Fun fact, I love a good theme. When hosting a party or even a barbecue, I like to have some sort of idea for the day. Whether it’s grilling each element of the meal, having a consistent flavor in each recipe, or doing something festive. So, for the Fourth of July this year, I’m planning to prepare an assortment of patriotic desserts.
If you’re looking for a simple dessert, trifles are a fantastic option. Christi Capps’ (Nashville, GA) American Angel Food Parfait can be thrown together in a snap and is made with all store-bought ingredients.
“This is the perfect dessert for that Labor Day or July 4th picnic,” says Christi.
This creamy trifle is light as a feather and tastes like a dream… a good dream. It’s made with layers of angel food cake, strawberries (or raspberries), blueberries, and whipped topping.
The hardest part of this dessert is cutting the cake into small cubes. Seriously easy and anyone can make this trifle.
“A refreshing dessert for those summer barbecues,” thinks Billy Haze (Philadelphia, PA) of his Blueberry Strawberry Buckle. This dessert screams summertime. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
If you’re not familiar with a buckle, basically, it’s a fruity coffee cake. And, they’re fantastic.
This buckle has a light, fluffy, and slightly sweet bottom layer. A mixture of strawberries and blueberries provides a delicious sweet and tart layer of flavor – and makes this festive for the 4th.
The buttery crumb topping has a slight spice to it that smells amazing while baking. Easy to make, just serve with some vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
“These are so easy and they look and taste like you worked hard,” says Montra Crabtree (London, KY) of her Cream Cheese Tarts. I remember enjoying little tarts like these as a child and they’re so good.
Vanilla wafers are the crust and on top is a creamy cheesecake. Topping with cherry or blueberry pie filling, they look very festive.
The recipe calls for one large can of pie filling. It would be fun to purchase two smaller cans – one blueberry and one cherry or even strawberry – and top the tarts with both fillings.
It’s not often dessert is fun, but Lori McClain’s (Denton, TX) Patriotic Popping Sundaes With Cinnamon Naan is.
“I love popping rocks candies to make any celebration fun,” shares Lori. “I like to make this little sundae on celebration days with a base of my favorite naan all crisped and dusted with cinnamon sugar… you can style your sundae using your fave berries and Pop Rock flavors.”
The cinnamon sugar naan is crisp and buttery. Sweet and creamy vanilla ice cream is a great contrast to the tart raspberry syrup. Blueberries and raspberries add patriotic colors.
But what’s the most fun is the Pop Rock candies. They add a fun and festive element of surprise. After toasting the naan, this is an easy dessert that kids can assemble themselves.
Now, if you want to be very patriotic and present a show-stopper dessert, try Faye Patterson’s (Erie, PA) Fourth of July Cheesecake.
“I make this EVERY year on the Fourth of July,” reveals Faye. “My family looks forward to it and the little ones love to help decorate the top. It’s one of my favorite traditions.”
Faye’s classic no-bake cheesecake is both delicious AND fun.
A lemon filling is poured over the tastiest vanilla wafer crust. Then, it’s decorated with bright, beautiful berries in a flag pattern. Sweet and creamy, this dessert would look great on any table… picnic or otherwise.
With a red, white, and blue theme, not only are these Blue Ribbon recipes festive they are also super tasty. I hope everyone has a safe July 4th and Happy Pinching!