If you follow me on twitter you probably know that I was recently freaking out about the Angostura bitters shortage which was being written about in several places. My fear wasn’t that the shortage would effect the Manhattan or Old Fashioned I like to drink. I was worried it would effect something much more serious: Your Drink.

The your here refers to Bryan and it is the drink he introduced me to years ago. He would make it for himself all of the time and eventually I was asking for it myself. Can I have Your Drink?
This simple combination of water, bitters and lime juice is somehow immensely satisfying. It has become the soft drink of choice in our house. We think it pairs well with practically any food. It is easily customizable and exists in our house in various forms. Sometimes the water is sparkling, sometimes flat. Sometimes we use fresh lime juice, sometimes we use that little green plastic lime bottle. You could even add a tiny bit of simple syrup if you want it to be sweet, but we would never do that— Bryan would not approve.
I called Bryan at work to tell him about the Angostura shortage and he immediately went out to buy more bottles of bitters. After unsuccessful attempts at a couple of stores he found a few bottles at a liquor store near his work and asked the salesperson if they new about the shortage. They didn’t and assured him they had lots more in back. But better safe than sorry, this stuff has a very special place in our home.

Recently I read somewhere that this drink has a name, but I can’t find it again. I’m hoping one of you can tell me. I think it had something to do with a pastor or a Presbyterian. For more on bitters try this.
Writing a recipe for this doesn’t make much sense because it is more of a technique, and you should vary the proportions to suit your taste.

Your Drink

• Ice
• Sparkling/mineral water (or still)
• Angostura Bitters
• Lime (or lemon)
• Simple Syrup (optional)

Fill glass with ice and water. Add a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice and a few dashes of bitters. Stir to combine. Enjoy.

Permalink to Your Drink | 2 comments so far

After the earthquake in Haiti I was feeling both incredibly depressed and helpless. The images I was confronted with every night on TV were devastating. Like many of you, I donated money and encouraged others to do the same but felt like there must be more we could do to help. Then an email from the lovely Julie Van Rosendaal arrived asking me to participate in Blog Aid, a cookbook she was compiling to benefit Haiti. It seemed like a wonderful idea (although I will admit I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of producing a cookbook in 3 weeks!) But it happened! And it is lovely! Julie assembled such an amazing group of food bloggers/writers that I am very anxiously awaiting my copy of the book, and proud to be in their company!

Details: ALL of the proceeds from the cookbook will go directly to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to assist in their efforts in Haiti.

It’s a POD (print-on-demand) system, meaning the books are printed and shipped as they’re ordered and arrive at your doorstep in about 8 days. You can purchase yours in softcover ($25US) HERE or as a hardcover ($50US) HERE.

Both West Canadian Printing AND Blurb are  supporting the project in many ways and even matching the dollar amount of the proceeds raised (up to 10k), to TRIPLE those dollars going to Haiti. AND until February 12th, the Canadian government will match that!!!! It is a great effort by all!

For more on the book, including a complete list of contributors, click HERE.

Thanks all! xo

UPDATE: Blog Aid has already raised over $18,000 in one day! Thanks to all who bought a copy and please help spread the word!

Permalink to Blog Aid 2010: Haiti | 3 comments so far

I have been making this sorbet for months, but am just now getting around to writing about it. It is, quite simply, one of the loveliest little things to ever come out of my ice cream maker.

It is so simple, a few ripe pears are pureed and then combined with simple syrup and pear brandy and churned in your ice cream maker. After churning, the mixture has transformed into this beautiful autumnal color and the sorbet tastes like biting into a juicy, ripe pear. The brandy keeps the sorbet soft, even after spending time in the freezer it remains the perfect scooping consistency. It is absolutely wonderful and a recipe that I will make again and again. I use a mix of pears each time I make this:  Bosc, Anjou, Bartlett—whatever you are able to find.

This sorbet will make  you appreciate just how amazing the pear is. And sometimes you need something like a pear to get you through these long Chicago winters.

Pear Sorbet (adapted from Canal House Cooking, Vol II–which you should really own if you don’t already)

• 5 ripe, juicy pears
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup pear brandy

Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.

Peel, quarter and core the pears. Puree the pears in the bowl of a food processor until smooth, then transfer pear puree to a medium bowl.  Stir in the simple syrup and the brandy.

Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer the sorbet into a quart sized container with a lid. Place in the freezer for a few hours to firm up. This sorbet actually improves with age! I like it best on day #3.

Permalink to Pear Sorbet | 20 comments so far

I’ve already mentioned how much I loved my meal at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar in Santa Monica. I especially loved the desserts we had there and was excited to rediscover this recipe I had bookmarked from Zoe Nathan, the pastry chef at both Rustic Canyon and Huckleberry. I love citrus and am especially fond of blood oranges but often I don’t like the taste of cooked citrus—it can lose its brightness really quickly. I was skeptical about this recipe, which is why it had been on hold for so long. But when the ice cream I had planned for dessert fell through because I forgot to freeze the bowl of the ice cream maker—I decided to finally give this tart a try.

Sometimes ice cream bowls are left out of the freezer for a reason. Through some miracle of nature and science this tart works shockingly well. The flaky pastry crust is just the right base for the slightly bitter blood oranges which manage to taste remarkably fresh and vibrant despite spending over an hour in a hot oven. This is due, in part, to the fact that you freeze the assembled tart until it is solid which buys you some extra baking time for the crust. Caramel sauce is the addition that really pushes this over the edge and makes it one of the best things I have baked (or eaten) in a very long time.

Peeling and slicing the oranges is annoying, but worth the effort so be like Nike and Just Do It. Make sure you have a sharp knife, because otherwise you might hate me for this recipe. I think this probably is supposed to serve 6 people but the 4 of us ate it all without any problem and I could have gone for another slice.

Blood Orange Tart (Recipe from Zoe Nathan via Food and Wine)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 ounces each)
• 1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
• Salted Caramel Sauce, for serving***

In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely. Serve with the Caramel Sauce.

*** You can use your favorite caramel recipe here. THIS is what Nathan recommends, it seemed too complicated to me so I just made my usual caramel:

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter (preferably fancy salted butter but you can also do regular unsalted and add a generous pinch of sea salt)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it turns a nice medium amber color. Add the butter and stir with a whisk to combine. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream. It will bubble and steam and go a little crazy, so be careful. Whisk until you have a smooth sauce, return to low heat if you need to melt any hardened caramel. This will keep in fridge for a while.

Permalink to Blood Orange Tart | 37 comments so far

I have been promising you pictures of our new place ever since we moved in. This week’s Time Out Chicago features a nice story on Lottie + Doof and our new apartment written by Jessica Herman. I love her series on Chicagoans homes and am happy to be a part of it. The beautiful photos of our space were taken by the very talented Lizz Sisson, who also keeps a blog. Lizz very kindly sent me some additional photos that didn’t make it into the magazine for me to share with you. Thanks to Jessica and Lizz for a good time and to Bryan for playing along. Click HERE for many more pictures and click through for some bonus photos.

Permalink to Our Place | 38 comments so far

I’ve never seen Pulp Fiction. It got so much hype that I quickly lost interest. It’s a problem I have. I avoided seeing it until it seemed too late to see it and by then it had become sort of a badge of honor. People are horrified: You’ve never seen Pulp Fiction? Yeah, so what?

It was kind of like that with Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread. Everyone was going crazy for that recipe and I waited just a little too long to try it and then decided it was stupid. Until last month when I got a beautiful new Le Creuset dutch oven as a housewarming gift and for some reason decided to break down and make the bread. Turns out I’m the stupid one.

I am now a Jim Lahey missionary spreading the gospel of no-knead bread far and wide. I make that bread on an almost weekly basis. I now own Lahey’s My Bread and while the breads are deservedly the stars of the show I was curious about his pizza recipes. I was happy to discover that they are as easy as the bread and quite delicious. In a couple of hours you can make this amazingly crisp and flavorful pie which holds up to whatever toppings you choose to use. This weekend we had our friends Tony and Mikaela over for lunch and served an onion version of the pizza with a green salad. Everyone seemed to agree that it was very good pizza.

An added bonus is that this recipe makes enough for two pizzas. You can throw the other piece of dough in the fridge or freezer and have a quick weeknight dinner. We ate ours the next day topped with some tomatoes and fresh basil. This is probably the 4th or 5th time I have made this pizza in the month or two since I bought the book. It is incredibly easy and so very tasty.

So, don’t be stupid. Make this now.

