(Family Features) Fireworks don’t have to be the only party element that makes guests ooh and ah during July 4th festivities. With colorful sweets that sparkle and a themed tablescape exploding with red, white and blue, your party is sure to be the best on the block.
“Adding patriotic flair to your Independence Day celebration is easy with the right recipes and decorating accents,” said Nancy Siler, vice president of consumer affairs at Wilton. “Put your personal John Hancock on the party by turning traditional summertime foods into amazing sweet treats.”
Try these dessert ideas from the Wilton test kitchen for a celebration that ends with a bang:
—Burgers with a Sweet Bite: Traditional burgers are a staple for summer parties; switch things up with Sweet Sliders and build your burgers with unexpected ingredients. Start with whoopie pies for the buns, add a brownie “patty,” roll yellow fruit candies into thin layers for cheese, and top it off with red and yellow Sparkle Gel for ketchup and mustard.
—Playful Twist on Summer Fruit: Make mouths water by serving up slices of delicious watermelon … cheesecake! Strawberry cheesecake dotted with mini chocolate chips imitates the center of the fruit, and a pistachio and coconut crumble crust mimics the watermelon rind.
—Patriotic Treat Pops: For the grand finale, nestle Red, White and Blue Treat Pops in a bowl of red Cinnamon Drops. Layer on the festive colors with vanilla cake, colored icing and star-shaped sprinkles. Finish with stars and stripes Rocket Treat Pops Toppers or red, white and blue pinwheels.
For more celebration ideas, visit www.wilton.com.
Cool Watermelon Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1-1/4 cups roasted salted pistachios 16 ounces roasted
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 stick, melted
- Leaf green icing color
Filling:
- 3 packages cream cheese 8 ounces each, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon imitation clear
- vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 package frozen whole strawberries thawed, pureed and strained (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 1 envelope 1/4 ounce
- unflavored gelatin
- No-taste red icing color
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- In food processor, pulse pistachios until coarsely ground. Add coconut, sugar, butter and icing color; pulse until well combined. Press into bottom and 3/4 up side of 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while making filling.
- In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Add heavy cream and beat until combined.
- In small saucepan, bring strawberry juice just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over top and whisk vigorously to dissolve completely, about 3 minutes. Pour into cream cheese mixture. Add icing color and beat until well combined. Beat in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. Pour into chilled crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
Red, White and Blue Treat Pops
Ingredients
Whoopie Pie Cakes:
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1-1/2 teaspoons imitation clear vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk
Filling:
- 3 cups buttercream icing
- Christmas red icing color
- Royal blue icing color
- Patriotic mix sprinkles
- Rocket Treat Pops Toppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare mini whoopie pie pan with vegetable pan spray.
- In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg whites and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Alternately add flour mixture and milk in three additions, beating until just combined. Spoon one tablespoon batter into each cavity.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until tops of cakes spring back when touched. Cool in pan 3 minutes. Cool completely on cooling grid.
- In separate small bowls, tint 1 cup buttercream red, 1 cup blue and reserve 1 cup white.
- To assemble: Place one cake in bottom of treat pop. Pipe a swirl of blue icing from back edge following the curve of the container to the front, then filling in the center; add sprinkles. Add second cake. Pipe a swirl of white icing; add sprinkles. Top with another cake. Pipe a swirl of red icing. Top with Patriotic Sprinkles or Rocket Treat Pops Toppers.