• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
    • Punch Needle
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

How-to: Fireworks Cookies & Edible Sparklers

July 4, 2011 2 Comments

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Pop Rocks (you know, the candy from your childhood) is running a recipe contest that ends at midnight tonight. From their official rules website:

Get ready for the JULY 4th POP ROCKS® RECIPE CONTEST. Send us your favourite food or beverage recipe featuring Pop Rocks® as an ingredient for your chance to win a 24 pack box of the NEWLY rereleased grape Pop Rocks. For added fun, although not necessary to win, include a picture of the recipe or you and your friends enjoying it. 5 winners will be selected on July 5th by Pop Rocks’ own Chef Rocko.

Even though I’ve never been the biggest fan of grape, I thought this was a great excuse to experiment with some baking. My initial idea was to use Pop Rocks as sprinkles on my family’s generations-old sugar cookie recipe.

Fireworks Cookies

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c shortening
  • 1/2 c butter, softened
  • 1 ½ c sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 3 ½ c sifted flour
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1 ¼ t salt

How to make it

  • Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla
  • Stir in – sifted dry ingredients, mixing well.
  • Chill dough several hours.
  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Roll out small portions on dough on lightly floured board to 1/8” thickness. Cut with floured 3” cutter.
  • Place on ungreased baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle with colored sugars, nuts etc or frost after baking.
  • Bake in 375 oven 10-12 min or until delicately browned. Cool on racks
  • 5-6 dozen

Butterfrosting Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 T soft butter
  • 1/3 t salt
  • 1# powdered sugar
  • 4 T milk
  • 1 t vanilla

How to make it

  • Cream butter in mixing bowl
  • Add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
  • If necessary, thin with additional milk.

The cookies were really cute, but I ran in to some trouble when serving them at a 4th of July picnic. As my cookies warmed in their tupperware container, the frosting got liquidy enough that the Pop Rocks got all popped out. Just a heads up.

Edible Sparklers

Ingredients

  • white almond bark
  • pretzel rods
  • red & blue Pop Rocks candy (Dollar Tree is where I found the candy)
  • waxed paper

Directions

Melt your almond bark in the microwave or in a saucepan. Pour melted almond bark in a heat-safe cup. Dip a pretzel rod in your cup, twisting it around to coat half of it. Set on waxed paper. sprinkle with red & blue pop rocks, rotating to cover all sides. Let set up.

If very sweet desserts aren’t your thing, I recommend this TasteSpotting page featuring a whole bunch of really interesting-looking Pop Rocks recipes.

Filed Under: Fourth of July, How-to, Recipes Tagged With: baking, butterfrosting, family recipe, independence day, pop rocks, sugar cookies

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

Previous Post: « Inspiration Thirsty
Next Post: How-to: Awesomely Easy Living Room Accessories »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • Sugar Cookies & ButterfrostingSugar Cookies & Butterfrosting
  • 25 American DIYs25 American DIYs
  • 50 Great DIY Gift Ideas50 Great DIY Gift Ideas
  • How-to: Chocolate Peppermint BlossomsHow-to: Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Monthly highlights sent to your inbox.

Find Me Elsewhere, If You’re There

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi GustadDiscover Unique Items

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
❤️ Email for pattern support
👇🏻 Book, Patterns, Tutorials

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
This yoke deserved a mid-blocking closeup, don’t This yoke deserved a mid-blocking closeup, don’t you think? ❤️💛💙
.
Pattern: modified #soldotnacrop sweater / yarn: various from my stash
If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually k If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually knitting from one sweater into another here, no big deal. (What can I say, I lost a game of yarn chicken. 😂) I almost didn’t post this because I was worried someone might have some nonsense to say about my ability to knit. Then I remembered I can’t care about that. Silly me, I almost forgot myself! 
.
Speaking of which, dang it’s good to have my mental health back consistently after the past couple of years. The anxious parts of my personality are just chilling, rather than constantly screaming that my work isn’t good enough to share. The confident parts of me that matter have me creating (and starting to share my creations & process with strangers and friends) again! 
.
Anybody else feel like they are beginning to return to themselves, so to speak, this spring?
I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] proj I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] project needs is a couple of short sleeves! I’ll be finishing this sweater *just* before it gets too warm to wear, but isn’t that always how it goes? 🫠🧶 
.
#knittersofinstagram #soldotnacrop #handsoccupied #knitincolor #springknitting
Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, wh Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, which has unsurprisingly turned into a love letter to primary colors. ❤️💛💙 The heart stripe is a wee tweak I incorporated, and I don’t regret it! 
.
 #handsoccupied #soldotnacrop #strandedcolorwork #knitting #yokesweater
I am unfortunately home bound for the near future I am unfortunately home bound for the near future thanks to the big, bad bug. So far I’ve knit half a sweater, consumed about a gallon of ginger tea, & plowed through 3 seasons of Pit Bulls and Parolees. 
.
June doesn’t understand why I’m suddenly so boring, but she seems to like watching animal planet. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy