No-Bake, Red, White and Blue Desserts
What I love about roundups is that we get to see a varied point of view from various recipe developers. We all have different palettes and bringing together recipes from our favorite bloggers is a way to get the whole shebang in one place. Right now we are thinking about the Fourth of July holiday coming up. Friends and family gathering – often outside – to share food and drink. And it is hot in a lot of places! Too hot to turn on the oven. And besides, many us have the grill fired up, so why turn on the oven, too?
Here we bring you the best No-Bake, Red, White and Blue Desserts to make your July 4th as festive as possible. Easy, too – these are great desserts to make with kids. Well, except maybe for the vodka soaked cherries. Use your judgement! We’ve got frozen treats, cheesecakes, vegan desserts, chia pudding, red, white & blue breakfasts, popcorn nibbles and more…
In our main image above you can see the vodka soaked Buzzed Cherry Bombs from Laurie Farmer and Frosting and a Smile. Simple, colorful and please, just for the adults. These maraschino cherries are dipped in white chocolate coating and then dipped in sparkly blue sugar. Make at least a couple per person. They go fast.
The SimpleThrifty blog by Heidi Jo is packed with creative ideas, like these Patriotic Snow Cones. Snow cones are a tried and true summer treat. They never go out of style because they are so easy and just so much fun. Maybe you have only thought of getting snow cones at county fairs or city street fairs, but they can be made at home and Heidi walks you through it.
Looking for a healthy alternative? This Berry Patriotic Chia Seed Pudding can be served for breakfast – it’s that clean and healthy! Kelly Page blogs at The Tasting Page and she brought us this layered delight. The individual servings in tiny jars makes them extra special – and portable!
Speaking of breakfast, start the day right with a seasonally hued smoothie from from Katrina’s Kitchen. Her Frozen Triple Berry Smoothies can even be packaged in small jars for what Katrina calls “second breakfast”. Sounds good to us!
How about a dip to round out our choices? Sweet dips have been making the rounds the last few years and yet some of us still haven’t indulged. Well, it’s high time you did! The Red, Light and Berry Dip from Carrie and her The Frugal Foodie Mama blog starts with yogurt and whipped topping and adds raspberries and blueberries. Graham cracker dippers make it seem like you are eating cheesecake!
Popsicles are easier to make than you think and the choice of molds on the market is extensive. You can find them in classic shapes as well as rocket ships, animals, even aliens. Above are the Red, White & Blue Milk Pops from the Taste and Tell blog. Blueberries and strawberries are suspended in honey-sweetened milk. Lighter than ice cream, but heartier than a sorbet or fruit ice.
No-bake cheesecakes make an appearance in the Test Kitchen every summer and this No-Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake Tart combines the best attributes of no-bake cheesecake and fresh fruit tarts. Blogger Barry from Rock Recipes tells us that the fruit topping can be varied, but we like sticking with the berries for Independence Day.
Marshmallows are around in our Test Kitchen all summer long, usually finding their way into some sort of s’more recipe. Here they are used in a seasonal Fourth of July Krispy Treats from the Cupcake Diaries blog. When was the last time you made krispy treats? And if you want more colorful rice krispy inspiration check out our Trix Treats.
Marly from Namely Marly brings us a Red, White and Blueberry Vegan Cheesecake based on cashews, almonds and coconut milk. Coconut sugar brings gentle sweetness. If you have never made a vegan cheesecake, this is a great one to start with. It is really kind of incredible how creamy this is.
Popcorn is a nightly snack for us and often we go the savory route. But check out this Patriotic Munch from Julie’s Eats & Treats. You start with puffed corn and add chocolate coating and seasonal colors. Make sure to order oil-based food coloring. Kids love helping with this recipe and it can be packaged for portable munching while you are watching fireworks.
Feeling like indulging in cheesecake but need help with portion control (*looks at self*)? Then try this recipe for Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries from Amber and her blog, Dessert Now, Dinner Later. She took June off from blogging and we wish her well with her new baby boy! Five ingredients and a pastry bag and you have a pretty and tasty dessert – or an addition to a dessert array.
Trifles are super easy to put together – the key is having a pretty, clear glass bowl. This Oatmeal Creme Pie Berry Trifle from Jocelyn at BruCrew Life is ingenious. She uses Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies for layering. Brilliant. Make it ahead to let the textures blend and soften.
I love Jell-O. It is a childhood comfort food thing for me and I am a total sucker for layered gelatin concoctions. This Layered Ribbon Jell-O Salad shown above is from Two Healthy Kitchens and Shelley and Gretchen, who co-blog. Cool, fruity and eye catching! Just take your time creating the layers for the best effect. Here is their version below that highlights the July 4th color scheme.
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