If you don’t need two pizzas you can put the other half of dough in a lightly oiled freezer bag and keep it in the fridge for a day or in the freezer for a month or so. Defrost frozen dough in refrigerator overnight and then let the refrigerated dough come to room temperature before stretching and baking. If you have a scale, now is the time to use it. Baking is so much better by weight. Trust me. Recipe makes two pizzas, each serves 4.

Pizza Dough (adapted from Jim Lahey)

• 500 grams bread flour (3 3/4 cups)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (10 grams)
• 3/4 teaspoons table salt (5 grams)
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar, plus a pinch (about 3 grams)
• 1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
• extra-virgin olive oil for pans

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. The dough should be able to contain all of the flour, if it seems dry or if there is excess flour at the bottom of the bowl, add water a tablespoon at a time.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Oil two 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheets. (I used about 2 tablespoons of oil per sheet) Use a bowl scraper or a rubber spatula to scrape half of the dough onto one of the well oiled pans in one piece. Gently pull and stretch the dough across the surface of the pan, using your hands to press it evenly out to the edges. If the dough sticks to your fingers you can lightly oil your hands. Pinch any holes together. Repeat with the second piece using the other pan. Top with:

Pizza Cipolla

• 2 medium yellow onions
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 500° F.

Use a mandoline, or very sharp knife, to cut the onions into thin slices (1/8-inch thick). You want about 6 cups of sliced onions. In a medium bowl, toss together the onions, cream, salt and thyme.

Spread the onion mixture over the dough going all of the way to the edges. There should be more onions around the edges of the dough since they tend to cook faster.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the topping is turning golden brown and crust is slightly charred. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pizza Pomodoro

• 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 3/4 cup reserved juice of canned tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 6-8 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 500° F.

Use a blender or food processor to pulse together the tomatoes, juice, olive oil and salt until they are chunky. The mixture will be quite liquidy.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough, going all the way to the edges. You want the sauce thickest along the edges which will cool fastest. Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are slightly charred. Sprinkle with basil and serve hot or at room temperature.

Permalink to Pizza (Pulp Fiction + Jim Lahey) | 41 comments so far

First of all, I have some good news. I get lots of emails from readers asking me where they should eat when they visit Chicago. While I’m not in the business of restaurant reviews, I am always happy to suggest some of my favorite places. I have finally gotten around to creating a guide to Lottie + Doof approved sources for good food in Chicago. You can find it HERE or through the menu on the left. I’ll add to the guide as I remember favorite places or find new ones. The page also links to a very useful Google map with the same information. Thanks to Bryan for his help getting this up. It is just the beginning of a bunch of exciting improvements around here. Next up- that recipe index which is woefully incomplete and out of date.

What do you do with your vanilla beans after using them? (how about that segue?!) Hopefully you don’t throw them out. I’d like to suggest you use them to make vanilla sugar. Simply rinse off the bean, dry it,  and add it to a container of granulated sugar, or take Edna Lewis’ suggestion and add the bean to a jar of sugar cubes. Allow the bean to hang out with the sugar for a few days before using. You’ll have subtly perfumed vanilla sugar to use as you please. The genius of the sugar cubes is that you can then crush the cubes and use them as a crunchy topping on cookies, muffins or cakes. Anywhere that a coarse finishing sugar is called for. If you have extra vanilla beans I also recommend vanilla salt. Same procedure but using a coarse sea salt. My friend Ashley topped some fresh ricotta with a sprinkling of vanilla salt and blew our minds. It is lovely and I can imagine it being great on top of ice cream or even on something like the chocolate caramel tart.

Changing topics again: Haiti. In a nation where 80% of the population lives at or below the poverty level, life in Haiti can be difficult on the best of days. The suffering that Haitians are enduring as a result of this earthquake is unfathomable to most of us. If you haven’t already done so, please make a donation to one of the many organizations collecting aid relief. The simplest method may be to donate to the Red Cross by texting HAITI to 90999 and $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill. I’ve heard that the Red Cross has already received over 3 million dollars ($10 at a time) through this text method, which is unbelievably moving to me. Please, please continue to help in any way you can.

(And yes, I am aware it is ridiculous that I am writing about helping Haiti and making vanilla sugar in the same post.)

