This patriotic pull-apart Red, White and Blue Dessert is the ideal summer treat for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day. It’s simple to prepare, festive, and absolutely delicious.
Fun fact: This dessert was featured on Food Network’s The Kitchen with Jeff Mauro.
Red, white, and blue desserts are perfect for summer gatherings. This pull-apart biscuit flag is eye-catching, fun to share, and easy enough to make that anyone can pull it off.
This patriotic biscuit flag is built from basic ingredients and comes together quickly. If you enjoy bite-sized desserts, you might also like other festive recipes from the same collection.
Ingredient Tips
This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients. A couple of tips to get the best results:
- Pillsbury biscuit dough – Use the regular canned buttermilk biscuits (not flaky layers) for best texture. Two cans will give you roughly 30 biscuit balls, enough for about 15 people. If you need a larger flag, add another can.
- Pie fillings – Choose quality cherry and blueberry (or other red and blue) pie fillings. Avoid very cheap, watery fillings; a thicker filling holds up better on the biscuits and looks cleaner on the flag.
Consider serving this dessert with a themed drink or other red, white, and blue treats for a coordinated spread.
Equipment
- Piping bag – A piping bag makes filling each biscuit easy. If you don’t have one, a sturdy zip-top bag with a corner snipped off works in a pinch.
- Star tip (optional) – A star tip adds decorative stars and texture for the white stripes, but it’s not required. You can pipe simple dollops if you prefer.
Rolling Your Biscuits
Cut each biscuit in half and roll each piece between your palms into smooth round balls. This produces bite-sized portions that are uniform and easy to arrange.
Place the rolled biscuit balls close together on parchment paper or a silicone mat so you can bake and later transfer the finished flag to a serving platter. Brush each ball with an egg wash before baking to achieve a golden, shiny finish.
Making Your Flag
Allow the baked biscuits to cool completely before filling so the cream cheese filling won’t melt and slide off.
Prepare the cheesecake filling and add it to a piping bag. Insert the piping tip into the top of each biscuit and squeeze gently until each biscuit is generously filled — a little overflow is fine.
Create the blue canton by placing a dollop of blueberry filling on the top-left corner of the flag. Use six biscuits to form a square in that corner.
For the red stripes, add cherry (or another red) pie filling across the top row and then alternate rows to create the look of stripes. Finish by piping the cream cheese filling to form the white stripes between the red rows. Use star shapes or dollops depending on your tip.
Flag Dessert Tips
I like to dust powdered sugar on top for a finished look, but that’s optional. Additional tips:
- Use plenty of cheesecake filling; the biscuits are mild and benefit from the sweet, creamy filling.
- Transfer the cooled, baked biscuit grid to your serving platter before decorating to minimize movement and preserve the design.
- Serve extra cheesecake filling or pie fillings on the side so guests can add more if they like.
- If you want a historically accurate large flag with 13 rows, double the recipe and arrange biscuits into 13 rows for a bigger display.
Try other red, white, and blue finger foods for a complete dessert table.
If you need a festive appetizer, consider simple fruit-and-cheese star bites or other patriotic starters.
Make This In Advance
You can prepare this dessert ahead of time. Bake the biscuits, let them cool, then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to fill and decorate. This approach works well for transporting the dessert.
Alternatively, complete the entire flag the night before and refrigerate uncovered on top so it retains its appearance; cover only if needed for travel.
Other Red, White and Blue Recipes
Easy Quick Red, White, & Blue Dessert-
Cream Cheese Crescent Roll Danish
-
Red White & Blue Drink
-
Patriotic Watermelon Appetizer
Cheesecake Stuffed Biscuit Flag
Ingredients
- 2 cans Pillsbury Biscuits (8 Count)
- 6 oz. strawberry pie filling (about ¾ cup)
- 6 oz. blueberry pie filling (about ¾ cup)
- 12 oz. cream cheese
- 5-6 tbsp. milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1¾ tsp. vanilla extract
Equipment
- Piping Bag
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Open biscuit cans, cut each biscuit in half, and roll each piece between your hands into smooth balls. You will have two extra pieces; bake them separately if desired.
- Arrange the biscuit balls on parchment or a silicone mat in five rows of six (30 total). This surface makes it easy to transfer the finished flag to a platter.
- Brush each biscuit with egg wash and bake on the top rack 8–10 minutes, until cooked through. Avoid overbaking.
- Let biscuits cool completely. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese with 5 tbsp. milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the extra tablespoon of milk if the mixture is too thick. Transfer to a piping bag with a tip.
- Insert the piping tip into the top of each cooled biscuit and fill generously with cheesecake filling.
- Pipe your white stripes by adding stars or dollops of cream cheese filling on the appropriate rows to mimic the flag’s white stripes.
- Place blueberry filling on the upper-left six biscuits to form the blue canton.
- Top the remaining designated biscuits with cherry filling to form the red stripes.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve. Extra cheesecake or pie filling can be offered on the side.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it went!