Our contributors brought the ideas, and our Test Kitchen put them to the test. These brand-new recipes went straight to our favorites list.
Chicago Deep-Dish Panzanella
After the success of our loaded Chicago dog panzanella, we thought, what next? An authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza was the answer. Toasted pieces of focaccia are tossed with the usual deep dish toppings: Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, mozzarella pearls and Parmesan. We even included a few dollops of chunky marinara.
Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
We might not all be so lucky as to attend the Indiana State Fair, home to the Hoosier pork tenderloin sandwich. Thankfully, you don’t have to travel there in order to enjoy this big-as-a-dinner-plate marvel. We’ll show you how to build the sandwich just as it’s sold at the fair. Then try your hand at other homemade state fair food, like funnel cake or lemon shake-ups.
Blueberry Brie Grilled Cheese
Blueberries, balsamic, basil, Brie and butter team up to make this truly gourmet grilled cheese. It’s rich from the Brie, sweet from the blueberries, herbaceous from the basil, tangy from the balsamic and perfectly golden brown thanks to the butter. Build the sandwich on really good sourdough to keep everything in its place.
Transfusion Cocktail
This four-ingredient cocktail isn’t just for golfers, although if you don’t usually hit the links, you probably haven’t heard of it. Vodka, Corncord grape juice, lime juice and ginger ale come together to create the Transfusion cocktail. It’s fizzy and refreshing—a wonderful way to end a round of golf or wind down on the patio.
Salty Malty Scones
The best part of these triple-chocolate scones isn’t the ganache glaze, the melty chocolate chips or the crushed malted milk balls. It’s the malted milk powder baked into the batch, deepening the toasty, nutty, milky flavor that enriches those chocolaty components and crunchy, salty toppings. Start breaking out the malted milk powder for your bakes—we love it in these malted chocolate chip cookies, too.
Lambrusco Spritz
We’ve been getting really into Italian aperitivo. The premise of meeting up with friends to stimulate your appetite before dinner feels like a more intentional version of happy hour. A Lambrusco spritz is an accepted aperitivo cocktail with its fizzy, refreshing combination of Aperol, Lambrusco, club soda and an orange slice.
Strawberry Pop-Tart Cookies
There’s a time and place for Mylar-wrapped Pop-Tarts. But when you have a little extra time on your hands, I can’t recommend these strawberry Pop-Tart cookies enough. With all the bright, sugary strawberry flavor of the originals and none of the mystery ingredients, they’re the better-for-you version in cookie form.
Zucchini Blueberry Muffins
Zucchini is still growing in September. By now, you’ve probably made every iteration of zucchini bread and zucchini sides available on the internet. Blueberry muffins, though, offer a whole new way to enjoy this crop, and they’re really easy to bake and share. Over blueberries? Try our zucchini coffee cake muffins instead.
Slow-Cooker Harissa Chicken
Now that it’s September, it’s finally time to dust off the trusty crockpot. Chicken breasts and onions slowly simmer with harissa and tomato paste for a few hours until the chicken is shreddable, then coconut milk is poured in to make a creamy sauce. It’s all served on a bed of perfectly fluffy rice, with sliced green onions and sesame seeds for crunch. It’s a nourishing, warming dinner that I love to serve just as the temperatures start to creep down.
Zucchini Carpaccio
I love this lighter, vegetarian-friendly take on beef carpaccio. A vegetable peeler makes quick, even work of shaving the zucchini into thick ribbons, then salt draws out the excess moisture for about 30 minutes. Wipe off the salt, toss the zucchini with lemon juice, then arrange the zucchini in a pretty pattern on a platter with toasted pine nuts, black pepper and lots of Parmesan. Bonus: It’s a great way to use up a whole pound of zucchini!
Copycat First Watch Million-Dollar Breakfast Sandwiches
If there isn’t a First Watch outpost near you, here’s the next best thing: their iconic million-dollar breakfast sandwich, made right in your own kitchen. It features First Watch’s legendary million-dollar bacon on an English muffin with pork sausage, egg, smoked Gouda, hot honey and arugula. A mixed green salad is served on the side.
Sheet-Pan Fried Rice
As you might’ve guessed, your homemade fried rice probably doesn’t taste as good as the restaurant’s because your pan doesn’t give it the same distinct texture and smoky flavor as a well-seasoned carbon-steel wok. The next best alternative? An oil-slicked sheet pan. Here’s how to make sheet-pan fried rice that tastes very close to your favorite restaurant’s, and which doubles as a fuss-free recipe for busy weeknights.
