Tasty Fourth Of July Desserts You Can DIY Last Minute
As concerns the fourth of July, desserts themed in American colors aren’t hard ideas. Don’t let the pressure get to you. To help you with ideas, here are a few easy recipes you could whip up, even if you’re in a rush.
When you’re playing host/hostess, you generally aim to satisfy and impress your guests. With that in mind, a fourth of July theme is just as easy as any other holiday.
Finding red, white, and blue foods should be a cinch, right? However, just in case your mind is boggled with other Independence Day events, here are four easy dessert projects.
For convenience, you can check out the quick dessert video below.
DIY Fourth of July Snacks and Treats
In the dessert video, as you can see from YouTubers Steph & Matilda, fourth of July foods don’t have to be complicated. If you didn’t see the video, their July fourth desserts are explained in the following examples.
1. Festive Parfaits
They call it a Red, White, and Blue Parfait. This simple dessert utilizes:
- 1 cup of granola
- a layer of sliced strawberries
- a layer of whipped cream
- 1 cup of blueberries
For the fourth of July, these ladies have labeled this “so cute, and semi-healthy-ish.”
2. Patriotic Pretzels
Next on the list is fourth of July’s own Patriotic Pretzels. This dessert is another from Steph & Matilda, as seen in the video above. All you need are the following quick ingredients for this Independence Day-inspired food.
- small, square-shaped pretzels (or any shape of your choice)
- chocolate candy of your preference (they suggest Rolos or Hershey’s Kisses)
- M&Ms
The July fourth YouTubers suggest that, after placing chocolate on these pretzels, you should oven heat the dessert dish for approximately three minutes at 225 degrees.
Once you pull the DIY dessert from the oven, the chocolate should maintain its form but be melted enough to embed the red, white, and blue M&Ms on top.
This is a fourth of July snack which they call “oh-so addictive.”
3. Firework Cookies
This dessert takes a little more effort, but it’s still just as easy and won’t delay your fourth of July events.
First, for this dessert, you have to make the icing. But, don’t worry. Those ingredients are provided as well. For this, you need:
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- food coloring (if you don’t buy ready-made, colored icing)
It also appears that they already had dessert cookies, either pre-made or store-bought. That decision would be of your preference.
Once the cookies are laid out, spread the first layer of white icing.
The fourth of July YouTubers mention that the first layer will “dry quickly.” So, expedited work is advised.
When adding the red and blue icing to the dessert, use circular methods, as seen below.
Once you’ve finished that step, take a toothpick — starting from the cookie’s center — and gently drag along the icing for the desired “firework” effect.
4. American Apples
Last — but definitely not least — if you enjoy candied or caramelized apples, this July fourth dessert tops the bar.
The end game looks like this.
However, like everything, it’s a process.
Here are the ingredients you need to make this dessert a success for your household or fourth of July event.
- 1 bag of caramel
- milk
- M&Ms
- white chocolate
Actually, the YouTubers state that you can vary the candy and/or drizzle with something other than what they used, as long as they’re within the red, white, and blue theme.
As mentioned earlier, these are only ideas to help get your thoughts moving anyway.
Yet, to digress, this fourth of July dessert’s process is as follows.
- Melt the caramel over stove top in a pot
- Add milk to thin the caramel
- Place a stick into the apple’s core, then dip the apple into the melted caramel. They used chopsticks.
- Gently roll the caramelized apple dessert along whatever candy you decide to use
- Then, drizzle the melted white chocolate (or similar) over the top.
Voilà! American Apples, just in time for the July 4.
So, this should give you a good head start on the host/hostess ideas for food, appetizers, and desserts.
Simple. Quick. Delicious.
Feel free to share your thoughts below about Steph and Matilda’s Independence Day treats and snacks.
[Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images]
