If you need a snazzy July 4th gift, these red, white and blue macarons are sure to impress.

From one of our favorite chocolatiers, Richart, they are made with the finest ingredients, including Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar.

A gift box of 12 macarons is $18.00; a large box of 25 macarons is $37.00. Buy them at Richart-Chocolates.com.
  
MACARONS VERSUS MACAROONS

What’s the difference?

The original macarons were made by Italian monks of ground almonds, egg whites and sugar.

Theose maccarone were the ancestors of today’s Amaretti cookies, which were created by Francesco Moriondo, pastry chef of the Court of Savoy, in the mid-17th century.

Because they contained no flour, macaroons were kosher for Passover. At some point, the Jews of Europe incorporated shredded coconut to make a more cakelike coconut macaroon.

During the French Revolution (1789-1799), two nuns seeking asylum in the town of Nancy paid for their housing by baking and selling the macaroon cookies—or macarons, pronounced mah-kah-RONE in French.

Today’s popular gourmet French cookie sandwich called macaron—two meringues sandwiched with ganache—was invented by Parisian pastry chef Pierre Desfontaines Ladurée at the beginning of the 20th century. Over the years, he developed many flavors of macarons—from cassis to violet. If you’re in Paris or New York City, stop into his stores to see the rainbow of airy delights.

Here’s the whole history of macarons.

HOW MANY COOKIE TYPES HAVE YOU TRIED?

Check out some of the world’s most popular cookies in our delicious Cookie Glossary.
  

This tasty flag was created by Vermont Farmstead Cheese Co., an award-winning creamery in Woodstock, Vermont. The creamery specializes in Cheddar, Edam, Tilsit and WindsorDale (based on a 1800 farmhouse Wensleydale recipe).

You can make your own flag cheese plate with:

If you don’t have a large, white rectangular plate, use a rectangular baking pan. If it isn’t in gleaming condition, cover it with foil.

Play John Philip Sousa marches as you prepare the food.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHEESES & CHEESE RECIPES.

It’s easy to find red berries and blue berries. For white fruit, consider apples, bananas, coconut and lychees. You can also use a white topping—cream cheese, crème fraîche, frosting, mascarpone, sour cream, whipped cream, yogurt, etc.

One of the challenges is the lack of blue food, other than blue cheese and hard-to-find blue potatoes, in the savory dishes for lunch and dinner. But you can easily create tasty and artistic July 4th food in the other categories.

Check the drawer for star-shaped or bell-shaped cookie cutters, check the stores for red, white and blue sprinkles and candy stars.

Patriotic fruit skewers, for dessert or snack. Photo courtesy Stix Mediterranean Grill | NYC.

Lunch & Dinner

 
Dessert

 
Snacks

SHARE YOUR OWN IDEAS.

Some people love coming across photos of cute babies or puppies.

We love cute food.

These bacon and “egg” cupcakes with a “pancake” base were created by Apollina of TheYouFinder. We discovered them on Foodiggity.

Apollina made a buttermilk cupcake topped with maple frosting and a gummi fried egg. A piece of candied bacon (recipe) is tucked in for garnish.

If you can’t find gummi fried eggs, make your own with fondant.

Buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup, bacon and eggs: a yummy breakfast cupcake.

Check out this hamburger cupcake recipe.

Red velvet, white frosting, blue berries.
Photo courtesy Wholesome Sweeteners.

These festive July 4th cupcakes combine popular red velvet cake with red and blue berries and white frosting (cream cheese!) Thanks to Wholesome Sweeteners, purveyors of organic and Fair Trade sugar, for the recipe. It makes 24 cupcakes.

JULY 4TH CUPCAKES: TAKE A BITE OF RED, WHITE & BLUE

Ingredients

*You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes. If you buy a quart, check the bottom of this article for other ways to use buttermilk.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently throughout this recipe’s preparation.

2. COMBINE. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Resift twice, making sure that the dry ingredients are well blended.

3. BLEND. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla extract. Add ¼ of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat on low until just blended; then add a third of the buttermilk mix. Being careful not to overmix. Add another ¼ of the dry mix, then 1/3 of the wet mix, until all are incorporated.

3. BAKE. Place cupcake papers into a cupcake/muffin tin and fill each about 1/2 to 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 3-7 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. COOL. Allow to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. FROST. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with fresh red and blue berries for July 4th. For Valentine’s Day, dust with cocoa powder or top with a chocolate kiss or other chocolate garnish.

Makes about 2½ dozen cupcakes–depending on the size of the cupcakes, of course.
 
OPTION FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

Use a heart-shaped muffin pan.

Recioe © 2011 Wholesome Sweeteners.