We like to celebrate around our home. One of my favorite sayings is “there’s always a reason for a party!” Creating fun foods makes the party begin before the actual celebration does!
In honor of Independence Day, we’ve created several desserts that are red, white, and blue themed.
I hope you have as much fun creating them as my daughters and I did. And, of course, enjoy the eating part too! 🙂
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Red, White, and Blue Fun Foods:
3 Layer Cupcakes:
This process could be used to create any color combination you desire. Simply mix up your favorite white cake mix, evenly divide into 3 bowls, tint with food coloring to desired colors. I find that using a small scoop to transfer the batter to the cupcake liner works best since I’m dealing with smaller quantities than normal.
Also, being careful to evenly spread each layer results in a much more festive looking cupcake. I do this by making sure that I am putting enough batter on each layer. If you skimp, there won’t be enough batter to fully cover the layer below. Once the cupcake liners are all full, bake as normal.
Jello jigglers:
Way back many years ago when Rebecca was small, I discovered a mold at the grocery store for making Jello jigglers eggs at Easter time. We thought they were the cutest things ever. I’ve added a few more jigglers molds over the years, but really, you can use any sort of mold for these yummy Jello bites. You simply have to spray the mold well with non-stick spray before filling. That’s it. Really.
The recipe for jigglers is a simple one- combine 2-1/2 cups of boiling water with 2 packages (8 serving size) Jell-O gelatin. Stir well until dissolved, pour into molds.
Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or until firm. Dip the bottom of the mold in warm water to loosen, turn over, and the cuteness should fall right out. Or, you can do as I have done for these stars and hearts and pour the hot mixture into a pan, then cut out with cookie cutters, being sure to cut all the way through to the bottom.
We topped ours with whipped cream and sprinkles for a more festive flair.
Sugar Cookies:
My Mom’s sugar cookies are my absolute favorite cookie ever. Maybe that stems from the many hours I spent as a young girl decorating them for Christmas each year. (This is no exaggeration, Mom was always the baker for our Christmas celebrations for our large family. She made a TON of baked goods, and I was the decorator). We now make her sugar cookies for almost every holiday. Cause you know, it’s not a party (and remember, there’s ALWAYS a reason for a party!) unless you have these sugar cookies!
Course, I always long for her to be with us when we make them. She bakes them better than I do- always will- and my children have now received the torch of being the decorators. (I take great delight in watching my Mom make her sugar cookies with them).
But, I digress, seriously, these are simply the best sugar cookies ever and are perfect for your celebration! My only change from my Mom’s method is to roll the dough out on a Silpat Roul’Pat mat and then bake them on Silpat liners. (my absolute favorite help in baking cookies, bagels, rolls, etc).
Chocolate Dipped Waffle Cones:
Okay, so waffle cones are pretty tasty on their own. But, add some chocolate to them and they are super yummy!
For these cones, I melted white chocolate chips in the Wilton electric melting pot (I scored mine at the Goodwill half-price sale for only $2.50 a few years ago- brand new!). If you don’t have a melting pot, use a double boiler.
Next, roll the end of the cone in the melted chocolate, and sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Stand the cones upright in a glass (like these cute small Coke glasses I found at the Dollar Store for $.50 each!) until chocolate sets.
Fill with your favorite ice cream and enjoy!
Poke Cake:
Who doesn’t like a poke cake? They’re cute and combine two bits of yumminess- cake and pudding.
Normally, these poke cakes are made with Jello. I wanted to try something different and used pudding this time. I increased the milk used with the boxed pudding mix by about 1/4 cup to make it thinner.
Simply bake a cake following your favorite recipe and cool thoroughly. Using a wooden spoon handle, poke holes in an organized manner through the cake.
Mix up the pudding mix, tint with food coloring (if desired), then pour over the cake. Refrigerate overnight to allow the pudding to soak in and the top to be cold and solid enough to frost with buttercream icing.
Finish with icing and enjoy!
How about you? What are your favorite holiday desserts? Are you making anything extra special to celebrate the 4th of July?
Needs more Red, White, and Blue fun foods? Here you go! 3 Simple Patriotic Snacks

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