Red, White and Blue 4th of July Desserts

Cap off your 4th of July recipes with these dazzling dessert recipes. Children and adults alike will savor these tantalizing, unique treats - sure to display your patriotism, as well as your talents in the kitchen!

Patriotic Candied Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 16 squares white baking chocolate
• 1 bag large pretzel rods
• red and blue sprinkles

Directions:

1. Heat chocolate in a microwave or stovetop (whichever you prefer) until melted
2. Cover each pretzel rod in chocolate and drizzle pretzel rods with sprinkles
3. Lay pretzel rods on waxed paper until dry

Layered Gel-Berry Fruit Cooler

Ingredients:

• 1-3 oz. package blueberry gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 package unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-3 oz. package strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup boiling water with blueberry gelatin until completely dissolved
2. Stir in 1 cup cold water and add blueberries
3. Pour into a 3 quart serving bowl and refrigerate until set (about 1 hour)
4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix unflavored gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water
5. Add whipping cream and sugar; simmer and stir until gelatin and sugar are dissolved
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes (do not refrigerate)
7. Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
8. Spoon cream-based mixture over the blueberry layer and refrigerate until firm.
9. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix 1 cup boiling water with strawberry gelatin until completely dissolved
10. Stir in 1 cup cold water and add strawberries
11. Spoon strawberry mixture over the cream layer and refrigerate until set.

Berry-Spangled Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 package of your favorite cake mix (Any flavor/brand you prefer, but make sure you have any necessary ingredients as per package instructions. Also, make sure that your chosen mix offers instructions for preparation in 13X9 rectangular pan)
• 1 container white cake frosting
• 50 fresh blueberries
• 1 pint fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Bake cake as per package instructions and allow to cool
2. Cover cake in even layer of frosting
3. Arrange blueberries in 5 rows of 10, in upper left corner to form the "stars" of the American Flag
4. Across the remainder of the cake, arrange rows of strawberries to form the "stripes"

Firecracker Candy Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup red and blue M&M's candies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt
3. In a second large bowl, mix butter and sugars with a hand mixer until creamy, light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes)
4. Add egg and beat well; add vanilla extract and beat again
5. Gradually add flour mixture to "cream" mixture and beat once again
6. Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cup of dough for each ball and place rolled dough onto cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room for growth around eack cookie
7. Gently flatten each ball into a 2.5 inch "patty"
8. Cover tops of the cookies with red and blue M&M's, pressing each candy into the dough slightly
9. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown. Cookies will firm as they cool
10. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes before transferring them to serving trays, in single layer until cooled completely.