4th of July Desserts

Celebrate the 4th of July with these fun star studded desserts.

Star-Spangled Red, White & Blue Slab Pie
from https://www.pillsbury.com/

If I made this dessert I would probably make it with Betty Crocker's Rich Custard Filling in place of the cream cheese and yogurt filling.

3 Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box (from 2 boxes)
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Original lemon burst yogurt
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon peel)
6 cups assorted berries (sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
1 cup strawberry glaze (from 13.5-oz container)

Heat oven to 450°F. Remove 2 of the pie crusts from pouches. Unroll and stack on lightly floured surface. Roll to 17x12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold crust even with edges of pan. Prick crust several times with fork.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove another pie crust from pouch. On lightly floured surface, unroll crust. Roll to 12-inch circle. Cut stars using 1-, 1 1/2- and 2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on large ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and lemon peel with electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly into crust-lined pan. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chilled.

In large bowl, mix berries and glaze until well blended. Spoon berry mixture evenly on top of cream cheese-topped pie crust. Place pie crust stars on top of berry mixture.

24 servings

Patriotic Blueberry Pie

The idea for this pie comes from http://cosmocookie.blogspot.com/.

Instead of using their recipe, I have an excellent recipe for Country Blueberry Pie that I would use. For the top crust, cut out stars using a star cookie cutter. Place on top before baking.

This would be a nice dessert for Memorial Day or for the 4th of July holiday.

The blogger uses this for the pie crust, which sounds interesting. The blogger said the crust  "tastes like flaky butter."

Crust
2 cups flour
12 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, chilled
2 tablespoons ice water

1 pie = 6 - 8 servings

4th of July Flag Cobbler
from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/

When the Fourth of July rolls around, what better way to show your colors than this?

CRUST
your favorite prepared double pie crust
coarse white sparkling sugar, optional

BLUEBERRY FILLING
1 pint (or 2 cups) fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Pie Filling Enhancer* [can use ClearJel or cornstarch]
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
*See baker's tips, below.

STRAWBERRY FILLING
2 quarts (or 8 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled, and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Pie Filling Enhancer* [can use ClearJel or cornstarch]
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
*See baker's tips, below.

To make the bottom crust, stars, and stripes: Divide the pastry in half. Roll one piece into a generous 9" x 13" rectangle, and place it into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan, pressing it to the edges if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the other piece of dough into a 6" x 13" rectangle. Cut six 3/4"-wide x 13"-long strips; these will be your flag's white stripes. Use a star cookie cutter to cut 9 to 12 small (about 1 1/4") stars from the remainder of the dough. Place the stars and stripes, spaced 1" apart on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F while the crust is chilling.

Prick the bottom crust all over with a fork. This will help keep it from puffing up too precipitously. If desired, for sparkle and crunch, brush or spray the stars and stripes with water, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar.

Place the bottom crust on a middle oven rack, and the stars and stripes on a lower rack. Bake the stars for 10 to 12 minutes; the stripes for 18 to 20 minutes, until set and barely browned. You want them to be fully baked, but still be fairly light-colored. Remove them from the oven.

Bake the bottom crust until it's a light golden brown, about 20 to 22 minutes. Check it several times; if it's puffing up, deflate it with a fork or the sharp tip of a knife. Remove the baked crust from the oven.

To prepare the blueberry filling: Place half the blueberries in a saucepan and crush them a bit with a spoon. Stir in the sugar and enhancer. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the remaining blueberries and lemon juice.

To prepare the strawberry filling: Place half the strawberries in a saucepan, crush them, and stir in the sugar, enhancer, salt, and water. Cook until thickened then remove from the heat and stir in the remaining strawberries and lemon juice.
To assemble the cobbler: Spoon the strawberries over a bit more than 3/4 of the bottom of the pan, leaving a rectangular space in the top left for the blueberries.

Spoon the blueberries into the bare space.

Lay the six stripes atop the strawberries, leaving a long edge of berries showing at both the top and bottom of the pan. Trim the stripes where they meet the blueberry filling.

Arrange the baked stars over the blueberries.

Serve lukewarm, or at room temperature. Store any leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

TIPS FROM OUR BAKERS

You can make this cobbler a couple of days ahead; store it, tightly wrapped, at room temperature. The crust will lose its crispness as it sits. To refresh, place in a preheated 350°F oven, lightly tented with foil. Heat until it's as hot as you like — 30 minutes or so should do it.

If using frozen berries, we recommend thawing them and draining them of their juices to avoid a runny filling. Additionally, for the strawberry filling, skip the 2 tablespoons of water, and add an extra 2 tablespoons of pie filling enhancer or flour; and for the blueberry filling, simply add an extra tablespoon of pie filling enhancer or flour.

As a result of reader feedback, as of 3/21/17 we've amended the recipe as follows: we reduced the amount of thickener (pie filling enhancer) in the strawberry filling, and called for precooking both the blueberry and strawberry fillings so that once the cobbler is assembled, all that is left to do is eat and enjoy it! [Their original recipe had you assemble then bake it. One reader said the crust was too brown and the strawberry filling too thick.

16 to 24 servings

Strawberry Jello Cups
from http://thealmondeater.com/

Strawberry jello for the bottom layer, a middle layer with whipped cream, cream cheese and yogurt filling, and blueberries on top. Talk about a winning combination!

1 .30 oz. package strawberry jello
1 cup cool whip [or homemade whipped cream]
½ cup cream cheese
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Make jello according to the package; pour evenly into two cups [or more for smaller servings] and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Once jello has set, mix cool whip, cream cheese and yogurt together in a medium sized bowl; place mixture overtop of jello.

Last, add the blueberries on top of each cup.

Serves 2 or more