Watermelon Sparklers: The Whimsical 2-Ingredient App Your Cookout Spread Is Begging For

Cookout season is inundated with patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, and for this reason, it's always fun to serve summery red, white, and blue desserts at our backyard barbecues. We're not just talking Bomb Pops. A healthier alternative to this Cold War frozen treat is something called watermelon sparklers. This consists of fresh star-shaped watermelon pieces and blueberries served on a stick for maximum fun and portability.

To make watermelon sparklers, start by vertically slicing up a watermelon into 1-inch slices, removing the seeds if necessary. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter or knife to cut out star shapes that will form the sparkler tips. For the next step, you'll need wooden or bamboo skewers and blueberries. Thread as many blueberries onto the skewer as possible, leaving enough space at the end to get a good grip of the stick. Leave some space at the top, too, since this is the end you'll be poking into the bottom of your watermelon star to make the sparkler. That's it! It couldn't be simpler. If you're making the sparklers in advance, though, be sure to put them in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

While the watermelon sparklers are okay as-is, you could always dress them up with a sprinkling of colored sugar or, if you prefer, salt. (Interestingly enough, salt actually makes watermelon taste sweeter.) You could also sprinkle the watermelon with Tajín, since this chile-lime seasoning goes with everything. Another option is to serve the sparklers with some type of dip — make it out of yogurt if you want to be healthy or use fudge sauce for something more indulgent.

It's also okay to opt for different types of fruits. Not a watermelon fan? Other types of melon can also be sliced up with cookie cutters, as can fresh pineapple or even apples. Just make sure the fruit is sufficiently firm to hold a star shape. You could even go with sliced starfruit, which has the star shape without even using cookie cutters. As for the base of the sparklers, you could swap out the blueberries for blackberries, raspberries, or cut-up strawberries, although these would make for slightly chunkier "handles." Dried fruits like raisins or craisins are another option, or even mini marshmallows if you don't want to stick with fruit.

Finally, whichever fruit you choose to cut into star shapes, don't toss out the scraps. Instead, throw them in the blender with some water and sugar, then freeze them to make a simple three-ingredient Sicilian granita.