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Oohh....I LOVE peaches that way! Yum! Good idea!

Cupcakes are great, you can even do a big pile of minis in different flavors.

My fave cookie in the world, and fave to get people just as hooked on at gatherings is the ANZAC biscuit. Buttery, chewy, golden and wonderful!
I always put it on my cookie trays and never have leftovers.

Other grilled fruits are good too, like pineapple. You could do skewers of pineapple, peaches, nectarine etc. and gill them, with a honey sauce or yogurt dip on the side.
Grill them with squares of skewered firm cake to serve alongside. Caramelizes the edges and tastes great.

Hard to keep frozen for a cookout far from a home, but those cookies sandwiched with ice cream would rock too...

BTW--Do you share the orange cardamom cookie recipe? ;)

...inside out carrot cake cookies? Is that a recipe you'd be willing to share?

Deb of Smitten Kitchen posted a recipe for smores pie that looked absolutely decadent. Perhaps something like that?

Or what about homemade ice cream sandwiches, fresh fruit tarts (I'm thinking a rustic and non-fussy crostata made with whatever's available) or fruit crumble, or homemade Icees (crush ice in a blender, top with simple syrup and fruit for kids and simple syrup and alcohol for adults)?

@sadiepix, can you post the recipe for your Anzac buscuit? It sounds yummy! I usually make a chocolate caramel torte.

I love the skewered fruit idea and may do that when we have our July 4th gang over! What about including cubes of pound cake on the skewers?? Anyone tried that?

The Anzac Biscuits look wonderful - to be honest, I have never heard of them before. I have everything in the house to make them so..... Guess what I'm doing later?? LOL. (Might be put off till tomorrow - promised BF I would help with the project house today.)

Really looking forward to July 4th - doing pulled pork and thanks to SEers, trying a couple of new things as well.

Those Anzac Biscuits look great! Thanks for sharing the recipe - I have to try them!

I also make s'more bar cookies - they're fun and a crowd-pleaser:
S’mores bars
Makes 24

16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or peanuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with foil and then mist with cooking spray.

2. Cut the butter into pieces and melt it on the stove in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, mix the graham cracker crumbs and salt in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Measure out 1 cup of the crumb mixture and set it aside. Pour the rest into the baking pan and use your fingers to press them evenly into a crust. Sprinkle the marshmallows and chocolate chips evenly over the crust (and the nuts, if you’re using them). Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs all over the top and press down lightly with your fingers.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 - 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Lift the cookies out by the foil overhang and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars.

@Chiff: Could I have that homemade Butter Rum sauce recipe please? That sounds great!!

How about Strawberry Shortcake? Or Strawberry Pretzel Salad?

One of my faves growing up that my mom used to make was a Summer Fruit Tart. But my mom would make a cake as the bottom-not dough. Bake that first. Then use either a cream cheese frosting or a cream cheese mixture (almost like the fruit dip kind-could also mix in a little pureed strawberries to the mixture) as the next layer. On top put any type of summer fruit you like. Light dusting of Sugar or Sugar in the Raw if you like. Most of the time this was not added. So easy and sooo yummy. :) Equals Summer Dessert for me.

I just V-8 slapped myself. What about a fruit crisp???? We're looking at all kinds of berries and summer fruit like peaches, etc. This is a perfect dessert for you because people can take as little or as much as they like. It's not like a bar where someone might not want the whole thing and you find abandoned half eaten bars on plates. A little spoonful. A big spoonful. All the better if you have ice cream to accompany.

Another favorite here is brown sugar, sour cream, toasted coconut poured over fresh strawberries.

@Chiff: Thank you. Probably will be doing that this weekend or next. I've always wanted to try Grilled Peaches, but didn't want them plain. I've bought quite a few and have eaten them-but they are not quite ripe. The sauce would make them better, I think. Is there a certain Rum that works better? The Spiced? Tattoo Variety? I am a fan of Captain Morgan but if you have a recommendation...

I've done the grilled peaches with warm brandy sauce and ice cream before. Sugared sliced almonds sprinkled over the top add a wonderful crunch to it.

Broken Glass Jello is always fun, tasty and really pretty. The colors are so pretty against the white. Here's the recipe:

Heat to almost boiling; cool thoroughly:
3 ½ cups skim milk
1 cup sugar
4 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin

Next step:

5 3-oz boxes Jello, assorted colors
(Fourth of July: 3 red and 2 blue; stained glass: 5 different colors; Christmas: 3 red and 2 green; Thanksgiving: 3 orange and 2 yellow; etc.)

Prepare each box (or color) of Jello separately. Chill to set and cut into small cubes. Spray or lightly oil a 9x13 pan. Put cubed Jello in pan and lightly toss. Pour cooled milk mixture over cubes. Push cubes down into milk. Chill to set. Cube and turn upside down to serve.

(If milk mixture becomes too thick, heat it just a little to thin – not too warm or it will melt the other Jello cubes.)

White Chip Meringue Bars

Crust:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 C. (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

Topping:
2 C. white chocolate chips
1 1/4 C. coarsely chopped nuts, divided
3 large egg whites
1 C. packed brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, powdered sugar and butter with pastry blender or 2 knives in medium bowl until crumbly. Press evenly onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Sprinkle morsels and 1 C. nuts over hot crust. Beat egg whites in small mixer bowl until frothy. Gradually add brown sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread meringue over morsels and nuts. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool completely.

Servings: 24

Hillary
Chew on That

Hmm the above link didn't work ... here's the link to the Magic Cookie Bars: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Magic-Cookie-Bars-from-EAGLE-BRAND/Detail.aspx

Thanks for the tip! I can see where the Meyers wouldn't be lost-tasting the Rum is part of the treat. Man, that's some strong stuff. Tried the Dark Rum once and thought I was going to grow hair on my chest after drinking it. WOW. I've also tried Dogfish Head Rums and they are not the best either.

Dogfish Head makes rum?! I looooooove their beer, so I think I'll have to at least try the rum...if I can find it.

I think australian law dictates that anzac biscuits must be made with golden syrup. mmmm

Theyd also make a wonderful cookie for an ice cream sandwich!!

I just made the Strawberry Cream Cake from the America's Test Kitchen website (registration required but the recipes are free). It was great -- very attractive and not hard to make. The icing is a variation on whipped cream, stabilized with cream cheese so it kept very well in the refrigerator. The cake was a snap to make, as was the strawberry filling. Tastes a lot like strawberry shortcake but looks a lot fancier.

My hands-down favorite, if you have access to a freezer to store it until dessert-time, is lemonade pie with pretzel crust. Make a pretzel crust just as you would a graham cracker crust - except use pretzels, of course. Crushed pretzels, butter, sugar. Pat evenly into pie plate. Bake, then cool. Then, slightly soften 1 quart of vanilla ice cream and mix until smooth with one 6-oz. can of lemonade (or limeade, or pink lemonade). If you can stand not to eat the entire frosty bowl while you're standing there, pile the filling in the cooled pretzel crust and freeze several hours until firm. These are incredibly addictive and we eat them all summer long. They are PERFECT with cookout food. You can garnish with little puffs of whipped cream and lemon zest, or paper-thin lemon slices, or a little of the pretzel mix that you've held back. Enjoy!