18 Fourth of July Desserts for a Sweet Independence Day Whether you're hosting a backyard barbecue or bringing food to the fireworks, these are pies, cobblers, frozen treats, and bars for the occasion. By Ashley Day Ashley Day Ashley Day is Food & Wine's associate editorial director. She's edited and directed food and travel content at USA TODAY, the Institute of Culinary Education, and Chef & Restaurant magazine, and contributed to The Food Institute, The Daily Meal, and the recipe app meez. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 25, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver No Fourth of July celebration is complete without something sweet. Inspired by peak summer produce, nostalgic treats, and red, white, and blue flourishes, this collection of Independence Day–ready desserts includes everything from classic pie and cobbler to frozen desserts, cookies, and bars. Choose a dessert for your picnic, cookout, barbecue, or fireworks watch party and end the holiday on a sweet note. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 18 PB&J Blondies with Raspberry Swirl Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Nostalgic and easy to share, these treats from chef and cookbook author April McGreger upgrade a chewy, caramel-y blondie base with creamy peanut butter and tangy raspberry jam. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 18 S’mores Icebox Cake Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This no-bake dessert channels all the best parts of the campfire classic with graham crackers, chocolate fudge, and toasted marshmallows swirled into store-bought vanilla ice cream. It takes just over half an hour to put together, plus additional freezer time; make it up to three days in advance. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 18 Cherry-Lime Ice Pops Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Use tart cherry juice, lime juice, and simple syrup instead of Kool-Aid for an updated version of thrills, the frozen, no-frills treats that gained popularity in Savannah, Georgia, in the 1970s. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 18 Blueberry Panna Cotta with Blueberry Chia Pudding Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Pile fresh blueberries over layers of blueberry panna cotta and blueberry chia seed pudding for a very blue treat with tons of texture. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 18 Summer Berry Galette Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans For this gorgeous summer galette, pastry chef Caroline Schiff macerates berries with sugar and a splash of lemon juice to keep them juicy and saucy. Fold it all into a flaky, free-form pastry crust, then serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream or tangy crème fraîche once it's out of the oven. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 18 Melted Ice Cream Cake Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Light, airy, and perfectly moist, this one-bowl cake from Pooja Bavishi, owner of artisanal ice cream shop Malai in Brooklyn, is made with an entire pint of melted ice cream. The recipe calls for vanilla, but feel free to use whatever flavor is speaking to you. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 18 Salted Chocolate Sundae Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Made with chocolate ice cream, brownie cubes, and chocolate-covered pretzels, this chocolate-overload sundae gets a touch of savory elegance with a boozy, salted honey-Scotch sauce — swap in salted caramel sauce to keep the dessert kid-friendly. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 18 Double-Decker Meringue Cake with Summer Berries Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Simple, stunning, and chock-full of color, flavor, and texture, this dessert features a vanilla-strawberry cake and crisp meringue that bake together in the oven. It's swathed in tangy cream and finished with a trio of juicy berries heightened by lemon juice and tart sumac. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 18 Polenta Cherry Cobbler Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray-Streett / Prop Styling by Kay Clarke Give classic cherry cobbler a sunny makeover by adding a few spoonfuls of polenta to the biscuit topping for a golden hue and hint of nuttiness. You'll need six cups of pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 18 Gooey Malted Cookie Dough Chocolate Chunk Bars Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott (Reproduced by permission of William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.) After testing dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes for her debut cookbook, Obsessed With the Best, Ella Quittner developed these bars as a shortcut to achieving complex flavor, thanks to the addition of malted milk powder. Gooey but still sliceable, their texture is akin to the inside of a slightly underbaked cookie. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 18 Peach and Blackberry Crisp Julia Hartbeck This fruit-studded crisp is as summery as it gets. A spiced brown sugar crumble adds buttery contrast to sweet blackberries and peaches baked until bubbling. Don't forget to have some vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream on hand for serving. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 18 No-Churn Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Make rich and creamy frozen yogurt in minutes without an ice cream maker. You'll need four hours to freeze the dessert, then you'll serve it with strawberries — or whatever other festive toppings you can dream up. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 18 Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Homemade blueberry pie is one of our absolute favorite ways to enjoy peak-season berries, especially when they're nestled into a flaky all-butter crust like this one. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 18 Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines Serve a tangy no-churn cream cheese ice cream between cakey red velvet cookies with this recipe from chef Taffy Elrod. Plan for at least six hours of freeze time. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 18 Mango Fluff Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Canned Kesar mango pulp, airy whipped cream, condensed milk, and a touch of gelatin give Kentucky-based chef Sam Fore's fluff a silky, cloudlike, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 18 Blue Corn, Cherry, and Chocolate Chip Cookies Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Incorporate red, white, and blue into crowd-pleasing chocolate chip cookies, which use all-purpose flour, nutty blue corn flour, and sweet-tart cherries. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 18 Tapioca Pudding Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood This simple stovetop custard is terrific on its own, but it's also a great base for all kinds of fun toppings, such as the juiciest summer fruit you can get your hands on. Plus whipped cream, of course. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 18 Hibiscus Snow Cones Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Serve snow cones at home with a sweet, tangy syrup made from dried hibiscus blossoms, whipped cream, and crushed pink peppercorns. (You'll need a shaved ice maker to get the job done.) Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions 4th of July Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit