Easy 4th of July Snack Board
This easy 4th of July Snack Board is packed with patriotic appetizers, sweet treats, and fun store-bought shortcuts that make entertaining a little more effortless. Inspired by American favorites, this arrangement holds mini hot dogs, cheeseburger meatball skewers, mini pizzas, apple pie shooters, pretzel sparklers, marshmallow skewers, and more. It's the perfect party spread for Independence Day, Memorial Day, or any summer gathering. Start with a large board as your base, or 2-4 smaller boards arranged together. The board pictured is 24x24-inches square.
Ingredients
Mini Hot Dogs
- 12 mini cocktail sausages such as Little Smokies
- 12 soft dinner rolls such as King's Hawaiian Rolls
- Yellow mustard
Cheeseburger Meatball Skewers
- 12 frozen homestyle meatballs thawed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 slices cheddar cheese cut into 12 small squares
- 12 dill pickle slices patted dry
- 6 cherry tomatoes sliced (24 slices) patted dry
- 12 toothpicks or cocktail skewers
Mini Pizza Bagels
- 12 frozen cheese pizza bagels
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- About 36 mini pepperoni slices
Patriotic Cheese & Crackers
- 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
- 12 ounces assorted cheese slices
- 12 oz. salami
- Assorted butter crackers
- USA alphabet cookie cutters and star cookie cutters optional
Apple Pie Shooters
- 1 ready-made 8-inch apple pie approximately 1lb. 6.5 oz.
- 1/2 sheet refrigerated pie crust
- 1 cup real whipped cream or whipped topping such as Cool Whip
- 12 2-ounce shot glasses
Pretzel Sparklers
- 12 pretzel rods
- 8 ounces white almond bark or white candy coating
- 1/2 cup Red sparkling sanding sugar
- 1/2 cup Blue sparkling sanding sugar
- 24 silver star sprinkles
Star Marshmallow Skewers
- 36 Jet-Puffed Star Marshmallows
- 4 ounces white almond bark or white candy coating
- 1/4 cup Red, white, and blue sprinkles
- 12 wooden skewers 12-inch
Fresh & Store-Bought Extras
- 1 personal seedless watermelon 3 to 4 pounds, cut into wedges
- Red salsa
- Blue and white tortilla chips
- Ranch dressing
- Patriotic crackers and pretzels
- 1 lb. red, white, and blue wax-coated cheese wheel (such as 1776 cheese)
Instructions
- Make the Mini Hot Dogs: Place the cocktail sausages in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until plump, about 7 minutes. Drain and place on paper towels to dry. Split the dinner rolls across the top without cutting all the way through and tuck one sausage into each roll. Finish with a squiggle of yellow mustard.
- Make the Cheeseburger Meatball Skewers: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the thawed meatballs until heated through and lightly browned. Slice each meatball in half. Layer the bottom half with cheddar cheese, a dill pickle slice, and two cherry tomato slices. Top with the remaining meatball half and secure with a toothpick.
- Make the Pizza Bagels: Arrange the frozen cheese pizza bagels on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and top with mini pepperoni. Bake according to the package directions until hot and bubbly.
- Prepare the Cheese & Crackers: Cut mozzarella slices into stars and the letters U, S, and A using cookie cutters, if desired. Arrange on top of salami and cheese with assorted crackers.
- Make the Apple Pie Shooters: Cut stars from the refrigerated pie crust and bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely. Crumble the apple pie with a fork and divide among 12 shot glasses. Top with whipped cream and garnish each with a pie crust star.
- Make the Pretzel Sparklers: Melt the almond bark according to the package directions. Dip each pretzel rod halfway into the coating, then immediately roll in red or blue sanding sugar. Attach a silver star sprinkle with a dab of melted coating. Let harden completely.
- Make the Marshmallow Skewers: Thread three star marshmallows onto each skewer. Drizzle with melted almond bark and immediately decorate with patriotic sprinkles. Let the coating set.
- Assemble the Board: Arrange the mini hot dogs, cheeseburger meatball skewers, pizza bagels, cheese and crackers, apple pie shooters, pretzel sparklers, marshmallow skewers, watermelon wedges, patriotic snacks, salsa, tortilla chips, ranch dressing, and cheese wheel on a large serving board. Stand the pretzel sparklers upright in glasses for a festive fireworks effect. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Most components can be prepared several hours ahead of time.
- Refrigerate the apple pie shooters until serving.
- The pretzel sparklers and marshmallow skewers can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
- Use homestyle meatballs instead of Italian-style for the best cheeseburger flavor.
- Store-bought shortcuts are encouraged - they're what make this patriotic snack board so quick and easy to assemble!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!