Find Recipes Instantly! (Type the Recipe name or any Ingredient) Pretzel Sparklers long rod pretzels white chocolate, melted sprinkles (red, white and blue) or star cake decorations Melt the white chocolate. Dip the pretzel rod halfway into the melted chocolate then sprinkle the sprinkles over the wet chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or place in a cup to dry. 3-Color Sugar Cookies (Refrigerator Cookies) 1/2 c. butter or other soft shortening 1 c. granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg 1 1/2 c. flour 1 1/2 tsp. double-acting baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Measure sifted dry ingredients. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Divide dough into 3 chunks. Color 1 chunk red, another chunk blue (for 4th of July) or green (for Christmas). Mix food coloring thoroughly into dough. Stick all 3 chunks together and make 1 big ball. Roll the ball between your hands until it makes a long sausage, 7 1/2-inches long and 2-inches around. Wrap the roll of dough in waxed paper, foil or plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice dough about 1/4-inch thick. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Dandy Candy Sweeten up the Fourth with a recipe that everyone in the family can lend a hand with a batch of tricolored saltwater taffy to stretch, twist and savor. Recipe for tricolored Saltwater Taffy 1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup light corn syrup 2/3 cup water 3/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vegetable glycerine (sold at most party or natural food stores) 2 tbsp. butter 4 drops each of red and blue food coloring 2 tsp. lemon juice In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water, salt and glycerine with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then until a candy thermometer reads 255 degrees. Stir in the butter. Divide the mixture into three equal portions. Mix red food coloring into one batch, blue into another and leave one plain. Pour each batch onto a greased flat pan and fold over the edges with a spatula to keep them from hardening. When the candy is cool enough to handle, brush with lemon juice. Then, with well-buttered hands, each child can stretch one of the batches into a long rope until elastic (about five minutes). Finally, twist together the ropes, then cut into pieces and wrap individually in waxed paper. Flag Cookies Makes 12 cookies This simple sugar cookie, decorated with royal icing in red, white, and blue, makes a perfect patriotic treat. To achieve flawless flag stripes, use plastic squeeze bottles to flood the cookies with royal icing. 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Pinch of salt Royal Icing Red and blue paste food colorings 1. Cut a 3-by-5-inch template out of lightweight cardboard, or create a template by stacking several index cards together, then wrapping them in plastic wrap, leaving one side smooth; set aside. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. 2. Heat oven to 325°. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add vanilla, flour, and salt, and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes more. 3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Place the smooth side of the template onto the dough, and cut out a rectangle using a paring knife; repeat to make a total of sixteen rectangles, re-rolling dough as needed. 4. Transfer rectangles to prepared baking sheets using a wide spatula. Chill for at least 1 hour. 5. Bake cookies until they are just beginning to color and are lightly firm to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove to cooling rack, and let cool completely. 6. Make the royal icing. Divide evenly between four bowls, and cover each tightly with plastic wrap. Set one bowl aside for outlining the cookies. Add red food coloring to one of the bowls, and mix thoroughly, adding more food coloring if necessary to obtain desired color. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to icing so that it is loose enough to flow easily off of a spatula when lifted and forms a ribbon that dissolves almost immediately. Replace plastic wrap, and cover tightly. Repeat this process with one of the two remaining bowls of icing using blue food coloring. To the remaining bowl of icing add just the water, and mix thoroughly. Recover all bowls tightly with plastic wrap. 7. Transfer the reserved outlining icing to a small pastry bag fitted with a #5 tip. Pipe an even line on the outside edges of the cookie. Divide the cookie in half with a horizontal line. To form the outline of the canton (the field of stars), pipe a vertical line one third of the way from the left side of the cookie until it meets the first horizontal line. To form the stripes, pipe two evenly spaced horizontal lines above the original horizontal line and to the right of the canton. Pipe three more evenly spaced horizontal lines from left to right under the canton. Repeat this process on the remaining cookies. Reserve the icing in the pastry bag for the stars. Allow the icing to dry for at least 1 hour. 8. Place the remaining three icings into separate squeeze bottles. Flood the field of stars with enough blue icing to fill the space evenly without overflowing. Use the tip of a small knife or a wooden skewer to push the icing completely into the corners. Using the same technique, flood every other stripe with the red icing. Allow the icing to dry for at least 2 hours. Flood the remaining stripes with the white icing. 