YAAAS, U.S.A. YAAAS, GAIN THAT INDEPENDENCE*

*I don't actually speak like this IRL

We're doing the holiday early this year because 1.) we want to and 2.) we've got a crazy schedule the first week of July! Really, I'd do it every day if it meant bourbon and ice cream. To be honest, I've never considered the 4th of July to be a cool holiday because, well, patriotism isn't super hip. My memories of July 4th generally consist of burnt skin, smelly sunscreen, and too many sugary drinks. This year, though, I got all excited about the 4th of July because it gave me an excuse to have a blueberry party (three weeks early)! And by party I mean Matt and I made blueberry things and then got day drunk in the park by our house and now you get to see it all. It's hot enough to make focaccia outside (roughly 425*F) so we started to have our "party" and then took pictures while getting covered in melted ice cream and then ran back into our home and changed our clothes and bitched about the heat. But hey, you probably don't need to know all of that.

I had decided that I wanted to do something with blueberries a while back, but coming up with blueberry recipes was a weird experience. Do you know how much liquid blueberries produce when you try to just bake them into things?! A lot. Like enough to make cookie dough soup and blueberry rice crispy mush. MUSH. Be careful when baking with blueberries cause apparently they can be real dicks. Which is kind of surprising because I grew up being an avid #numberonefan of blueberry muffins and made them often without a problem so idk what gives. But, these recipes won't screw you over so give 'em a whirl or something! Oh and next time I'll just be using dehydrated blueberries for baked stuff cause the flavor is like woah and they don't turn into mushy balls of liquid when you bake them into stuff.

Also also, cheers(!!) it's the last post on Probably Baking and Matt and I can't wait for all of y'all to see the new site!

Some notes about this cocktail:

Its basically a refreshing way to enjoy whiskey in hot weather. I usually prefer my whiskey in the form of an old fashioned on a cold winter night while watching Netflix, but, it's Independence Day and America wants you to drink bourbon because Kentucky or whatever. So, this recipe is fruity, slightly sweet, and fizzy and makes the whiskey light and tropical (but not too tropical because this is America, damn it). If you hate whiskey (or the U.S.), substitute it for rum or vodka or gin or literally anything else - I'm not the boss of you. You have to pay extra for that. K bye!

Blueberry Bourbon Basil SMASH

makes 2

3 oz bourbon
1.5 oz elderflower liqueur
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
4 large basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
1 oz honey or agave or simple syrup
3-4 oz soda water
ice

Muddle blueberries and basil in a cocktail shaker with the honey (or simple syrup / agave).
Add the bourbon and elderflower liqueur and give it all a stir.
Pour into two cocktail glasses (if you don't like chunks of fruit in your drink,use a strainer for this step).
Fill the glasses with ice and top with the soda water.
Garnish with basil leaves or skewered blueberries and enjoy, boo!

Blueberry, Bourbon, & Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (dairy free)

makes about 1 quart

2 (13.5 oz) cans of full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup bourbon
1/3 cup blueberry preserves
1 T vanilla
2 T corn starch
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup shredded toasted coconut
1/4 cup freeze dried blueberries (optional)

Shake the cans of coconut milk to prevent separation and pour 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into a small bowl and set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat and add the 1.5 cups of coconut milk and the sugar, whisk until the sugar is combined, about one minute.
Whisk the corn starch into the 1/2 cup of coconut milk that had been set aside and then whisk the mixture into the saucepan.
Bring the ice cream base to medium-high heat and let simmer for six minutes, until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and blueberry preserves.
Transfer to a glass bowl and let sit until room temperature.
Refrigerate four hours to overnight before continuing.
Once the ice cream has chilled, follow the instructions on your ice cream and let it churn for about 10 minutes before tossing in the frozen blueberries and shredded coconut.
If desired, let freeze until solid, or eat immediately as soft serve.
To kick up the blueberry flavor, sprinkle on some crushed freeze dried blueberries!

Thanks, Susty Party, for sending me the stuff to make this spread super cute!

Matt: Aldo bag and shoes, Jungmaven shirt. Beau: Banana Republic shirt, Steven Alan sunglasses

A 4th of July Blueberry Party!