Permalink to Finally, a Chicago Guide (+ more) | 20 comments so far

I wonder what it means that the first two recipes of 2010 are breakfast treats? I am guessing that getting out of bed on these dark, cold, winter mornings requires something more tempting than my usual bowl of cereal or piece of fruit. These Apple Cider muffins will do the trick and have had me looking forward to breakfast for the past couple of days. And lunch. And whenever else I manage to fit them in. They are simple and lovely and keep well. The texture is best on the day you make them but the flavor is best the next day, which I think is a good thing—they evolve.

There is a new publication that might be of interest to you. Remedy Quarterly is a beautiful little journal out of Brooklyn, NY. Kelly Carámbula of Eat Make Read is one of the folks producing Remedy and if you are familiar with her wonderful blog you won’t be surprised by how nice the magazine is. You might also be interested because there just happens to be an interview with me in the first issue— complete with a recipe! I am so happy to be part of what I hope is a food publication with a long and bright future. You can order your copy (or subscribe) HERE.

Apple Cider Muffins (from the amazing Karen DeMasco)

• Unsalted butter, for the muffin tin (optional)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup apple cider
• 3/4 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 crisp baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Mutsu, peeled, cored, coarsely grated, and drained, juices reserved and used as part of the cider measurement
• 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a third bowl, whisk together the apple cider, sour cream, and vanilla.

Add one third of the flout mixture and one third of the apple cider mixture to the sugar mixture, folding with a spatula just to combine. Add the rest of the flour and cider mixtures in two additions stirring just until combined. Fold in the grated apple, and then divide the batter evenly among with prepared muffin cups, filling each cup three quarters of the way. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the Demerara sugar.

Bake, rotating the muffin tin halfway through, until the muffins spring back to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then turn out the muffins from the pan and let them cool completely on the wire rack.

These muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Permalink to Apple Cider Muffins | 19 comments so far

I fall in love with Los Angeles a little more each time I visit. This time we were lucky enough to have some really amazing meals. Many of them were at Bryan’s parents’ house—his mom is a wonderful cook and his dad an excellent sommelier. I came home with great family recipes (and some excellent wine) which I will undoubtedly be sharing with all of you as the year progresses. But we also managed to get out for dinner. Rustic Canyon Wine Bar in Santa Monica blew my mind early in the trip. The meal was pretty close to perfect and included a beet salad that may be the best salad I have ever eaten in my life. The pear tart and cinnamon sugar donuts were equally exceptional. I also really loved Church & State in downtown Los Angeles, which some friends recommended. Really outstanding bistro cooking and such a charming atmosphere. If I lived in Los Angeles I would be a regular at both places. If you live in Los Angeles—go!

We returned to Chicago in time to ring in the new year. This year we did it quietly, at home. It remains exciting that it is our home. I can’t believe it is 2010. It sounds like a year out of a science fiction movie. I thought some homemade granola would be a good start to this new decade and so I whipped up a batch of my new favorite granola.

I have tried plenty of granola and granola recipes in my day, but nothing has ever topped this one. Brooklyn’s Early Bird Granola was kind enough to share their recipe for the perfect granola with the internet and now we can make it at home whenever we like. The recipe produces the same granola you can pick up at Brooklyn Flea! Outstanding! It is the breakfast of 2010!

Feel free to play around with this recipe to suit your taste. I happen to like it a little salty, but you might like it sweeter. As written, it is a pretty perfect blend of sweet and salty. Choose your olive oil and maple syrup wisely, make sure you enjoy the taste of them.

I hope that it is an excellent year for all of you. Lets resolve to take what we eat more seriously! to cook more! to have friends and family over as often as possible! and to better appreciate these crazy lives of ours.

I’m looking forward to another year of fun!

Granola (adapted from Early Bird Granola)

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds, hulled
• 1 cup coconut chips
• 1 1/2 cup raw pecans, very coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45-55 minutes. It should be nice and golden brown.
Remove granola from oven and season with additional salt, if desired. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Permalink to Los Angeles, 2010, Granola | 20 comments so far

After all of those cookies, I need a break. I’m going to take a little time to relax, visit some friends and family in Los Angeles and get my kitchen in order for another year of fun here on Lottie + Doof. Thanks to everyone who has been writing to say they are baking cookies, I love hearing that. If anyone is looking for another delicious edible gift to make for their friends or family, I highly recommend the caramel corn recipe over at Orangette. I am kind of obsessed with it. I have made it 3 times in the last week and ate my fair share of the stuff. It is pretty perfect. And if you’re looking for a last minute gift or a way to spend some cash from Grandma, check out the L + D Gift Guide.

