For this year’s National Night Out, I baked up some treats for our neighborhood gathering. We live in a great neighborhood, the old-fashioned kind where many of us know each other well. Several neighbors have keys to our house. We look out for each other. We’ve vacationed with one neighbor, and one takes Coco for a walk sometimes when we’re at work.

Our gathering was a little last-minute, so I threw together a few things that are quick and reliable.

• Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting (Bon Appetit, April 2009)
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting (Fine Cooking #21, July 1997, p. 35)
• Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double Deckers (The Weekend Baker, p. 263)