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The 4th of July, or Independence Day, is one of our favorite holidays. The best of summer for sure. So many cool things to do and so much good food to eat! Here are some fun ideas for you for those holiday parties, picnics, reunions, or campouts. We hope that you enjoy them!
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Patriotic Popcorn
This delicious popcorn can be adapted to any occasion with a simple change of the colors and flavors. But we were trying to be festive, so we chose to stick with the red, white and blue theme. There are two ways to create patriotic popcorn. One has sprinkles, and the other has food coloring and flavor.
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Top Tips for Success with Every Batch
There are really only three secrets to making candy popcorn: Use a thermometer, be careful not to let the sugar crystallize, and add baking soda. But we’ll give you more.
Use a thermometer and cook your candy coating to 235 degrees but not to exceed 245 degrees Fahrenheit. (Boiling time should not exceed 3 minutes.) Undercooked and it’s too sticky; overcooked and it’s too hard.
Don’t let it crystallize. Make sure to scrape the sides of the pan while the sugar is dissolving in the liquid. Even one sugar crystal added to the syrup will cause the whole batch to crystallize, making the syrup gritty and dull in color. Your candy popcorn won’t be as pretty or tasty.
And if you’re wondering why we have included baking soda to our candy popcorn recipes…well here’s why: Baking soda helps aerate the caramel which makes it easier to eat when cooled. Be careful, after you add the baking soda the syrup will get very foamy. To prevent bubbling over, keep stirring.
If you plan on making several different flavors/colors of popcorn do them all in separate batches. If you were to separate the mixture after cooking a large batch and add color/flavor to each, the mixture will have cooled too much and you will not achieve the right temperature for making candy popcorn.
The flavor added in these recipes should be added last. The flavor becomes less potent the longer it stays in the heat. The syrup should be poured over popcorn immediately after stirring in the flavor.
When you’re pouring the syrup mixture into your bowl of popcorn, DO NOT scrape the pan. There are sugar crystals stuck to the bottom of the pan that may crystallize your entire batch of candy popcorn.
Once you’ve mixed your candy syrup with the popcorn, place it on wax paper. Flatten the candy popcorn with a spatula and let cool. Once it has cooled, break off into desired portions.
French Vanilla Popcorn
French vanilla is a very sweet vanilla and it makes a very tasty popcorn. It also comes out more of a white color than caramel popcorn does.
This recipe yields 14 cups of candy popcorn
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup white corn syrup (Karo)
1/8 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons French Vanilla Flavor
patriotic sprinkles (red, white and blue)
Pop the popcorn kernels. Set aside in 2 large bowls.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan.
Add the corn syrup and water. Stir.
Add the sugar. Make sure not to let any sugar stick to the edges of the pan. If one grain of sugar is left undissolved, it can cause the whole batch to crystallize.
Bring to a boil and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 235-245 degrees (we suggest using a candy thermometer). It is important for the mixture to reach this temperature, if it doesn’t the candy will not harden properly.
Add the baking soda and stir quickly as the mixture begins to bubble. Once bubbly and frothy, remove the pan from heat.
Add the flavor and mix in.
Pour over the popped popcorn in both bowls. Fold into the popcorn until evenly coated.
Once the popcorn has cooled slightly, sprinkle with the patriotic sprinkles, to taste until evenly coated.
Baker’s Note: This recipe can also be doubled successfully. If you would like a richer caramel, substitute another 1/2 cup brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
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For the Colored Popcorn
Follow the directions as above, but make three batches or divide the recipe into thirds. When you get to step seven, add flavor and food color to the mixture. Exchange the vanilla for a different flavor depending on which color you are working on. Make one batch blue, one red and leave the other white. It’s more fun if you flavor the popcorn to match the color. For example, try flavoring the blue batch blueberry and the red one strawberry. Sans the sprinkles at the end of the recipe. You can serve your patriotic popcorn side by side, or you can mix the three flavors together while the popcorn is still warm.
