Sparkling Ice Cream Floats with Berries
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.
Tahini-Blueberry Sheet Cake With Strawberry Buttercream
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.
Watermelon-Strawberry-Granola Breakfast Bowls
Why toss the rind? Jumpstart sunny summer days by filling them with peak-season watermelon, strawberries, and chopped mint.
Rosé-Poached Berries Are the Warm Weather Dessert You Deserve
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.
Strawberry Dream Cake
This gorgeous cake is even more amazing when you slice into it, revealing the rows of perfect strawberries.
Deep Eddy Blueberry Lemon Drop Pop
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.
Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel
The toasty, nutty streusel topping is a surprising twist on the classic berry cobbler.
Rosé Sangria
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.
Blueberry Corn Muffins
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.
Lemonade Blueberry Pops
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.
Mixed Berry Cream Pie with Double Chocolate Crust
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).
Bordeaux-Style Strawberries
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.
Cherry Berry Cocktail
This vodka cocktail is berry bliss. Garnish with a handful of your favorite berries skewered on a cocktail pick or straw.
Stuffed Berries
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.
Nectarine-Blueberry Crisp
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.
Stovetop Summer Fruit Crisp
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.
Blue Velvet Dream
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.
Ricotta Lemon-Blueberry Waffles
A sweet berry mixture tops these ricotta cheese-flavored waffles.
American Flag Cheesecake Bars
Show your pride by flying the flag and also serving it for dessert. Betsy Ross would be proud.
Strawberry Shortcake Deep-Dish Skillet Cookie
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.
Berry Tartlets
These dainty little tarts have an unusual depth of character, thanks to their graham-cracker-like crusts.
Red, White and Blue Ice Pops
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.
Strawberry-Blueberry Cheesecake
This luscious cheesecake is a showcase for the season's freshest, sweetest berries. With all its red, white, and blue, it's perfect for your next Fourth of July party or summer gathering.
White Balsamic-Marinated Berries with Sweet Buttermilk Curd
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.
Gingered Blueberry Shortcake
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.
Red, White, and Blue Ice-Cream Cake
Celebrate the 4th of July with a sweet salute! This patriotic spin on ice-cream cake is the coolest dessert of the summer!
Quick Berry Frozen Yogurt
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.
Celebration Cupcakes
Make your cupcakes red, white, and blue with the use of red and blue food coloring. Decorate with red and blue sprinkles, and, if you're feeling particularly patriotic, Star Cookies on a stick.
Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler
Top this festive treat with scoops of homemade Cream Cheese Ice Cream for a cool summery twist on the classic Southern layer cake.
Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake
This colorful layered cake plays in the patriotic colors of the Fourth of July.
Greek Yogurt with Warm Black and Blueberry Sauce
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.
Star-Spangled Sundaes
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.
All-Star Berry Tart
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.
Smoked Cherry Bombs
Petite phyllo parcels are stuffed with a creamy almond filling and topped off with dye-free smoked cherries. Serve these at a patriotic barbecue and let freedom ring!
Berry Cream Tart
Spread a sweet cream cheese filling over a refrigerated pie crust and top with fresh berries. Unfurl your creative spirit as you arrange the berries on the tart.
Star Berry Cobblers
These individual cobblers are full of your favorite berries and are topped with homemade biscuits! Use July 4th themed cookie cutters to cut the biscuits into festive shapes.
Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
This is a real dandy. It would be a great addition to your July 4th celebration spread. The amusing effect of the swirled frosting can be duplicated using any colors for any occasion, but we think it's very necessary for July 4th!
Blueberry Cobbler with Sugared Star Shortcakes
Take a shortcut and use refrigerated biscuits for the star-shaped shortcakes. If you want to be really technical about including red with the white and the blue, toss in some fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries.
Red, White and Blue Parfaits
Make a creamy vanilla pudding and layer it with cherry or strawberry gelatin and blueberries for a super-easy make-ahead dessert.
Betsy Ross Martini
These adorable martinis are just begging to be served at your next Fourth of July celebration, so raise your glass to Betsy and thank your lucky stars for the USA!
Blueberry Fool with Raspberries
No, we’re not talking about the politicians. In the culinary world, a fool is an old-fashioned dessert made of cooked, pureed fruit that’s strained and folded into whipped cream. Here, the blueberry fool is layered with raspberries and plain whipped cream for a colorful dessert.
Grand Old Flag Cake
Celebrate any American holiday with this festive, fruit-covered chocolate cake. It's sure to stand out at even the most festive picnic.
Red, White, and Blue Pops
Keep the layers distinct by fully freezing each one before adding the next.
Captain America Cupcakes
Captain America Cupcakes are super easy to make with our pintable Captain America cupcake topper stencils. These cupcakes are perfect for superhero birthday parties, and even for the 4th of July!
Red, White, and Blue Cake
Slice a red velvet cake into four layers and fill with whipped cream and berries for a dessert that's worthy of fireworks.
Stars-and-Stripes Cherry Pie
Let your inner pastry chef shine as you cut stars and stripes from refrigerated pie crusts to make a patriotic pie.
Citrus-Berry Parfait
This sundae-style recipe is elegant and simple, with silky Greek yogurt and plenty of antioxidant-rich blackberries and blueberries.
Red, White, and Blue Toasted Oat Scones
If you have trouble finding dried blueberries, swap in additional dried cherries or another tender dried fruit. Toasted nuts would also make a dandy substitution and provide textural contrast.
Warmed Berries with Honey and Fresh Cheese
You may adapt this dessert to your taste by adjusting the blend of berries, the amount of honey, or even the amount of cheese. The idea is luxury in the amount of berries. Fromage blanc is wonderfully subtle; you can sub Greek yogurt, which is tangier.
Berry Swirl Gelato Cake
Store-bought waffle cones and gelato bring this impressive dessert together. We like Talenti brand gelato for its softer, easy-to-spread texture.
Summer Berry Tartlets
The choice of berry is yours for these tasty bite-sized treats. We loved them with both blackberries and raspberries and photographed both versions.
