Nothing ends a great BBQ like a delicious dessert. These easy-to-make and crowd pleasing recipes are sure to end your 4th of July celebration with a bang.

Red, White and Blue Cake

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12

• 1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix
• 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Blue McCormick Assorted Neon Food Colors & Egg Dye
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons McCormick Red Food Color
• nonstick spray
• 1 container (16 ounces) white frosting
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, adding vanilla. Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to small bowl and tint with neon blue food color. Tint remaining batter red by adding cocoa powder and red food color. Pour each color batter into separate 9-by-5-inch loaf pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Bake blue-tinted cake 20-25 minutes; red-tinted cake 30-35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
4. Trim cakes to remove rounded tops and edges. Slice red cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers. Place one layer on platter. Slice remaining red cake layer in half lengthwise. Slice blue cake in half lengthwise. (Blue and red cakes should be same dimensions.)
5. Frost red cake layer on platter with 1/3 frosting. Top with lengthwise slices of red and blue cake side-by-side. Frost with 1/3 frosting. Repeat cake layer and frosting. Garnish with raspberries and blueberries to resemble flag.

Source: McCormick Spice

Stars and Stripes Brownies

Makes 24 brownies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish: 2 hours

• 1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
• 1 container (12 ounces) whipped fluffy white frosting
• 1 tube (0.68 ounce) red decorating gel
• 1 tube (0.68 ounce) blue decorating gel
• 1 tube (0.68 ounce) white decorator icing
• Decorating Decors stars

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13 x 9-inch pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray. Make and bake brownies as directed on box for 13 x 9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. Remove brownies from pan by lifting foil; peel foil from sides of brownies. Continue as desired with options below.
3. Flag Brownies: Frost brownies. Using red decorating gel, pipe stripes onto frosted brownie. Add decors in upper left corner of brownie.
4. Fire Cracker Brownies: Using 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out brownie rounds. Stack 2 brownie rounds together, spreading frosting between rounds and on top. Garnish with decors.
5. Star Brownies: Using 2 1/2-inch, star-shaped cookie cutter, cut brownies. Place frosting in resealable food-storage bag; cut off one bottom corner of bag. Pipe frosting on star-shaped brownies. Sprinkle with decors.

Red, White and Blueberry Frozen Pops

Servings: 10

• 1/2 cup granola
• 2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
• 3/4 cup reduced fat milk
• 6 ounces fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 cup whole strawberries, tops removed
• water
• 1 1/4 cup blueberries, divided

1. In small bowl, stir granola and brown rice syrup until combined. Using end of wooden spoon, press approximately 3/4 tablespoon granola into each frozen pop mold. Granola should be packed tightly into bottom of molds.
2. In another small bowl, stir together milk and yogurt; set aside.
3. Using small food processor or high-powered blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Stir water into each puree so they are pourable, about 2 tablespoons each, more if necessary.
4. Set aside 30 blueberries and puree remainder. Add water, as needed, to make pourable.
5. To layer pops, start by pouring, piping or syringing 1 tablespoon milk and yogurt mixture into each mold, covering granola layer. Put each mold in freezer until firm, at least 1 hour.
6. Layer 1 tablespoon strawberry puree on top of frozen yogurt layer in each mold. Cover top of molds with foil, insert sticks and freeze again until solid. Remove foil, add another layer of yogurt and freeze again.
7. For final layer, add 1 tablespoon blueberry puree and 3 blueberries to each mold. Freeze until solid. Keep frozen pops in molds until ready to eat. Run each mold under lukewarm water for approximately 10 seconds to loosen and remove frozen pops. Pops can be made 1 day in advance.

Tip: For clean lines between frozen yogurt layers, use small syringe.