Red, White, and Blue Recipes

Photo: Thomas J. Story

Fourth of July weekend fills the air with sparkling fireworks, sounds of kids laughing outside, and sizzling smells of barbecued vegetables and meats on the grill. We drive to family and friends to celebrate patriotic freedoms and eat good All-American foods. Show your spirit with red, white, and blue inspired recipes. Make a flag cake or a creamy pie. Grab a handful of fresh berries, catch the popsicle drippings down your arm, and sip a little bubbly for joyous day in the sun.

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Sparkling Ice Cream Floats with Berries

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Sparkling Ice Cream Floats with Berries Recipe

Who knew the ultimate summer dessert would be the simplest you’ve ever made? These delightfully sweet and boozy floats take only a few ingredients and about two seconds to whip up, but trust us—they are always sure to impress. Rossini is a sparkling wine beverage, usually Prosecco-based, that is mixed with strawberries and raspberries. It is sweeter and fruitier than a rosé or other sparkling wine so it makes a delicious combination with rich vanilla ice cream (we especially love Häagen-Dazs brand here). We found a great one at Trader Joe’s for just about $6, but if you have a hard time finding rossini, you can definitely use your favorite rosé.

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Blueberry Bread Pudding With Lemon Hard Sauce

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

Blueberry Bread Pudding With Lemon Hard Sauce Recipe

Pre-made Sara Lee pound cakes are the perfect base for a creamy, decadent bread pudding. Once thawed, we cube and toast the all butter pound cakes in then oven before dressing them up with vanilla custard base, lemon zest, and fresh blueberries. After baking the pudding to custardy, comforting perfection, a drizzle of lemony hard sauce is just the right finishing touch. This delightful pound cake bread pudding is easy enough to throw together anytime, but impressive enough to serve for company.

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Tahini-Blueberry Sheet Cake With Strawberry Buttercream

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

Tahini-Blueberry Sheet Cake With Strawberry Buttercream Recipe

Perfect for a graduation party or summer cookout, this impressive dessert offers the ease and crowd-friendly factor that we associate with a sheet cake, as well as a delightful twist of creativity and surprising vibrancy with the incorporation of tahini and fresh berries. If you have a jar of the trendy sesame seed paste hanging out in your pantry, trust us—it’s high time to go beyond hummus and welcome it into your dessert life. Tahini lends a delicious toasty quality to the tender cake while fresh blueberries dotted throughout the batter balance this nutty depth with their bright, juicy sweetness. A simple strawberry buttercream ties everything together and makes for a low-effort, eye-catching presentation.

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Watermelon-Strawberry-Granola Breakfast Bowls

Photo: Alison Miksch

Watermelon-Strawberry-Granola Breakfast Bowls Recipe

Why toss the rind? Jumpstart sunny summer days by filling them with peak-season watermelon, strawberries, and chopped mint.

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Rosé-Poached Berries Are the Warm Weather Dessert You Deserve

Photo by Victor Protasio

Rosé-Poached Berries Are the Warm Weather Dessert You Deserve Recipe

Fresh strawberries briefly and gently poach in vanilla- and thyme-scented rosé wine for a versatile spring condiment: Serve it for dessert over ice cream, angel food cake, or pound cake; or use it at breakfast to top your yogurt or oatmeal. You can also try this technique with raspberries or blackberries if they’re more plentiful at the farmers market. If your rosé is on the sweet side, start with 1 tablespoon of honey, and add more as needed.

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Strawberry Dream Cake

Photo: Greg Dupree Styling: Ginny Branch

Strawberry Dream Cake Recipe

This gorgeous cake is even more amazing when you slice into it, revealing the rows of perfect strawberries.

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Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop

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Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop Recipe

These adult ice pops are the perfect refreshing summer treat. We made ours using Deep Eddy vodka as we find it to be exceptionally vibrant in flavor, but feel free to use your own favorite brand of flavored vodka. Raspberries would also be a delicious fruit to highlight in these bright and boozy pops.

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Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel Recipe

The toasty, nutty streusel topping is a surprising twist on the classic berry cobbler.

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Rosé Sangria

Time Inc. Video Studio

Rosé Sangria Recipe

Perfect for any spring or summer gathering, this bubbly, refreshing rosé sangria is as easy to make as it is to sip. The fruity base of berry puree and vodka could easily be prepped ahead of time and chilled so that all that’s left to do is pour in your sparkling water and rosé right before serving. You could even prepare the sangria in single portions for more of a custom cocktail feel, having a small amount of puree, vodka, and fresh fruit ready to go in glasses when guests arrive; then, simply top each off with bubbly as needed. To switch things up, you could also substitute fresh peaches and/or raspberries in place of the strawberries used to create the puree. Try freezing some of the fresh fruits you plan to include (such as grapes and berries) beforehand in order to keep the beverage cool.

