Welcome, dear readers, to the first of 12 DAYS OF COOKIES! That is right, from today until December 12th, I will be bringing you a new post and a new cookie recipe each and every day. 12 Lottie + Doof-style cookies to make for your friends and family (or yourself). But that isn’t all! The best part is that I am going to have some very special guests helping me out along the way. Who, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to wait and find out, but I promise it will be good. We’ve been working together for the last few weeks pulling together some very delicious cookie recipes to share with all of you! Starting now…
First up is a recipe that I am seriously bonkers for. It comes from one of my favorite culinary institutions, Marlow & Sons [1]. On my last trip to NYC, back in October, I had lunch at Marlow & Sons with Bryan and Brooke (of Pink Cereal [2] fame) and on our way out a walnut shortbread cookie caught my eye. We had eaten so much delicious food at lunch and I had already proclaimed that I didn’t need dessert but that golden brown little shortbread cookie was too good looking to pass up. It was better than I imagined it would be. Dare I say the best shortbread cookie I have ever eaten? It is possible! The cookie was burned in my taste memory and I thought about it a lot that week after returning to Chicago ( I am weird—I know).
Well, Doofers, I got you the recipe! Avery Wittkamp, the very talented pastry chef at Marlow & Sons was kind enough to share her recipe with me. I had to make a couple of adjustments to make this work in our home ovens, but work it does— these are phenomenal. And they are the perfect way to get this carnival of cookies started.
Join me here tomorrow for another cookie and a very, very special guest.
Brown Sugar Walnut Shortbread (Avery Wittkamp)
I think this works best in two quarter sheet pans because it allows for more even cooking in home ovens. It also will work in one half sheet pan, just make sure you monitor it carefully so it doesn’t burn on the edges or bottom.
4 sticks (1 pound) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
9 ounces light brown sugar
5 ounces white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 pound 3 ounces organic King Arthur bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
Prepare a half sheet tray, or two quarter sheet trays, by buttering and lining with parchment paper. Allow a two-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan to help release the shortbread later after they have been baked.
Cream butter and sugars in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until combined, then mix in dry ingredients. Combine completely.
Divide dough evenly into prepared sheet trays, spreading smooth and level. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake at 325° until golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes.
Let cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut into squares. These keep well at room temperature for at least a week!
***This recipe makes a lot of cookies. Depending on how you cut them, anywhere from 3-5 dozen.