5 Easy Memorial Day Desserts

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, the initial thought that comes to mind is setting up the grill and barbecuing some delicious burgers, hot dogs, and other savory eats. Maybe you’re enjoying some cocktails poolside, maybe not, but one thing you cannot skip out on is the desserts! Every backyard barbeque needs a festive treat table. Bektrom has composed a few of our favorite easy Memorial Day recipes for your holiday weekend with a red, white, and blue theme in mind.

1. Strawberry Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 4 c. sliced peaches
  • 3 c. blueberries
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp. cornstarch 
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • Pinch kosher salt

Topping:

  • 1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cold
  • 2/3 c. buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, toss together peaches, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and a large pinch of salt. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  2. For the topping, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and use your hands to cut into flour until pea-sized. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined. In a time pinch? Use Loretta’s Cobbler Mix to speed up the process.
  3. Pour fruit filling and juices into a 9×13 pan. Drop large spoonfuls of topping over the filling. Bake until the top is golden and peaches can be pierced easily with a knife, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

2. Memorial Day Bark

Ingredients

  • 20 oz white chocolate
  • ¼ cup red and blue chocolate candies
  • 2 tablespoons patriotic sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, heating in 30-second intervals until the chips start to melt.  Stir and continue heating in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and creamy.
  2. Pour white chocolate onto a parchment-lined pan and spread into an even layer, about ¼-⅓ inch thick. 
  3. Top the melted white chocolate with chocolate candies and sprinkles. 
  4. Freeze for at least 20 minutes.  Break into pieces after hardened.

3. Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 7.5-ounce jar of strawberry marshmallow fluff
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 ½ cups crispy rice cereal
  • ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries, chopped

Instructions 

  1. Lightly spray a 9x5x3-inch bread loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, strawberry fluff, and salt. Turn the heat to medium, let it melt slowly, and stir frequently.
  3. When the strawberry fluff mixture is melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the rice cereal. Stir to combine.
  4. Once the mixture is well-combined, stir in the freeze-dried strawberries.
  5. Press the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Let set until completely cool before cutting.

4. No Bake Berry Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces graham crackers, broken into large pieces
  • ½ cup toasted pecans
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages of reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 5 cups fresh berries

Instructions 

  1. Pulse graham crackers, pecans, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Drizzle in oil while processing, then pulse to combine. Press the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
  2. Add cream cheese, yogurt, confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the food processor. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Dollop the mixture over the crust, then gently spread it into an even layer. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
  3. Top with berries and cut into 16 squares.

5. Strawberry Shortcake Trifles

Ingredients

  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 c. chopped pound cake or angel food cake
  • 2 c. sliced or chopped strawberries

Instructions

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla until combined. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
  2. Among four glass jars, layer pound cake or angel food cake, whipped cream mixture, and strawberries.

Bektrom Foods

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