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Blueberry Corn Muffins

Photographer: Gina DeSimone; Prop stylist: Kashara Johnson; Food Stylist: Briana Riddock

Blueberry Corn Muffins Recipe

When blueberries are in season, you find a reason to tuck them into just about anything and everything. Why? Because a burst of blueberry has a way of making almost everything better; that’s certainly the case with these corn muffins. Plump summer blueberries and corn are simply meant for one another. The fresh berries bring a fresh sweetness to the muffins, as well as moisture that makes for an insanely tender muffin. The buttermilk in this recipe is also key to achieving an exceptionally soft, rich muffin. The muffins bake at a high temperature in order to to get the golden color and crispy edges that you expect from classic cornbread. These hearty and delightful muffins are ideal both for a relaxed weekend brunch with friends, as well as an on-the-go breakfast while running out the door in the morning.

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Lemonade Blueberry Pops

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Emma Star Jensen

Lemonade Blueberry Pops Recipe

These popsicles turn a pale pink thanks to a little kitchen chemistry when the blue pigment in the berries meets the acid in the lemonade. You can use any mold you like for these popsicles, but you'll get a different number of pops depending on the mold size.

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Mixed Berry Cream Pie with Double Chocolate Crust

Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Mixed Berry Cream Pie with Double Chocolate Crust Recipe

Brushing red currant jelly onto the berries makes them shine, like those fruit tarts you see in bakeries. If you can't find red currant jelly, use strawberry jelly (don't subsitute jam or preserves).

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Bordeaux-Style Strawberries

Photo: Erin Kunkel Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Bordeaux-Style Strawberries Recipe

In Bordeaux, where châteaus and vineyards abound, a typical dessert is fresh strawberries sliced into a red wine glass and then topped with a great Bordeaux. Here, that regional tradition is adapted to make it more dessert-like. If you're pressed for time, do as the Bordelais do--quick and easy.

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Cherry Berry Cocktail

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount

Cherry Berry Cocktail Recipe

This vodka cocktail is berry bliss. Garnish with a handful of your favorite berries skewered on a cocktail pick or straw.

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Stuffed Berries

Photo: Hector Sanchez Styling: Caroline Cunningham

Stuffed Berries Recipe

By stuffing hollowed out strawberries with a scrumptious mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and amaretto, you end up with a delectable treat that's bound to disappear off of summer plates.

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Nectarine-Blueberry Crisp

Photographer Victor Protasio, Prop Stylist Mindi Shapiro, Food Stylist Anna Hampton

Nectarine-Blueberry Crisp Recipe

With a buttery, crunch-tastic oat and brown sugar topping partnered with the super simple filling that highlights the best of what ripe berries and stone fruit have to offer, this sweet and satisfying crisp is the ultimate in summer desserts.

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Stovetop Summer Fruit Crisp

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Stovetop Summer Fruit Crisp Recipe

Traditional? No. Delicious? Oh, yes. This quick-fix take hits all the highlights of a classic berry crisp--syrupy-sweet fruit, crisp topping, and cool cream--in a fraction of the time.

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Blue Velvet Dream

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Blue Velvet Dream Recipe
This fruity drink is truly a dream. Blue Curaçao gives the drink its signature blue color, while the velvet falernum adds a splash of sweet and spicy vibes.

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Ricotta Lemon-Blueberry Waffles

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Ricotta Lemon-Blueberry Waffles Recipe

A sweet berry mixture tops these ricotta cheese-flavored waffles.

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American Flag Cheesecake Bars

Photo: Ryan Benyl; Styling: Stephana Bottom

American Flag Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Show your pride by flying the flag and also serving it for dessert. Betsy Ross would be proud.

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Strawberry Shortcake Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie

Photo: Alison Miksch

Strawberry Shortcake Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie Recipe

Everyone's favorite summer berry dessert gets transformed into a giant deep-dish skillet cookie. White chocolate chips, bits of pound cake and sliced strawberries join forces to create this fruity indulgence that gives a chocolate chip cookie a run for its money. Mix in other fresh berries for a varied flavor and slightly adapted take on strawberry shortcake.

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Easy Berry Tart

Easy Berry Tart Recipe

This vibrant and impressive dessert literally couldn’t get any easier.

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Berry Tartlets

Photo: Eva Kolenko; Styling: Kelly Allen

Berry Tartlets Recipe

These dainty little tarts have an unusual depth of character, thanks to their graham-cracker-like crusts.

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Red, White and Blue Ice Pops

Red, White and Blue Ice Pops Recipe
Celebrate red, white, and blue all summer long with these patriotic ice pops. The secret ingredient is a blue sports drink, along with cranberry juice and lemonade. They’re easy enough for the kids to make themselves.

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Fourth of July Confetti Roulade

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Fourth of July Confetti Roulade Recipe

This festive roulade recipe is the perfect ending to your outdoor picnic, but it can be used for any occasion; simply use different colored sprinkles to match your occasion. A splash of orange liqueur is optional in the creamy filling, but don’t skip the fresh lemon juice in the frosting. The gelatin in the whipped cream filling keeps it stable; be sure to cool it for 5 minutes so it doesn’t turn gummy.