Sweet-and-Spicy Harissa Margarita
As the weather starts to cool down, I like to trade my bright, citrusy margaritas with ones that have a little more bite. This margarita is just as simple as a traditional one, but the sweet-and-spicy harissa honey syrup and tart pomegranate juice lean into the warmer, deeper flavors you’d expect in fall cocktails.
Peach Sticky Buns
Yes, peach season is at its end, but recipe creator Alex Bala makes good use of frozen peaches in these insanely good peach sticky buns. Fluffy sticky bun dough is rolled up with a warm brown sugar filling and a sticky peach filling. The quintessential caramel pecan topping is baked underneath and inverted so it cascades over the rolls.
Shrimp Linguine with Saffron Sauce
This dish gets its glowy, golden hue from crushed saffron and cherry tomatoes blended with heavy whipping cream. The sauce is luxurious, creamy, herbaceous, and subtly floral, tossed with plump shrimp and al dente linguine, and finished with fresh basil. Try other pasta shapes like orecchiette and other seafood like crab or lobster.
Mediterranean Sheet-Pan Gnocchi
Sheet-pan dinners are our lifesavers on busy weeknights. In this Mediterranean version, everything is tossed into one pan and baked until the tomatoes have burst, the gnocchi is crisp and the zucchini is golden brown. Finish it with feta, dill and olives. This dinner fits right in with a Mediterranean diet.
Frozen Tiramisu Martini
Buzzy, creamy and chocolaty, this frozen tiramisu is our new favorite dessert cocktail (or is it a boozy dessert?). RumChata, Kahlua, chocolate liqueur and half-and-half are blended with ice. Pour the cocktail into a pretty coupe glass and finish it with whipped cream, cocoa powder and espresso beans. This has been on repeat whenever I host girls nights!
Gooey Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Everyone has really flocked to our new gooey peanut butter cookie bars recipe. Here’s the gist: Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bakes in a pan with sweetened condensed milk trailing through the middle. They’re indulgent, melty and irresistibly gooey. My secret? Scatter chopped Reese’s on top before baking.
Banana Pudding Pound Cake
We’ve seen banana pudding have its moment this year, from cupcakes and tiramisu to cookies and trifles. But I love that this banana pudding pound cake is as easy as baking a snacking cake, and its Bundt shape makes it look so elegant and celebratory. Finish it with a glaze, banana slices and crushed Nilla wafers on top.
Wok-Seared Green Beans with Bacon and Chili Crisp
If you own a wok, great, but you don’t need one to make these spectacular green beans with bacon and chili crisp. The green beans cook in a sauce made with ginger, garlic, chili crisp, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey, then are tossed with bacon and toasty almonds. Serve it with Asian chicken thighs, thinly sliced beef or a good piece of fish.
Spicy Feta Dip (Tirokafteri)
I can’t even express how easy and rewarding it is to bring this spicy feta dip to a get-together. Feta, jarred roasted red peppers, garlic and spices are blitzed in a food processor, then poured into your prettiest bowl. The dip is tangy, sweet and well-spiced, and pairs perfectly with dippers like pita bread, endives, radishes, crackers, cucumbers and carrots.
Edible S’mores Cookie Dough
Here’s a cookie dough you can actually eat—no raw eggs or raw flour in sight. Instead, almond flour (which is safe to eat raw!) binds the chocolate cookie dough with all the s’mores mix-ins, including toasted marshmallows and chocolate chips. Serve graham crackers on the side for scooping.
Harissa Roasted Vegetables
Intentional sides don’t have to take much effort, and these harissa-roasted vegetables are proof. The veggies are tossed in olive oil, honey and harissa, then roasted until they’re fork-tender. Pair them with an impressive Sunday roast chicken or easy hot honey salmon. I honestly love having these vegetables as-is with a bit of perfectly fluffy rice and whipped feta dip.
Malted Butter Pecan Waffles
Stop saving the malted milk powder for super-thick milkshakes. This retro ingredient is the secret to deepening the toasty, milky flavor in scones, cookies and, in this recipe, waffles. Top your stack with nutty pecans and good maple syrup.
