Better Than Fireworks: 8 Sparkling Desserts You Can Make For The 4th

Upstage the fireworks with these eight patriotic desserts.

Combine your favorite fruit, some Champagne, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass and you've got sparkling ice cream floats! You can even garnish the rim of the glass with coarse sanding sugar for extra shimmer.

Replace the cold water in your Jell-O recipe with sparkling water and you'll have a cup full of red and blue gelatin that's studded with a miniature fireworks display!

If you went through all the work to bake and decorate an American flag cake, why not serve it with some extra flair? Buy candles that sparkle as they burn and light them right before the cake is presented.

An easy way to give your cupcakes a fireworks-inspired theme? Buy miniature metallic pinwheels at the craft store and place one into each cake. When you display the cupcakes on a breezy evening, your dessert table will sparkle just like the fireworks' grand finale.

For a healthy, grown-up dessert with festive flair, try cutting slices of watermelon into stars with cookie cutters and then soaking the cut-outs in sparkling wine. Serve with a sprinkle of blueberries for a patriotic color scheme.

If you're making your own red-white-and-blue ice pops, try adding a splash of Champagne to the mix. Just be sure you don't use too much or your ice pops won't freeze fully.

Sugar cookies are the perfect dessert for just about any holiday — they're easy to adapt to any color or theme. Try sprinkling yours with coarse, colored sanding sugar before baking them for a glittery finish.

Are you famous for your Fourth of July berry pie? Give it a little glitz by brushing the top crust with egg wash and then sprinkling it all over with coarse sanding sugar — when the pie bakes, you'll get a glistening shell. Then, if you want, add even more pizazz with sparkler-style candles, lit just before dessert is served.