Happy Independence Day, everyone! Pop Rocks (you know, the candy from your childhood) is running a recipe contest that ends at midnight tonight. From their official rules website:
Get ready for the JULY 4th POP ROCKS® RECIPE CONTEST. Send us your favourite food or beverage recipe featuring Pop Rocks® as an ingredient for your chance to win a 24 pack box of the NEWLY rereleased grape Pop Rocks. For added fun, although not necessary to win, include a picture of the recipe or you and your friends enjoying it. 5 winners will be selected on July 5th by Pop Rocks’ own Chef Rocko.
Even though I’ve never been the biggest fan of grape, I thought this was a great excuse to experiment with some baking. My initial idea was to use Pop Rocks as sprinkles on my family’s generations-old sugar cookie recipe.
Fireworks Cookies
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 c shortening
- 1/2 c butter, softened
- 1 ½ c sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 t vanilla
- 3 ½ c sifted flour
- 2 t baking powder
- 1 ¼ t salt
How to make it
- Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla
- Stir in – sifted dry ingredients, mixing well.
- Chill dough several hours.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Roll out small portions on dough on lightly floured board to 1/8†thickness. Cut with floured 3†cutter.
- Place on ungreased baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with colored sugars, nuts etc or frost after baking.
- Bake in 375 oven 10-12 min or until delicately browned. Cool on racks
- 5-6 dozen
Butterfrosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 T soft butter
- 1/3 t salt
- 1# powdered sugar
- 4 T milk
- 1 t vanilla
How to make it
- Cream butter in mixing bowl
- Add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
- If necessary, thin with additional milk.
The cookies were really cute, but I ran in to some trouble when serving them at a 4th of July picnic. As my cookies warmed in their tupperware container, the frosting got liquidy enough that the Pop Rocks got all popped out. Just a heads up.
Edible Sparklers
Ingredients
- white almond bark
- pretzel rods
- red & blue Pop Rocks candy (Dollar Tree is where I found the candy)
- waxed paper
Directions
Melt your almond bark in the microwave or in a saucepan. Pour melted almond bark in a heat-safe cup. Dip a pretzel rod in your cup, twisting it around to coat half of it. Set on waxed paper. sprinkle with red & blue pop rocks, rotating to cover all sides. Let set up.
If very sweet desserts aren’t your thing, I recommend this TasteSpotting page featuring a whole bunch of really interesting-looking Pop Rocks recipes.
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