriotic showstopper!
- Butter: Provides richness and helps create a smooth, creamy texture in the dough.
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar: Add sweetness and classic cookie dough flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor of the dough and gives it a warm, sweet aroma.
- Sea salt: Balances the sweetness and deepens the flavor profile.
- Flour: Creates the structure for the dip—baked briefly for safety.
- Mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits: Add crunch, richness, and irresistible texture.
- Milk: Used as needed to achieve the perfect consistency for shaping and decorating.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip
Make your dessert table shine with this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip! Easy to make and even easier to love, it’s the sweet star of any patriotic party.
As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Shape & decorate: Form the dough into a rectangle and press M&M’s into the surface in a flag pattern. Chill if not serving right away.
- Heat-treat the flour: Spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes to eliminate any potential bacteria. Let it cool completely.
- Mix the base: Cream butter and sugars for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add flavor: Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Slowly mix in the cooled flour until combined.
- Add mix-ins: Stir in mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits.
- Adjust texture: Stir in milk, starting with 1 tablespoon, until the dough holds its shape and is easy to press M&M’s into.
I actually laid out my design first on the counter and then tried really, really hard to make it work on the dip. I did pretty good. Once the top was done (above), I was stumped. I decided to just continue the pattern down the sides so it looked more seamless. You could also go all blue, all read, all white, or just leave it as is.
I used about one whole bag of M&M’s for this dip but buy two to be on the safe side. You never know if you’re going to get all reds or something.
Storage Information
- Make ahead: You can make this dip up to 2 days in advance. For best results, wait to decorate with M&M’s until just before serving.
- Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let soften at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving.
- Freezing: Not recommended, as the texture may change once thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip heat-treating the flour?
It’s not recommended. Raw flour can carry bacteria, so baking it for just a few minutes makes the recipe safer to enjoy.
What if I don’t have peanut butter chips or toffee bits?
You can substitute more chocolate chips or your favorite mix-ins like chopped nuts or mini marshmallows.
How firm should the dough be?
The dough should be soft enough to press M&M’s into, but firm enough to hold its shape when served.
Variations To Try
- Swap the chips: Try white chocolate, butterscotch, or dark chocolate chips for a fun twist.
- Nut-free version: Omit the peanut butter chips and toffee bits if allergies are a concern.
- Different holidays: Use seasonal M&M’s for other holidays – think green and red for Christmas or pink and red for Valentine’s Day.
- Change the shape: This dip can be made into any shape you want! A Christmas tree, a heart – you name it!
Trish’s Tips
- Don’t skip cooling the flour! it needs to be completely cool before adding to the dough.
- Add the milk slowly to avoid a runny dough; you want a scoopable but shapeable texture.
- If the dough is too soft after mixing, chill it for 15–20 minutes before shaping and decorating.
- Decorate the flag just before serving for the brightest colors and best texture.
More Red, White and Blue Favorites
- 4th of July Mini Vanilla Cupcakes
- No Bake Pull Apart Berry Cheesecake
- Red, White and Blue Sparkler Cookies
- Red, White and Blue Patriotic Peppermint Patties
- Berries ‘N Cream Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- ¾ cup peanut butter chips
- ¾ cup Heath toffee bits
- 1 tablespoon milk 1 to 3 tbsp
- M&M's red, white, and blue
Serve With
- animal crackers
- Nilla wafers
- graham crackers
Instructions
- Spread flour on a baking sheet or Silpat and bake for 5 minutes at 350° F. Let cool completely.1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- Cream butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl for 3 minutes.¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Mix in vanilla extract and salt until combined.2 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Mix in flour just until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits.1 cup mini chocolate chips, ¾ cup peanut butter chips, ¾ cup Heath toffee bits
- Test the dough for consistency. You want the dough to be firm enough to hold it's shape and soft enough that you can press the M&M's into the dough and they'll stick.
- Stir in milk as needed. Start with one tablespoon and go from there. (I only needed one tablespoon.)1 tablespoon milk
- Form the dough into a rectangle on a flat surface.
- Press the M&M’s into the dough to create a flag. I started at the bottom row with red with M&M’s and worked my way up. I did the sides last.M&M's
- The dip is ready to eat immediately.
- If refrigerating the dip for more than 2 hours before serving, do not add M&M’s.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and let soften on the counter for 20 minutes before adding the M&M's. Serve with animal crackers, Nilla wafers and graham crackers.animal crackers, Nilla wafers, graham crackers
Notes
- Make ahead: You can make this dip up to 2 days in advance. For best results, wait to decorate with M&M’s until just before serving.
- Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let soften at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving.
- Freezing: Not recommended, as the texture may change once thawed.
Please see post above for more information, step-by-step process photos, recipe tips and frequently asked questions.
Nutrition
Originally published June 14, 2016.
Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke says
This is all kinds of AMAZING!!!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
How fun and festive!
Cathy Trochelman says
I could do some major damage to this perfect little dip! LOVE it!
Donna Howard says
Going to do this!!! I bow to you for having such nice straight lines with the M&Ms!!
Dee says
That looks amazing! I bought several of those bags, and they magically disappeared, so I’ll have to buy more just to make this awesome cake!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
This is so cute and festive! I love how simple it is too!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
What a fun idea for a patriotic dessert!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
This dip looks like a gorgeous cake!! So fun and festive!
Mir says
Holy whoa. This is crazy. I’m so glad you went the cookie dough route! And like you, I bought a ton of those M & Ms. I mean, so useful. Like, more useful than a wrench or a house key or whatever. 😉
Serene @ House of Yumm says
This is so fun!! I’m a sucker for seasonal M&Ms! I always have to get them when I come across them in the market. So now I’m off to find the Red, White & Blue ones! This cookie dough dip would definitely disappear FAST in my home!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
You have more patience than that Biblical dude to put this together, but it’s fantastic. I’d hate to be the one to first break into it though, but once it was, I’d have no problem devouring it.
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons says
This is such a brilliant idea Trish! So cute and I’m certain it’s deeeeeeelish too!
Michelle @ Blackberry Babe says
I CANNOT even handle how good this looks. If I had this at a party, I would never be more than 2 inches away from it. I would just be shoveling it in my face! YUM!!!!!!!