9. Change the tip of the pastry bag with the reserved white icing to a #16 tip. Pipe out as many stars onto the blue icing as will fit. Allow the icing to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Royal Icing Makes about 2 1/2 cups To make an egg-free royal icing, substitute 5 tablespoons of meringue powder mixed with 3/4 cup water for the egg whites. 2 large egg whites, or more to thin icing 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more to thicken icing Juice of 1 lemon 1. Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note: Raw eggs should not be used in food prepared for pregnant women, young children, or anyone whose health is compromised. Rocket Ice Pops Makes 10 Prep 30 min Freeze: At least 3 1/2 hr Cost per Pop: 32¢ Planning Tip: Can be made 1 week ahead. Fuses: 10 strands (strings) from cherry Pull-n-Peel Twizzlers Red Layer: 1 box (3 oz) cherry gelatin 1 cup each boiling and ice-cold water White Layer: 1 box (3 oz) sparkling white grape gelatin 1 cup boiling water 1 container (8 oz) vanilla yogurt Blue Layer: 1 box (3 oz) berry blue gelatin 1 cup each boiling and ice-cold water 1. Have ready ten 6-in. lollipop sticks (see Tip), ten 7-oz plastic cups, 10 double-thick 6 x 4-in. pieces foil and 1 small funnel. 2. Fuses: Press 1 Pull-n-Peel strand halfway (3 in.) against each lollipop stick; set aside. 3. Red Layer: Dissolve cherry gelatin in boiling water; stir in ice water. Pour about 1/4 cup into each cup. Place foil on cups; press onto sides. Poke a hole in centers with a toothpick; insert fuse ends of lollipop sticks almost to bottom. Wrap loose strands above foil around sticks to hold sticks in place. Place in pan; freeze 15 minutes or until gelatin has barely set. 4. White Layer: Dissolve grape gelatin in boiling water. Whisk in yogurt until blended. Lift foil on cups just enough to insert funnel; pour grape gelatin (about 1/4 cup each) on red layers. Freeze as in Step 3. 5. Blue Layer: Prepare gelatin as in Step 3. Add to cups as in Step 4. Freeze at least 3 hours until firm or up to 1 week. 6. To serve: Snip sides of cups to remove 4th picnic ideas Red, White and Ooh! Serving Ideas Celebrate with a star-spangled appetizer made by topping a block of cream cheese with your favorite salsa and fresh blueberries. Serve with crackers. Red, White and Blue Shortcake Stars 1 1/2 quarts strawberries, sliced (6 cups) 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 4 2/3 cups Bisquick mix 1 cup milk 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 2 cups blueberries 3/4 cup whipping (heavy) cream 2 tablespoons granulated or powdered sugar 1. Mix strawberries and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Let stand 1 hour. 2. Heat oven to 425ºF. Mix Bisquick, milk, cherries, 6 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. 3. Gently smooth dough into ball on surface sprinkled lightly with Bisquick. Knead 10 times. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 3-inch star-shaped or round cutter. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. 4. Stir blueberries into strawberries. Beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Split shortcakes in half. Fill and top with berries and whipped cream. Flag Cake Make this festive Flag Cake this Fourth of July and be the talk of the party. Ingredients Margarine Flour 1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake-listed on box) 1 package (4-serving size) JELL-O brand gelatin, any red flavor 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup cold water 3 1/2 cups (8-ounce container) Cool Whip brand whipped topping, thawed 1 pint strawberries, washed and sliced 1 cup blueberries, washed 1 cup Kraft miniature marshmallows Tools 13 x 9 baking pan Large fork (two-pronged type) Medium mixing bowls Mixer Measuring cup Rubber scraper or large spoon Large tray or cutting board (must be larger than 13 x 9 pan) Table knife Aluminum foil Directions Grease 13 x 9 pan with margarine and dust lightly with flour. Prepare, mix and bake cake mix according to package directions. Cool cake for 15 minutes. With large fork, make holes in cake about every 1/2 inch.Pour gelatin into mixing bowl. Add cup of boiling water and use scraper to mix thoroughly until gelatin is completely dissolved. Use measuring cup to pour gelatin over cake. (It will run down into holes, making sliced cake have red stripes.) Chill cake in refrigerator 3 to 4 hours. Cover tray with aluminum foil. Put about one inch of warm water in kitchen sink. Take pan out of refrigerator and dip bottom (don't let water come up over sides) into water for about 10 seconds. Put large tray on top of cake, and invert. Frost sides and top with whipped topping. Arrange strawberries and marshmallows in alternating rows for stripes, leaving upper left for field of blueberries. Chill again until time to serve. About the Author: Copyright 2000 Nexchange Corporation