Food and Recipes Recipes July 4th Charcuterie Board A little sweet, a little savory, and a whole lot of festive. By Joy Howard Joy Howard Joy Howard is a cookbook author, food stylist, and recipe developer who's spent more than a decade creating recipes for home cooks. She is the author of Disney Eats and the forthcoming Tomato Love (Storey Publishing, Summer 2022), is a frequent contributor to Southern Living and America's Test Kitchen, and for many years wrote a column for EatingWell magazine about cooking with kids. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on June 23, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Joy Howard Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Celebrate the Fourth of July—and the return of bigger gatherings—with a composed platter of sweet and savory delights. You can customize your spread with your favorite snacks or use our suggestions below. We've even created two simple desserts that are a snap to bake (and a great fit for The Fourth) to help you fill out your platter with a touch of homemade holiday goodness. The Red, White, and Blue Cake Mix Cookies start with store-bought cake mix that's shaped, covered in sprinkles, and baked into fireworks-inspired sweets; while the Mini Cherry Pies feature a homemade filling of fresh cherries simmered with a dash or cardamom, and a star-shaped pastry top that's studded with sparkling sugar. No matter what ingredients you use, there's just one easy rule you should follow to prep a board that's perfect for the day's festivities: make sure everything is red, white, and blue. Ingredients Half batch Red, White, and Blue Cake Mix Cookies Half batch Mini Cherry Pies Red, white, and blue chocolate gems Fresh raspberries Fresh strawberries Sliced salami Grape or cherry tomatoes Mozzarella balls Sliced cheese (we used pre-cut cheddar) Blue corn tortilla chips Blueberries Blackberries Directions If using, fill small bowls with candies and chips, and arrange them on a large platter or cutting board (ours was 14 by 18 inches). Next, use a star-shaped cookie cutter to trim stars from a few cheese slices. Assemble your chosen ingredients on the platter according to color, then top with the cheese stars. Print