Written by Christie Crawford
Clarksville, TN – Getting ready for our nation’s big birthday means putting together a feast with Americana favorites, including a variety of desserts featuring the red, white, and blue colors of the holiday. Luckily, fruits of the season cooperate, with blueberries and strawberries helping to fill the color scheme.
The good news is that you can put together some excellent dessert fare without endless hours in the kitchen. Here are four desserts that you can serve with national pride in July:
Red White & Blue Saltine Bark: (courtesy of www.bitesizedbash.com)
Ingredients:
35 saltine crackers
1 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups white chocolate chips
â…“ cup red and blue M&Ms
2 tbsp patriotic sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lay out your saltines in a single layer.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture over the crackers and quickly spread it out evenly with a spatula.
Sprinkle on the M&Ms and festive sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. Let the candy cool, then chill in the fridge for about 1 hour to set. Once set, break into pieces.
Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Salad (courtesy of www.tasihub.com )
This versatile salad/dessert can be served in a number of ways. Create individual portions in cups or seven in large bowl. Can also be used as a dip with graham crackers or vanilla wafers as a dipper.
Ingredients:
(For the cheesecake mixture:)
8 oz cream cheese softened until room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz whipped topping, thawed
(For the fruit mixture:)
2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
Directions:
Prepare the cream cheese mixture In a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese. Beat it using a mixer on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating until fully blended and the mixture is fluffy and slightly glossy. Fold in the whipped topping. Gently add the thawed whipped topping to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in slowly until everything is fully combined and the mixture is light and airy.
Add the fruit and marshmallows. Rinse and gently pat the strawberries and blueberries dry with a paper towel. Slice the strawberries into bite-sized pieces. Add the sliced strawberries, blueberries, and mini marshmallows to the cheesecake mixture. Carefully fold everything together until the fruit and marshmallows are evenly distributed.
Chill before serving. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to let the flavors come together and the texture set.
Red White and Blue Icebox Cake (courtesy of www.dessertsonadime.com)
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
3 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Âľ cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 14-ounce box graham crackers
2 cups blueberries
3 cups strawberries, thinly sliced
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and beat until the mixture begins to thicken and forms soft peaks. Set aside.
On the bottom of a 9×13 pan, place a single layer of graham crackers. Next, place 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the graham crackers, spreading gently. Top this layer with ½ cup blueberries, and one cup thinly sliced strawberries. Repeat this layering process twice more.
For the top berry layer, randomly sprinkle the strawberries and blueberries. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours before serving.
Red, White, and Blue Fruit Kabobs (courtesy of www.twohealthykitchens.com)
Ingredients:
(Red fruit options)
Watermelon
Strawberries
Raspberries
Red grapes
Cherries (pitted)
(White Fruit Options)
White melons such as Crenshaw or white honeydew
Bananas
White peaches (peeled)
(Blue Fruit Options)
Blueberries
Blackberries
(Option: Angel food cake, cubed)
Directions:
Wash and, if needed, peel or cut your fruit. If desired, make some star-shaped cutouts by slicing melons slightly thinner than the depth of cookie cutters, in the shape of stars (generally about ½ inch thick is good), using your star-shaped cutters to make stars of various sizes.
Thread fruit onto bamboo skewers, alternating colors and types of fruit in pretty combinations. If using angel food cake, use it in place of some of the white fruits. Serve as is, or with a favorite vanilla or chocolate dip.
