Snap, Crackle and Pop Rocks: Explosively Delicious Fourth of July Cookies
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sure, you can make red, white and blue treats for the 4th of July. But how can you really American 'em up for the holiday?
You need to add explosions.
Like a summer blockbuster movie, these cookies are chock full of explosions: they're both infused and garnished liberally with Pop Rocks. This not only makes them crackle like fireworks but also pays homage to that other all-consuming american obsession: truly trashy candy (and I say this in the most loving way possible).
So--are you ready to make your fourth of July extreme?
Here's how you do it.
Pop Rocks Sugar Cookies (based on this recipe from the King Arthur Flour site)
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) butter
2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, to taste
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar till smooth. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, again beating till well-combined. The mixture may look a bit curdled; that's OK.
Add the nutmeg, flour, baking soda and salt to the wet ingredients, and beat until the mixture forms a cohesive dough.
Divide into three parts, mixing one part with blue food coloring (a lot!), one part with red (also a lot) and leave one part plain. This way, you can have a mix of red, white and blue.
At this point, you'll want to break into those Pop Rocks. I put a nice little handful of red (strawberry) and blue (raspberry) into the corresponding balls of dough (you could do a mix in the white dough).
Drop the dough in round blobs onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. They should be a bit bigger than a ping-pong ball, a bit smaller than a golf ball. Using a cookie scoop (or, if you have one, a small ice cream scoop, one that will hold about 2 level tablespoons of liquid) makes this task extremely simple. Leave about 2 inches between the dough balls, as they'll spread as they bake.
Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 12-14 minutes, or when they are just starting to brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack. While you're waiting for them to cool, you'll want to take a small bowl and mix the leftover pop rocks with whatever red, white and blue sprinkles you've got around. Once cool, either top with a generous dollop of frosting (I used cream cheese, below) or put a dollop between two cookies for a sandwich. If you've just frosted the top of the cookie, apply sprinkle mixture to the top or dip it into the bowl if the frosting consistency allows for it; for the sandwiches, you can dip the sides in the bowl so that they pick up the sprinkle mixture.
Cream Cheese Frosting (from Slashfood)
Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.
Sprinkle mixture
Mmm, tastes like America.
cakespy mischief, holidays
Reader Comments (23)
Wow! What a great recipe! Thanks!
What a great idea! ~Kelly
http://www.deniablydomestic.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">unDeniably Domestic
Now that's the kind of spirit that made this country great! I feel patriotic just looking at these star spangled cookies!
Woah i love poprocks!
These are fabulous! Thanks for sharing!
I've seen sooo many good 4th of July recipes this year, I wish I was going to a big party! These look sooo fun and festive :)
Sues
This sounds great and I will have to try. I think the kids would love this.
These look awesome! My boys would love them!
so amazing! i love the extra color themes. how creative. i haven't had pop rocks since i was in like 7th grade. it would be nice to revisit them again.
Hey! Cool recipe, quick question: do the Pop Rocks really still pop?
Angelique: A little, but not a lot from the ones IN the cookies; however, you get a very distinct pop from the ones used as garnish. It's awesome to give them to people and not tell them what the secret ingredient is. Their reactions are priceless!
These are crazy amazing! I love the idea.
I love poprocks and this would be over the top with jello cookies!!! Have you ever had those??? My childhood favorite cookies!
Fun! My son would love those cookies.
Fun, though Pop Rocks scare me just a bit.
Genius! What a fun idea!
YUMMY! I made red, white, and blue cupcakes today (posted in my blog if anyone cares to see) and they came out great. It's so fun to add a lot of color to make a simple recipe a little more festive :D
excellent work!!
These look fantastic! What a way to make a recipe your own. I am definitely going to try these myself with my daughter and her friends.
Happy Baking!
MaryJane @ King Arthur Flour
This looks so fun! I wish I could rewind time so I could make those for fourth of July too!
Pop Rocks! Brilliant! I made a cake for 4th of July and decorated it with Red Hots and sprinkles, but Pop Rocks would be even better. Next year ... Pop Rocks were one of my favorite things in junior high; my friends and I would look through the packets and find a *really big* Pop Rock nugget and see who could crunch theirs the loudest. At school. During an assembly. Hee hee! Good times.
Wish I had seen this earlier, but will keep this in mind for the next 4th of July.
g'day everyone i was searching how pop rocks pop and i came across this resipie by axident and i hope to try this resipie and home (even thoe we don't celibrate 4th of july in Austrila) it looks (and i hope tasted) delishius