Fireworks & Booms ... The Bomb Cupcakes & Red, White & Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

4th of July is almost here, not that my neighbors would know this since they have been lighting off fireworks for the last few days.  We will be doing our normal plan of going to my parents house on the lake to watch all the other people blow off their money!   Of course I want to do something fun for the food so I found some fun cupcakes and then I also made a dessert for our neighbors who had the kids over all day yesterday and let me work and clean in peace!!

I'll start with the Bomb Pop Cupcakes, I saw them all over pinterest but no real step by step so I winged it like usual!  Here is what I came up with I think they turned out pretty good!

What you need:

Baked Cupcakes

Frosting (White, Red & Blue)

Popsicle Sticks

Clear Cups (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Clear Bags (This is optional but I swear it's the only way I do cupcakes these days)

Alexis Notes: I made a batch of my homemade yellow cake mix and sturdy buttercream frosting (I've created a page so each recipe has their own post no more weeding through my ramblings).

Frost cupcakes with blue first I did a good amount of blue.  Then I went to the white frosting (I wish I would have made another batch and made this layer a bit thicker).  You then top with red frosting.  Last stick a popsicle stick into the center of the cupcake.  I now put my cupcakes in a clear cup and put in a clear bag.  Tie off with a ribbon (I used red, white and blue - Well my red was a burnt red but I wasn't making anymore trips out tonight).

And we end with a special gift I made for my neighbors.  Those who know me know I'm a complete lover of strawberry cheesecake so this of course was a killer to make but I made sure it went straight out the door.  This Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars on Recipe Girls Website.  It smelled so good, I so wanted a bite but I resisted.

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Nice lower fat option for weight watchers.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
1 1/2 packages (12 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh raspberries (more or less, as desired)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (more or less, as desired)


Directions:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. In a food processor (or with an electric mixer) blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest just until smooth. Do not over-beat.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the crumb crust. Scatter raspberries and blueberries on top.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until touch to center feels slightly firm and set.

6. Cool completely before cutting. Use foil to lift cheesecake out of pan and onto a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut into clean-looking bars (wiping blade clean with a paper towel between cuts). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Points Plus Program: 5 Old Points Program: 5

Source: RecipeGirl.com

I hope you give one of these a shot both pretty easy to make and both look so yummy!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.