I hope everyone is enjoying time with friends and family and looking forward to 2010! Be back in a week or so with some good food. xo

Permalink to HOLIDAY | 14 comments so far

I hope you guys have enjoyed the 12 Days of Cookies as much as I did. It has been a blast! I think I will be putting my cookie sheets away for a little while—we both need a rest.
For the final cookie I chose one of my favorites, and a holiday classic, a shaped and decorated butter/sugar cookie. My problem with these types of cookies is that they are too sweet and kind of one note. What is great about this recipe is that the addition of cream cheese into both the dough and the glaze provides a little bit of sourness to counter the sugar. The dough is so easy to make and roll out that there is no excuse not to try these. If you are short on time or just feeling lazy, you can certainly form the dough into a log and slice and bake the cookies as needed.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this event (Dorie, Heidi, Luisa, Avery, Grace, Kristina!) , I could not have done it without you! Thanks to all of you for spending time on the site, especially those of you who were checking in every day! I’ll be back soon with NOT a cookie recipe.

Glazed Butter Cookies (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

DOUGH:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar (5 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter , ( 2 sticks) cut into sixteen 1/2-inch pieces, at cool room temperature (about 65 degrees)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese , at room temperature

GLAZE:

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese , at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (6 ounces)

COOKIES: In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Remove bowl from mixer; knead dough by hand in bowl for 2 to 3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Turn out dough onto countertop; divide in half, pat into two 4-inch disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20 to 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 °F. Roll out 1 dough disk to even 1/8-inch thickness between 2 large sheets parchment paper; slide rolled dough on parchment onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.

Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and re-rolled once.) Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature.

GLAZE: Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk in medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Drizzle or spread scant teaspoon glaze with back of spoon onto each cooled cookie, as desired.

The 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

#7 The Wednesday Chef’s Cardamom Cookies

#8 Mexican Chocolate Cookies

#9 Toasted Coconut Sables

#10 Orange-Almond Buttons

#11 Apple-Cranberry Rugelach

#12 Glazed Butter Cookies

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #12 Glazed Butter Cookies! | 23 comments so far

Next stop: design*sponge! Not only will you get another cookie recipe, you will also get to see some photos of the spread of cookies I prepared for a 12 Days of Cookies Party we hosted in our new home last weekend!  You’ll even get to see a dorky photo of me.  It is fun to see many of the cookies together in the same space and it was really great to have our friends over to sample some of the cookies!

design*sponge remains one of my favorite websites. Grace and her team do such an amazing job covering the world of design and the domestic! They are so supportive of young designers and new websites and I continue to return to the site for inspiration. It has been fun watching it evolve over the years into such an influential design resource. I am so looking forward to the forthcoming design*sponge book and to watching the site continue to evolve and expand.

Big thanks to Grace and Kristina for their continued support of Lottie + Doof, and for inviting us all over for the 11th cookie! Click HERE for the full post and the 11th cookie recipe!

It is almost over! Come back tomorrow for one last cookie.

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

#7 The Wednesday Chef’s Cardamom Cookies

#8 Mexican Chocolate Cookies

#9 Toasted Coconut Sables

#10 Orange-Almond Buttons

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #11 Apple-Cranberry Rugelach at design*sponge | 12 comments so far

These salt & pepper shakers from Heath Ceramics are one of my favorite things—beautiful and really nice to use. They have a good weight to them.

Fennel pollen! Peggy Knickerbocker wrote, “If angels sprinkled a spice from their wings, this would be it.”

I love this towel! Conversions and a ruler printed right on it. Almost too pretty to use. (But I am still using it)

Canal House Cooking is a self-published cookbook series by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton. Three beautiful cookbooks a year. What more could you ask for? The first two have been wonderful, can’t wait to see what the future holds!

The Diner Journal is such a beautiful publication and was a lovely gift to receive. (Also, you have this magazine to thank for the Chocolate Caramel Tart)

This is my favorite candle. Smells like a wood burning fireplace. Perfect for those of us without one. I don’t know what this has to do with food.

