Fireworks Cheesecake Recipes

THE BEST NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Add the graham crackers, brown sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. Drizzle in the butter and pulse until the crumbs are completely coated with the butter.
• Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan, with a 1/4-inch thick rim around the border. (Use the bottom of a measuring cup to help make the crust even on the sides and bottom.) Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Meanwhile, whip 3/4 cup of the cream in a medium bowl with a whisk until stiff, fluffy peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed); set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and 1 cup granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the lemon juice, sour cream and vanilla-bean paste and beat until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream-cheese mixture with a large rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter into the springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Cover tightly and refrigerate until set, 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Just before serving, add the remaining 3/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks with a whisk, 3 to 4 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed). Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Run a knife around the inside edge of the springform pan to loosen the cake, then open the clasps to release the pan ring. Pipe dollops of whipped cream around the border of the cheesecake and top with fresh berries.

FIREWORKS COOKIES

Steps:

• Prepare the cookies: 1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and dough comes together. 2. Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see tips below). 3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make sure you let your oven preheat for at least 1/2-hour before baking these or any other cookies. 4. Roll to desired thickness and cut into circles. If you don't have a circular cookie cutter, use a drinking glass or a small plastic tub. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. (longer time for thicker cookies) 5. Gently remove cookies with a spatula and let them cool on wire racks. Prepare the icing: 1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, meringue powder, and a scant 1/2 cup water on low speed. Beat until mixture is fluffy yet dense, 7 to 8 minutes. 2. To thin the icing for flooding (filling in areas with a thin layer of icing), stir in additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Test the consistency by lifting a spoonful of icing and letting it drip back into the bowl; a ribbon should remain on the surface for 5 to 7 seconds. 3. Put 2/3 of the icing in one bowl and divide the rest between two separate bowls. To tint the icing red and blue, dip a toothpick or wooden skewer into food coloring, and gradually mix it in until the desired shade is reached. Place the colored icing into squeeze bottles (or use pastry bags with small, round tips). Decorate the cookies: 1. Place white icing in a squeeze bottle (or use a pastry bag with a small, round tip). Edge the cookies with white by drawing a white icing line around the edge of the cookie with the squeeze bottle. Let them set for at least 10 minutes so that the edges are able to act as a barrier for the icing that you'll put in the middle. Flood the cookies with white icing- one at a time. Spoon white icing onto a cookie and use the spoon to gently edge the icing to the sides of the cookie. Immediately squeeze a dot of color into the center of the flooded cookie. Draw circles of color around the dot (alternating colors if you'd like). Drag a toothpick from the center of the cookie to the edge, wipe the toothpick with a paper towel, and repeat. With each cookie that you decorate, try something different. Drag the toothpick from the edge to the center. Alternate which way you drag. They'll all turn out different! Let the cookies dry on your counter-top until the icing hardens. It'll take a good 24 hours for them to harden completely.

FIREWORKS CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Prepare and bake the cake batter in the prepared pan according to package directions for a 9-inch pan. Let cool completely in the pan and on a rack, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, combine the gelatin with 1/4 cup water in a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute.
• Microwave the gelatin until melted, stirring as needed, about 30 seconds. Add the gelatin to the cream cheese mixture and beat to combine, about 30 seconds. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a medium bowl. Pour the remaining batter into the springform pan, on top of the cake, and refrigerate until slightly set, about 30 minutes.
• Add the milk to the reserved batter. Spoon 2 tablespoons each of the batter into 3 small bowls. Add black and navy blue food coloring to the remaining batter in the medium bowl and stir until incorporated and the color of a dark night sky (about 1/4 teaspoon each). Remove 2 tablespoons of dark sky batter to a small bowl.
• Add the yellow food coloring to one of the uncolored batters and stir until incorporated and neon yellow. Add the pink food coloring to another uncolored batter and stir until incorporated and neon pink. Add the orange food coloring to the last uncolored batter and stir until incorporated and neon orange.
• Pour the dark sky batter from the medium bowl on the cheesecake and spread evenly to coat.
• To make fireworks: Use a small spoon to drop a small pool of one of the colored batters on the cheesecake. On top of the colored pool, add a pool of the reserved dark sky batter; add a pool of colored batter on top of that (the batters will spread and form concentric circles as you add alternating spoonfuls of color). Repeat with more sky and colored batter until you have 4 or 5 colored concentric circles. Drag a long skewer from the center of each circle outward to create fireworks streaks. Repeat the process with the remaining colored batter, making some fireworks big and some small. Chill in the refrigerator until completely set, 4 hours and up to overnight. Remove from the springform pan before serving.