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White Balsamic-Marinated Berries with Sweet Buttermilk Curd

Photo: Christopher Testani; Styling: Thom Driver

White Balsamic-Marinated Berries with Sweet Buttermilk Curd Recipe

This creamy dessert is a mix of sweet, tart, and tangy sensations. Honey granules are available at specialty markets or online at amazon.com. You can double this recipe to serve a larger crowd. Use 2 bowls to freeze the buttermilk, and thaw simultaneously in 2 colanders. There is a considerable amount of whey once the buttermilk thaws. Don't toss it all; Doug Flicker recommends using it for an added boost in smoothies or adding it to cream soups and sauces for a tangy touch of acidity.

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Gingered Blueberry Shortcake

Photo: Randy Mayor; Stylist: Cindy Barr

Gingered Blueberry Shortcake Recipe
Sweet, juicy, peak-season berries make this dish shine. For convenience, make the berry mixture, whipped cream, and shortcakes in advance, then assemble just before serving. Prepare the berry mixture and whipped cream earlier in the day, and refrigerate; bring berry mixture to room temperature or warm slightly in a pan before serving. Make the shortcakes as time permits, freeze them, then defrost at room temperature when ready to serve.

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Red, White, and Blue Ice-Cream Cake

Red, White, and Blue Ice-Cream Cake Recipe
Celebrate the 4th of July with a sweet salute! This patriotic spin on ice-cream cake is the coolest dessert of the summer!

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Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt is described by one tester as "a melt-in-your-mouth experience like no other!" Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt is definitely a summer treat you and your family will love.

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Celebration Cupcakes

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

Celebration Cupcakes Recipe

Double the berries, double the deliciousness. These tender cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen; frost them before serving. Use smaller blueberries for better distribution in the batter. In a pinch? Use thawed, frozen blueberries. Cupcakes are a welcome treat at any occasion. This recipe makes 24, but go ahead and make two batches and freeze some for a future date. Both the cupcake recipe and the frosting recipe make delicious use of fresh, seasonal produce. The cupcakes, loaded with sweet blueberries, are good enough to eat unfrosted, and can stand in for a delicious breakfast or mid-morning treat. The frosting oozes with fresh strawberries. You may want to keep a bowl close by in the fridge; it makes a great dip for fruit and cookies.

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Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake Recipe

You are sure to set off the fireworks when you serve this eye-catching layer cake at the Fourth of July cookout. Don’t worry about the frosting wilting in the summer heat. We added a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin to the frosting recipe to help it stabilize, so it won’t melt down before you cut into the cake.

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Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Linda Hirst

Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake Recipe
This colorful layered cake plays in the patriotic colors of the Fourth of July.

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Greek Yogurt with Warm Black and Blueberry Sauce

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Greek Yogurt with Warm Black and Blueberry Sauce Recipe

For a sweet, fruity treat that won't cost you a days-worth of calories, this simple yogurt bowl is the perfect solution. When making this Greek Yogurt with Warm Black and Blueberry Sauce in the summer, substitute fresh berries for frozen. This sauce also pairs well with biscuits or as a stand-in for syrup on pancakes.

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Star-Spangled Sundaes

Photo: Mark Ferri

Star-Spangled Sundaes Recipe
Sure, you can make sundaes out of almost anything, but when you’re going for a patriotic theme, choose red, white and blue sprinkles, candy and ice cream. And don’t forget the cherry on top.

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All-Star Berry Tart

All-Star Berry Tart Recipe
Rich pastry cream provides the white and raspberries and blueberries in the shape of a star are the red and blue in this colorful holiday dessert. It’s a super-easy recipe that’s sure to impress your guests.

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Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes Recipe

Tender and moist cupcakes with a fruity filling and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing — all the best of summer in one little package. This recipe can easily be doubled if you need a dessert for a large gathering. The jammy blueberry filling is a sweet surprise inside each cupcake but, if you prefer strawberry, simply replace the fruit and preserves.

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Red, White, and Blue Recipes

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Sparkling Ice Cream Floats with Berries

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Blueberry Bread Pudding With Lemon Hard Sauce

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Tahini-Blueberry Sheet Cake With Strawberry Buttercream

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Watermelon-Strawberry-Granola Breakfast Bowls

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Rosé-Poached Berries Are the Warm Weather Dessert You Deserve

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Strawberry Dream Cake

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Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop

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Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel

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Rosé Sangria

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Blueberry Corn Muffins

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Lemonade Blueberry Pops

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Mixed Berry Cream Pie with Double Chocolate Crust

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Bordeaux-Style Strawberries

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Cherry Berry Cocktail

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Stuffed Berries

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Nectarine-Blueberry Crisp

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Stovetop Summer Fruit Crisp

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Blue Velvet Dream

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Ricotta Lemon-Blueberry Waffles

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American Flag Cheesecake Bars

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Strawberry Shortcake Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie

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Easy Berry Tart

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Berry Tartlets

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Red, White and Blue Ice Pops

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Fourth of July Confetti Roulade

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White Balsamic-Marinated Berries with Sweet Buttermilk Curd

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