These beautiful straws at Brook Farm General Store would be a fun gift. Brook Farm General Store is one of those places where I honestly want everything they sell. Amazing place.

If anyone is looking for something for me, how about 10 pounds of frozen tart cherries from Friske Farms? I can’t imagine a better treat in the middle of winter. FYI- shipping is more than the actual cherries. But still!

Everyone needs a good kitchen clock and this one is particularly beautiful. It swings!

Tekla towels from IKEA are great, and at 49 cents each you can afford to get them for everyone! They make great gift wrap.

Happy Hanukkah everyone!!! See you later for a cookie!

Permalink to Lottie + Doof Gift Guide 2009 | 16 comments so far

I’m a little surprised that there aren’t more recipes with orange. Sure, a little zest gets thrown in now and then. But I am talking about desserts that really feature orange as the primary flavor. They are rare. I love oranges and I am always on the lookout for recipes that go beyond that bit of orange zest to brighten them up. Orange was what attracted me to these cookies initially, but I am also developing a little bit of a thing for meringues. This recipe combines the two and made it onto the list of 12 cookies from the very start. As Nancy Silverton promises, they are seriously addictive. They also offer a nice change of texture from the usual cookie tray offerings. They are bright and fruity with a nice satisfying crunch. They are one of my personal favorites from this collection of cookies. One more thing that needs to be said about these—and I hope this doesn’t turn some of you off—they taste like FRUIT LOOPS! Seriously. In the very best way possible. Like the fanciest Fruit Loops in the world.

EXCITING DAY TOMORROW! Another very special cookie and fun collaboration with one of my favorite websites! PLUS I’ll be bringing you the first annual Lottie + Doof Gift Guide. It will be the Best Friday Ever.

Orange-Almond Buttons (Nancy Silverton)

• 2 1/2 ounces (heaping 1/2 cup) blanched or unblanched almonds
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 extra-large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (for decorating)
• confectioner’s sugar (for decorating)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine nuts with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and process until it’s the consistency of a fine meal. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, the flour, and orange zest, and pulse on and off until just combined.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on low, until frothy. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high, gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 more minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. In 3 batches, gently fold in the nut mixture to incorporate.

If using a pasty bag, fill it half full. Working quickly, pipe or spoon the batter into circles, about 1 inch in diameter and spaced about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Scatter about 3 to 5 sliced almonds over each circle, allowing the nuts to topple off the edge slightly while still clinging to the batter. Sift a fine layer of powdered sugar over the cookies and bake about 20 minutes, until the nuts are lightly browned, and the cookies are slightly firm to the touch.

Yield: 36 cookies

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

#7 The Wednesday Chef’s Cardamom Cookies

#8 Mexican Chocolate Cookies

#9 Toasted Coconut Sables

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #10 Orange-Almond Buttons! | 17 comments so far

I was hoping to find another slice and bake cookies for this collection. Something that could be made in advance and stored in the freezer or fridge until you were ready to bake. Because, let’s face it, this is a crazy time of year and we don’t always get to bake when we want to. Cook’s Illustrated seems to be the king of slice and bake cookie recipes and when I saw this recipe for Toasted Coconut Cables, I fell in love. Yes, I fell in love even before I tried them. They seemed easy to make, could be made in advance and were full of toasted coconut. I really do not enjoy sweetened shredded coconut, but when you toast it—entirely different story. It is transformed.

This recipe includes a technique I had been interested in trying for some time. You include a hardboiled egg yolk in the cookie dough. It keeps the texture of these butter cookies just right by eliminating some of the moisture from the egg. It works well and these were very delicate and crumbly. A really lovely cookie.

Day 9?! More tomorrow!

Toasted Coconut Sables

1 large egg
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (2 3/4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon large egg white , lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1/3 cup finely chopped untoasted sweetened coconut

Place egg in small saucepan, cover with 1 inch water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill small bowl with ice water. Using slotted spoon, transfer egg to ice water and let stand 5 minutes. Crack egg and peel shell. Separate yolk from white; discard white. Press yolk through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with rubber spatula as needed. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer; add flour and toasted sweetened coconut and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, press dough into cohesive mass.

