Brown Sugar-Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

This recipe is a variation of two different recipes from Joy the Baker. It's good with or without the cinnamon.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Filling

1. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl, if needed.
2. Beat in flour, next 2 ingredients, and, if desired, cinnamon until well blended. Add in chocolate chips. Use a 1-tablespoon scoop to place cookie dough on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on pan for 5 minutes; cool completely on wire racks. Spread Peanut Butter Filling on one side of half of cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Peanut Butter Filling:

4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

1. Beat together all ingredients until smooth.

Squash-Tomato Gratin

Totally made this up on the fly with on-hand ingredients tonight—and it was delicious! We’ll definitely have this again and again this summer.
3 summer squash, thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup melted butter, divided
Salt and pepper
Herbs de Provence
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
Fresh breadcrumbs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place half of squash in bottom of lightly greased baking dish; top with onion rings. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. butter over the top; season with salt and pepper. Place remaining squash over top of onions. Place tomato slices over squash. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. butter over top of tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Top with breadcrumbs; drizzle with remaining butter. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese over top of breadcrumbs. Cover loosely with foil.
2. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden.

Yellow Squash Muffins

If you like zucchini bread, you will like these muffins, which use yellow summer squash. The recipe inspiration came from The New Southern Garden Cookbook. Next time, I will use 1/2 cup applesauce in place of an equal amount of water. The recipe makes 1 dozen muffins.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Pinch of allspice

2 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup grated yellow squash (1 medium)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Combine granulated sugar and next 9 ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Scoop batter into lightly greased muffin pans.

2. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until done.

Strawberry Cornmeal Cake

This cake is terrific with blackberries, blueberries, and peaches—but strawberries are my favorite!

1 Tbsp. butter

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 1 Tbsp. butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place skillet in oven to melt the butter.
2. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter and next 3 ingredients. Pour mixture into hot skillet. Arrange sliced strawberries on top of batter; sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Allow cake to cool, and then invert onto a serving plate.

Roasted Potato Salad With Blue Cheese

4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh or dried chives

Balsamic vinegar

1. Place potatoes and onions on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden. Spoon potato mixture into a bowl. Stir in blue cheese and chives. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar; toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Shortbread

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Zest of 1 orange

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Sliced strawberries

2 Tbsp. turbinado or granulated sugar

1. Stir together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth; stir in eggs. Stir in flour and next 4 ingredients. Pour batter into a lightly greased 12-inch cast-iron skillet (you can also line it with foil for even easier removal). Arrange sliced strawberries on top; sprinkle with sugar.
2. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Cool completely, and cut into triangles.

Brownie Cookies With Hazelnuts and White Chocolate Chips

This is a variation of a recipe from Joy the Baker Cookbook, which uses macadamia nuts. The chocolate-hazelnut combo tastes just like Nutella. Yummy!
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt*
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate and butter are melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in espresso powder and vanilla.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Stir in chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in hazelnuts and white chocolate. Scoop batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 11 minutes or until done. (Note: These are best slightly undercooked.) Cool on pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*I used more salt because the nuts are unsalted. If you use salted nuts, reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 tsp.