Topped with fruit and mini star cookies, these soft cupcakes are perfect for picnics, backyard barbecues, and other patriotic summertime celebrations. Single desserts are a perfect choice for self-serve buffets, placing emphasis on the creative display instead of a big-dish creation.
The versatility of the flag design means the dessert layout can be as wide and long as needed. Create "mini flag" displays by creating separate designs on a variety of platters and serving dishes for multiple buffet tables. The recipe below makes approximately four dozen mini cheesecake cupcakes or one medium-sized "flag", depending upon the size and shape desired.
Ingredients for Cheesecake:
- two blocks cream cheese
- one eight ounce can sweet condensed milk
- one-half cup sugar
- one-half teaspoon vanilla
- one-quarter teaspoon cinnamon
- one cup butter
- one package crushed graham crackers
- four dozen patriotic cupcake foil tins for baking
- one and a half cups shaved coconut
- two cups blueberry pie filling
- two cups cherry pie filling
Directions:
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, condensed milk, and vanilla to form the cheesecake batter.
- Melt butter and combine with graham cracker crumbs, then spoon into each cupcake foil and press flat to form the crust. Bake for ten minutes, or until the crumbs brown slightly.
- Cool the crusts, then spoon cheesecake batter into each one, until cupcake tins are almost halfway full. Refrigerate for several hours until mixture solidifies.
- Line the cheesecake cupcakes in rows to form a "flag". Spoon cherry pie filling into some rows to form red stripes; spoon blueberry pie filling to form the blue field.
- Sprinkle shaved coconut on the remaining cupcakes to form the white stripes.
Use whipped cream and a star piping tip to decorate each blue cupcake with a white "star"; or make special sugar cookies using a mini star-shaped cookie cutter to form them. The simple recipe below will make up to three baking sheets full of mini cookies, enough to decorate the flag's blue field, with extras leftover for serving separately.
Ingredients for Mini Star Cookies:
- one and one-half cups sugar
- two and one-half cups flour
- one cup butter
- one tablespoon vanilla
- one egg
- one teaspoon baking soda
- one half-teaspoon baking powder
- one-half teaspoon lemon juice
- one cup powdered sugar
- one cup milk
- red, white, and blue sprinkles
Directions:
- Combine the butter, eggs, baking powder and soda, sugar, flour, and vanilla to form the sugar cookie dough; refrigerate for an hour before rolling flat on kitchen parchment paper.
- Use a mini cookie cutter to cut small star cookies from the dough.
- Place them on a greased baking sheet and bake for ten minutes at 350 degrees, or until the cookies are firm but not brown.
- Let the cookies cool, then combine powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice to form white icing. Spread across the top of each cookie and add patriotic sprinkles while the icing is wet.
Choose cupcake tin foils in red, white, and blue for a special display touch. Instead of pie filling, blueberry jam and red flavors like raspberry, strawberry, or cherry can be substituted for topping the cheesecakes.
Sarah Briggs - For the last two years, I have designed primitive dolls and folk art sculptures (such as Edwin Drood and the Ghost of Marley) for Cordwood ...
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