Happy 4th of July

Sweet Recipe Saturday

Happy 4th of July! Holidays are always a great time for friends and family to come together and celebrate the occasion. It has become a tradition, now, that we go over to our great friends Eddie and Johnnie's house for food, fireworks, and fun. They entertain with one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen, and it seems like all of the surrounding houses join in on that part of the celebration by stepping outside to see the show. A few neighbors try to compete with their own fireworks, but Eddie and Johnnie definitely took first place. For this special red, white, and blue festivity, I wanted to make a dessert that showcases some favorite summer ingredients and those proud colors. Flag cakes are a very popular potluck item to bring to these types of celebrations, and I wanted to make something lighter and unique that would be easy for other guests to snack on during the fireworks show. I did a shortbread base for this instead of the traditional graham cracker crust or cake. It was delicious and really served as the perfect platform for the cream cheese frosting and berry toppings. Happy Birthday America!

Shortbread Flag Cake

Ingredients
-1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/3 cup light brown sugar
-19 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided
-4oz cream cheese, softened
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2-1 cup fresh blueberries (based on preference)
-2-3 cups fresh raspberries (based on preference)
-1/8-1/4 cup white chocolate chips (based on preference, optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Whisk together flour and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Using a fork, cut 11 tbsp butter into the flour mixture. Use hands to really incorporate ingredients and create a cookie dough.
3. Spread the dough evenly on a non-stick 9"x13" baking dish, preferably one with a short lip. Bake for 4. Bake for 12-15 min to get a golden crispy shortbread crust. Allow to cool completely.
5. In a mixer using the paddle option, stir cream cheese on medium until light and creamy.
6. Add in remaining butter and vanilla and stir on medium until creamy.
7. Add powdered sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds and medium until creamy.
8. Evenly spread cream cheese frosting mixture onto cooled shortbread.
9. Add blueberries and raspberries to create a flag, using more for a very-berry taste and less for more of a cookie taste.

*Allergic to berries like my mom? Replace the raspberries with fresh seedless cherries and serve from the furthest end of the cake from the blueberries.