Divide dough in half; roll each piece into log about 6 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in 12-inch square of parchment paper and twist ends to seal and firmly compact dough into tight cylinder (see illustrations below). Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using chef’s knife, slice dough into ¼-inch-thick rounds, rotating dough so that it won’t become misshapen from weight of knife. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Using pastry brush, gently brush cookies with egg white mixture and sprinkle evenly with untoasted sweetened coconut.

Bake until centers of cookies are pale golden brown with edges slightly darker than centers, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using thin metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature. Store cooled cookies between sheets of parchment paper in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

#7 The Wednesday Chef’s Cardamom Cookies

#8 Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #9 Toasted Coconut Sables | 11 comments so far

By now you know that I don’t care much for chocolate. Unfortunately, most of my friends do and so I thought I would try to selflessly include one chocolate recipe in this cookie carnival. My goal was to find a recipe I might actually like, which means there needed to be lots of butter and other distractions. These Mexican Chocolate Cookies are the perfect compromise. They are a rich chocolate-flavored butter cookie spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. They are tasty and were a big hit with my friends. They are especially nice with a cup of coffee. And because they are slice and bake, you can have freshly baked cookies whenever you like which makes them perfect for the holiday season.

Believe it or not, there are still more cookies coming your way. Tune in tomorrow for another favorite recipe!

Mexican Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can use less if you prefer less heat)
• 20 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks), softened to cool room temperature (about 65 degrees)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (about 2 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or other raw or sanding sugar)

In medium skillet set over medium heat, toast almonds, cinnamon, and cayenne until fragrant, about 3 minutes; set aside to cool. In food processor fitted with metal blade, process cooled mixture until very fine, about 15 seconds. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and instant espresso powder; stir until mixture forms smooth paste. Set aside to cool, 15 to 20 minutes.

In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix remaining 16 tablespoons butter, sugar, salt, and cooled cocoa mixture on high speed until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping sides of mixing bowl once or twice with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl. Whisk nut/spice mixture into flour. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture in three additions, waiting until each addition is incorporated before adding next and scraping bowl after each addition. Continue to mix until dough forms cohesive ball, about 5 seconds. Shape into dough log, 2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long; use parchment paper or plastic wrap to roll into neat cylinder. Chill until very firm and cold, at least 1 hour. (At this point the dough can be frozen for up to a couple of weeks.)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll chilled log in sugar. Slice cookies 1/4 inch thick and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake until cookies show slight resistance to touch, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time; if cookies begin to darken on edges, they have overbaked. Cool for 5 minutes, then, using spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack; cool completely.

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

#7 The Wednesday Chef’s Cardamom Cookies

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #8 Mexican Chocolate Cookies | 26 comments so far

I’m not sure when I first looked at a food blog. Are you? Did I even understand what it was when I first saw one? Another weird blog thing? I know that one of the first food blogs I fell in love with was The Wednesday Chef. It was maybe three years ago that I found Luisa Weiss’ outstanding site. I immediately enjoyed her writing—it was smart, it was emotional, and it was funny. Luisa made blogging cool. (At the time, blogging was decidedly not cool—maybe it still isn’t.) It has been a pleasure to watch Luisa cook her way through recipes, both good and bad, and share her stories. I am so very pleased to have Luisa participating in the 12 Days of Cookies, especially now as she prepares to leave the states and head across the pond for exciting new adventures in Berlin (for more on that, read this incredibly moving post). Luckily, she is taking us all with her.

These Cardamom-Pistachio Cookies are a lovely little treat that will be an elegant addition to your cookie tray. Click on over to The Wednesday Chef to read more about them and say hello and bon voyage to Luisa and see why she continues to make blogging cool.
Huge thanks to Luisa for making the time to bake cookies in the midst of preparing to move!
Check back tomorrow for another cookie recipe, they just keep coming!

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

#6 Lebkuchen

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #7 Lottie + Doof + The Wednesday Chef! | 12 comments so far

There is a surprisingly lengthy Wikipedia article on Lebkuchen (or, as I learned, pfefferkuchen), which are German gingerbread. They go back as far as the 13th century to a group of monks who would bake them on top of communion wafers to prevent them from sticking. Or not, it is a wikipedia article after all. I am choosing to believe the article. Especially the part that claims the roots of these cookies go back to ancient Egypt when they were made with honey and used to protect you from evil spirits.

