Ready for my “not quite colonial” recipes from our Declaration of Independence-inspired party? These are all easy to make, but if I had to pick just one, I’d make my Grandma’s apple pie. But whichever recipes you choose, these are all can’t-miss 4th of July party food.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
I intended to make a recipe from my friend Heather at Chickabug, but then I discovered gingerbread mix. I’m like water — I choose the path of least resistance. So here’s my semi-homemade version.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Piping bag or large Zip Lock bag
- Large piping tip
Ingredients
- Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix
- hot water
- 2 T butter
- white sugar
- vanilla buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Make the cookie version of the gingerbread recipe according to the package instructions.
- Scoop dough with a soup spoon and roll into ping pong-sized balls.
- Roll your ball in granulated sugar.
- Put balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Don’t flatten the balls.
- Cook for the minimum time recommended on the package. Let cool completely.
- Cut a hole in one corner of a zip lock bag. Push a large piping tip though the hole. Scoop in your frosting.
- Pipe onto the flat side of your gingerbread cookie.
- Sandwich another cookie on top.
Simplified Orange Raisin Cake
For the real deal, try this recipe for Orange Kiss-Me Cake. My food processor doesn’t like me, so I wasn’t going to be grinding an orange. This is what I came up with instead. Everybody liked it, and I think these would be yummy breakfast muffins.
Orange Raisin Mini Muffins
Equipment
- Mini muffin tins
- Non-stick cooking or baking spray
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 cup golden raisins
- ⅓ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.
- In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, milk, butter and eggs at low speed until moistened.
- Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
- Incorporate orange juice, raisins and walnuts.
- Pour scant ⅛ cup batter into each mini muffin tin, being sure to get walnuts and raisins in each scoop.
- Bake at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool 5 minutes in tins and then transfer to baking rake until completely cooled.
Grandma’s Apple Pie
This pie was the main attraction at our dessert table. (I may or may not have eaten the last piece straight from the pie plate.) I’ve seen many apple pie recipes that are more involved, but why mess with simple perfection?
Grandma’s Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced apples
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 pie crusts
Instructions
- Line pie plate with pastry.
- Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and sprinkle about two tablespoons on bottom of crust.
- Mix remaining flour, sugar and cinnamon with apples, coating apples thoroughly.
- Put apple mixture in bottom crust, being sure that apples are evenly distributed and are lying flat around the edges.
- Apply top crust that has been slotted four or five times.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees until done, 35 to 40 minutes.
Grandma’s Pie Crust
I used a cookie cutter to cut out two small stars. Then I brushed the crust with an egg wash, put the cut out stars on the crust, and sprinkled it with sugar.
Grandma’s Pie Crust
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Extra flour for your rolling surface
- Wax paper
- Pastry blender
- Pie plate
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup butter-flavor Crisco
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Sift flour and salt.
- Blend with Crisco until small lumps appear.
- Poke holes in dry ingredients and add water and milk.
- Mix until dough forms a ball and sides of bowl are clean.
- Quickly knead dough slightly and divide in half.
- Chill dough in the fridge.
- Roll out each half between sheets of lightly floured wax paper.
Revolutionary War Balls
I found a thread on Food.com about colonial era food. Read this recipe and tell me this doesn’t sound pretty darn close to cinnamon donut holes. I took myself to Dunkin’ Donuts for these.
Revolutionary War Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 big dash nutmeg
- 3 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Mix first eight ingredients.
- Drop by tablespoon in hot fat until golden.
- While warm, roll in sugar or cinnamon mixture.
Notes
Hasty Pudding Push-Up Pops
These were a hit and super easy. The only thing they have in common with Hasty Pudding is the word “pudding.”
Hasty Pudding Push-Up Pops
Equipment
- Push-up pops
- Long bread knife
- Piping bag (optional)
Ingredients
- Frozen pound cake I use Sara Lee.
- Chocolate pudding cups Choose the kind that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.
- Vanilla buttercream frosting
- Cool whip or vanilla buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Defrost a pound cake.
- Slice the pound cake long-ways (horizontally) into four sections.
- Use one of your push-up pops to cut out circles of pound cake.
- Put one piece of pound cake in the bottom of a push-up pop.
- Blop in some pudding, then wipe down the edges of the push-up pop. (You could pipe in the pudding to make this neater.)
- Repeat with another layer of cake and pudding.
- Top with a third circle of cake and Cool Whip or frosting.
And don’t forget…
Be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY to enter the Stars & Stripes collection from Squared Party Printables that I used at my party! It ends Friday, June 8, 2012, at midnight ET. UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Vendor Credits
- Party styling: The Party Teacher
- Photography: Viridian Images Photography
- Printables: Squared Party Printables
I love all your shortcuts and recipes. Putting a dessert table together and baking from scratch takes tons of time. Everything looks great.
Great recipes! Those push-pops sound delicious!!