Red, White, and Blue Recipes

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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.

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). 

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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean this biscuit-topped strawberry cobbler won’t impress. In fact, bursting with vibrant berry flavor (regardless of how perfectly ripe your strawberries may or may not be), we can just about guarantee that it will. We keep this stunning berry dessert stunningly simple by using Bisquick baking mix for the topping. The bottoms of each fluffy biscuit soaks up luscious juices from the berries while the tops bake up golden-crisp. And sprinkling the cobbler’s Bisquick topping with a bit of turibinado sugar is a pro’s touch for adding visual and textural interest. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for the full cobbler experience. 

You’ve finally got an excuse to order those plastic ice pop sleeves from Amazon. These boozy ice pops are like a grown-up Dole Fruit and Juice bar and perfect for a hot summer night or your next backyard barbecue. 

This salad is a delightfully unexpected way to use the fresh rhubarb and berries that are just coming into season. The dressing on this bright, beautiful salad is a happy meeting between sweet and tart flavors, the almonds add a nice crunch for variety of texture, and a hint of mint makes a fresh dish feel even more so. Avoid overcooking the rhubarb; it should still have some crispness. This colorful salad would make a beautiful addition to any brunch, luncheon, or even everyday lunch, and it can be served at room temperature or chilled. Fresh rhubarb and strawberries are available through the spring and into the summer months, so this quick, easy side dish can be on your recipe rotation all season long. Reserve leftover rhubarb syrup for sweetening iced tea or drizzling over ice cream.