You won’t be surprised that they have been around for hundreds of years when you taste one. This recipe produces a round cake-like cookie with slightly crisp edges, full of spice and chopped nuts. It is topped with a simple glaze that adds a finishing sweetness. The citrus in the dough really helps to keep these fresh and bright despite the intense flavors. I love them. They are also such a breeze to make. You can make the dough in advance and keep it refrigerated for up to 24 hours or form it into balls, freeze on cookie sheets, and then place frozen cookies in zip-lock bags until ready to bake.

Come back tomorrow for another cookie and another very special guest!

Lebkuchen (recipe from Cook’s Illustrated)

• 6 ounces unblanched hazelnuts , toasted and cooled (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 6 ounces unblanched whole almonds , toasted and cooled (about 1 cup)
• 3/4  cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons grated zest from 3 oranges
• 2 tablespoons grated zest from 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar (7 ounces)
• 1/4 cup whole milk

For the cookies: Heat the oven to 350 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Process toasted nuts, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg in a food processor to a fine meal, 30 to 60 seconds, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Add the orange and lemon zest, and continue to process until combined, about 15 seconds; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and vanilla, and continue to mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the ground nut mixture and continue to mix until evenly combined.
Portion 2-tablespoon-sized mounds of dough (you can use a small ice cream scoop), spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart, onto the baking sheets (each sheet should hold about 10 cookies and you should have enough dough left for another sheet of cookies).

Bake the cookies until the edges are firm and the tops are puffed with tiny cracks, 13 to 18 minutes, rotating and switching the sheets halfway through the baking time. Set the cookies aside to cool on the baking sheets until set, about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Reline one of the baking sheets with parchment paper, portion out the remaining dough into cookies, and bake as directed.

For the glaze: When the cookies are cool, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and milk together in a medium bowl until smooth and incorporated. (If the glaze begins to dry out as it sits, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to loosen.) Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the glaze over the tops of the cookies, and let sit until the glaze has set, about 10 minutes.

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

#5 Almond-Anise Cookies

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #6 Lebkuchen | 10 comments so far

We’re almost halfway through the 12 Days of Cookies! It is going so fast. I may actually be getting tired of eating cookies. Luckily, we have some friends coming over today to help us eat the growing piles of cookies in our kitchen. This next cookie was a special request from Bryan. He wanted something with anise seed and when I saw this recipe for a Greek-style butter cookie filled with anise and almond and dusted with confectioner’s sugar I knew he would like it. These just dissolve in your mouth, little delicate morsels of liquoricey goodness.

Almond-Anise Cookies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 2 2/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 2 teaspoons anise seed

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed beat butter until light and fluffy. Add 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, yolks and vanilla, and beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined, then mix in almonds and anise seed.

Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion into a 1 1/2 inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/2-inch slices. Place rounds onto prepared baking sheets, and bake until lightly golden on bottom, about 12 minutes.

Transfer sheets to wire rack to cool completely. Place remaining 2 cups confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl. Working in batches, drop in a few cookies at a time, turning to coat thoroughly with sugar.

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

#1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread

#2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables

#3 Apricot Bow Ties

#4 101 Cookbooks Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #5 Almond-Anise Cookies | 14 comments so far

For the 4th Day of Cookies I am sending you on an adventure over to one of my favorite blogs, 101 Cookbooks. The amazingly talented Heidi Swanson has agreed to provide us with our 4th cookie, and boy did she deliver! Her Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies are real beauts. Heidi’s blog is always an inspiration. Not only is she a talented writer and cook, she takes such gorgeous photographs. 101 Cookbooks is one of the blogs that inspired me to start Lottie + Doof. Her natural, whole-foods approach never sacrifices good taste and every recipe I have tried has been delicious. In addition to her work on the blog and as a photographer, she also is a James Beard-nominated cookbook author (Super Natural Cooking). So, click on over to 101 Cookbooks and check out her recipe for these delicious Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies.

Thanks to Heidi for the wonderful post and for inviting us all over to visit!

What will the 5th Day of Cookies bring? Check back here tomorrow!

Previously on the 12 Days of Cookies:

• #1 Marlow & Sons Shortbread
• #2 Dorie Greenspan’s Linzer Sables
• #3 Apricot Bow Ties

Permalink to 12 Days of Cookies: #4 Lottie + Doof + 101 Cookbooks! | 15 comments so far