White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries with a touch of 4th of July
With a little blue or red dye and some sprinkles, chocolate covered strawberries make a perfect 4th of July treat.
Simple Striped Strawberries
white chocolate melting wafers or chips
strawberries, washed
blue sugar
Wash and dry the strawberries.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one. When the chocolate is smooth it is ready for dipping.
Dip the strawberries about half way up in the white chocolate then dip the tips in blue sugar. Place the finished strawberries on a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Serve when dry.
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Decorative Strawberries
white chocolate melting wafers or chips
strawberries, washed
blue or red food dye
Wash and dry the strawberries.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one. When the chocolate is smooth it is ready for dipping.
Dip the strawberries about most of the way up in the white chocolate. Place the finished strawberries on a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface.
Drop 1-2 drops of blue or red food dye into the remaining chocolate and stir until the desired color is reached.
Using a fork, drizzle the colored chocolate back and forth along each of the white chocolate-covered berries. We finished ours off with tiny chocolate stars. Serve when dry.
Sprinkled Strawberries
white chocolate melting wafers or chips
strawberries, washed
blue or red food dye
patriotic sprinkles (red, white and blue)
Wash and dry the strawberries.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one. When the chocolate is smooth and ready for dipping, drop 1-2 drops of red or blue food dye into the chocolate and stir.
Dip the strawberries most of the way up in the dyed white chocolate. Immediately roll the berries in patriotic sprinkles. Place the finished strawberries on a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Serve when dry.
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Fireworks Drink
Makes one serving (one glass)
½ cup blue gatorade
½ cup white, pina colada flavored sobe
½ cup cranberry juice
¼ cup ice cubes
Red or blue poprocks
Pour the pop rocks onto a plate. Wet the rim of the glass with a little water and dip the rim into the poprocks so they stick.
Carefully place the cranberry juice in the bottom of a glass. Follow with the cranberry juice, or the drink with the highest sugar content. Add the ice
Then add the sobe, or the drink with the second highest sugar content. Pour slowly and carefully so it doesn’t mix too much with the cranberry juice.
Slowly add the gatorade, or the drink with the lowest sugar content. Enjoy!
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Surprise Cupcakes
If you use patriotic colors, these cupcakes are fantastic for the 4th of July, but they are also great for other events as well.
1 vanilla Baby Cakes mix made according to directions
Red or blue cupcake liners
Sprinkles or Sixlets™
Buttercream frosting (recipe below)
Red or blue food color (optional)
- Make the cupcake batter according to the directions on the package and pour the batter into a muffin tin that is lined with the cupcake liners. Bake for the temperature and time that is indicated on the directions.
- When the cupcakes are done make sure they are completely cooled. To insert the “surprise,” they cannot be holding in any heat in the center.
- Using a cupcake corer or a melon baller, scoop out the middle of the cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom.
- Fill the hole you just created with patriotic sprinkles or red, white and blue Sixlets™.
- Using a piping bag and desired tip, pipe red white or blue frosting onto each cupcake.
Baker’s Note: If you choose to use Sixlet™ candies, you may want to warn guests that there is something inside before they bite into them, that especially goes for small children who could choke.
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Fire Cracker Pretzels
pretzel rods
white melting chocolate or white chocolate chips
red or blue food color
patriotic sprinkles
Pop Rocks
black licorice rope
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Add red food color until the desired color is reached.
- Dip the pretzel rods in the colored chocolate, leaving enough space at the bottom for people to hold onto with their fingers. Lay the dipped pretzels onto a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface.
- Quickly, before the chocolate dries, sprinkle the rods with the patriotic sprinkles and the poprocks.
- Snip pices about a ½-inch long of the black licorice rope and attach to the top of each rod on the wet chocolate. If the chocolate is too dry, dip one end of the rope into the bowl of warm chocolate to glue it onto the pretzel rod. Let dry and serve.
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.