above and beyond … