Flag Day, while between Memorial Day and Independence Day, is an unofficial federal holiday celebrated across the United States.
The day falls on June 14 each year and commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of our nation’s flag in 1777.
The U.S. adopted the flag nearly one year after the country declared its independence from Great Britain. Flag Day has been celebrated for more than 100 years but since it’s been adopted, there have been 27 official versions of the American flag.
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The American flag today contains 50 stars for the 50 U.S. states and 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies.
In honor of Flag Day, create one of the following flag-related recipes in either a replicated shape or simply a red, white and blue aesthetic.
- Flag cookie cake
- Pound cake trifle
- Red, white and blue Charcuterie
1. Flag cookie cake
Ingredients for Flag Day cookie cake:
- Store-bought or homemade cookie dough
- Buttercream frosting
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh blueberries
Arriving at a party or hosting one with a cookie cake at the center of the table will surely get guests excited.
Not only does this cookie cake taste delicious, it incorporates fruit — so you don’t have to feel too guilty about sharing with the kids.
For this recipe, you can use either a round or rectangular cookie sheet.
Flag Day has been celebrated in the U.S. for more than 100 years. (Reuters)
Simply buy or make homemade cookie dough and bake it in the oven on the cookie sheet of your choice. Feel free to make the cookie with any and all ingredients you like.
Add dark or white chocolate chips, Reese’s, or keep it simple with a sugar cookie recipe.
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Use either the baking instructions on the bag or box of store bought dough or 20–25 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for homemade dough.
Bake until golden brown and be sure to avoid burning. The cookie cake will harden once it settles to room temperature so don’t feel like you need to cook it until it’s all brown.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for at least one hour before topping with frosting and fruit. You want to avoid adding anything while the cookie is warm, as it will melt the frosting.
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For the frosting, use a store-bought buttercream or make one homemade. Either way, make sure it is thick enough to be added to a piping bag and added to the cookie cake. Typically, local bakeries sell premade buttercream frosting to customers. Give your local shop a call and find out if you can grab a container vs purchasing a generic one from a grocery store giant.
After you’ve washed and sliced strawberries, you’ll add them as the stripes part of the flag, skipping one row and leaving it white with just frosting.
If you want to cover the entire cake in frosting, now would be the time to do so. You will then line washed blueberries in the upper left corner for the stars part of the American flag.
After you’ve washed and sliced strawberries, you’ll add them as the stripes part of the flag, skipping one row and leaving it white with just frosting.
If you prefer to have some bites of missing frosting for those who don’t love it, place the fruit in those sections using the following instructions.
Using a piping bag and a 2A round piping bag tip, make a rectangle for the stars part in the upper left corner. Fill it in entirely with frosting and top with blueberries. If you’re new to piping, and you don’t like the look, feel free to use a small butter knife to smooth out the frosting before adding the blueberries, so it’s flat.
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Now, pipe frosting with either a rose nozzle tip using a ribbon technique or smooth over a line of frosting. Add sliced strawberries to the frosting. Skip the same sized section as the first “stripe” and pipe another line of frosting as you did the first. You will begin creating the stripe portion of the American flag.
If you want to make it look even fancier, layer the strawberries left on one stripe and right on the other stripe, so they appear to be more dimensional.
2. Pound cake trifle
Ingredients for pound cake trifle:
- Pound cake
- Cool Whip
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
This dessert can be completed using homemade or store-bought pound cake or box vanilla cake.
Start by slicing baked cake into 1-2 inch square pieces and filling the bottom of the trifle dish with cake. Top the first layer of cake with a large heaping of Cool Whip.
Wash strawberries, blueberries and any other fruit necessary before including in your Flag Day dessert. (iStock)
Add blueberries and sliced strawberries to the whipped cream. Add another layer of pieces of cake and repeat the process.
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If you finish the trifle cake and cake or berries are at the top of it, sift powdered sugar atop and serve with spoons and bowls.
3. Red, white and blue Charcuterie
Would it be a party without a Charcuterie board?
Because Flag Day falls right before summer, consider how hot it will be outside and avoid certain foods. While a number of delicious and typical Charcuterie items like pepperoni and salami have a red hue, you might want to avoid them in the sun.
You’ll also probably want to skip the chocolate and cheese for this one.
(Blueberries are one of the few fruits that are truly blue to use in your Flag Day recipes.)
This specific Charcuterie will give you red, white and blue coloring but also be refreshing for guests.
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On a Charcuterie board, a platter or a cutting board, arrange the following items however they will look both appetizing and aesthetically pleasing. It’s recommended you create an American flag shape of sorts, if possible.
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Watermelon
- Red grapes
- Sliced red bell peppers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Crackers
- Peanuts
- Ranch dressing
- Fruit dip
