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Can you believe the 4th of July is this weekend? I looked at my calendar and thought, that can’t be right. What happened to the month of June? I barely feel prepared! But…. come Saturday, I will be ready.
I’m putting others in charge of the food and am going to focus on desserts. I know we’ll be spending as much time outside as possible, soaking up the sun, and social distancing with family and friends. I want to make a variety of sweets with something for everyone. I also want something that’s refreshing because it’s going to be HOT!
The first dessert I’m going to make is an Ice Cream Sandwich Cookie. It’s yummy vanilla ice cream sandwiched between 2 homemade cookies with yes, red, white, and blue, M&M’s for a 4th of July theme. These are going to be the perfect way too cool off!
The recipe can be found here.
Start by making the homemade cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don’t have 4 baking sheets feel free to use 2 and just let them cool slightly before baking the second batch.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer to beat until creamy (you can also mix by hand if you want a good workout). Add the vanilla and eggs and mix again.
Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and continue to mix until incorporated.
Add the M&M’s and stir to combine. You can substitute chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc. for another variation of the same cookie. I like to use the “themed holiday pack” and went with red, white, and blue.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Each cookie should be about 1 ½ – 2 Tbsp worth of dough and you should be able to fit about 12 cookies on each sheet, leaving you with approximately 48 cookies.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, let the ice cream soften slightly on the counter for about 5-10 minutes. You don’t want the ice cream to melt and be a soupy mess, but you do want it soft enough to sandwich between 2 cookies.
Use an ice cream scoop to add a large scoop of ice cream onto one cookie. Place a second cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press together to make a sandwich. Place on a baking sheet and continue making sandwiches until the cookies are used up. Place in the freezer for at least 1 hour to allow the ice cream to set.
I use ½ the cookies to make sandwiches and set the other ½ of the cookies on a platter for people to enjoy as is. Feel free to do either but it’s a great way to give you an added option for something to serve.
Once the ice cream has set, store the sandwiches in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy! Hopefully you can eat all the ice cream before it melts!
The recipe can be found here.
The second dessert I’m going to make is Red, White, and Blue Shortcake. This is a variation of strawberry shortcake but with blue whipped cream. This dessert could not be any simpler because you have very little to prepare. The taste is amazingly light and will leave you satisfied.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by adding the whipped cream, powdered sugar, and a few drops of blue food coloring to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on high until stiff peaks form, which should take about 5 minutes. Add additional food coloring while beating to adjust the shade of blue as needed. I probably added about 10-12 drops to get a rich blue color.
Next, wash, dry, and slice the strawberries. Then, slice the angel food cake or pound cake into bite-sized pieces. I find it easiest to use store-bought cake, but you can use a homemade recipe if you prefer.
Layer the dessert on little appetizer plates or in stemless wine glasses. Place a few pieces of cake on the bottom, add a few sliced strawberries, and top with a heaping scoop of the blue whipped cream.
Serve chilled and enjoy! This dessert looks very patriotic and gives a burst of color to your table setting. Yum!
The recipe can be found here.
The final dessert I’m going to make is Patriotic Pretzel Rods. These are pretzel rods dipped in chocolate to look like an American Flag. They are a mix between a dessert and a snack because they are sweet enough to be a dessert but are also a quick grab-and-go snack. I love the crunch of the pretzels and the sweet and salt combination of the salt and chocolate.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by breaking the almond bark into small pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has completely melted.
Dip the pretzel rods into the chocolate. I like to use a spoon to help coat the pretzel rod because the bowl isn’t deep enough to submerge the pretzel. Cover about 90% of the pretzel. Set on a piece of wax paper on the counter and continue with the rest of the pretzel rods. Let the chocolate harden on the counter for about 10 minutes.
Add the blue candy melts to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has completely melted.
Dip the pretzel rods in the blue chocolate but only submerge about ½ of the pretzel rod. I like to use a spoon for this part as well because the bowl isn’t deep enough to dip ½ of the pretzel rod in. Place the pretzel rod back onto the wax paper and immediately add white sprinkles (any shape). If you add the blue chocolate to all the pretzels before adding the sprinkles they won’t stick. The chocolate sets pretty fast so you have to add the sprinkles in between each pretzel rod or so. Continue until all the pretzel rods have been dipped in the blue chocolate and have sprinkles added. Let the chocolate harden on the counter for about 10 minutes.
Add the red candy melts to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has completely melted.
Either add the melted chocolate to a squeeze bottle or pour into a Ziploc bag and snip the end. I prefer the squeeze bottle method. Drizzle a few red lines on each pretzel on the remaining half that is covered in white chocolate. These are to resemble the red and white stripes on the flag. Make the lines as thick or as thin as you would like. Let the chocolate harden on the counter for about 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container on the counter or enjoy immediately. These are a great crowd pleaser!
The recipe can be found here.
I hope you like these recipes and have a wonderful 4th of July! Stay safe and enjoy the holiday. Happy Cooking!
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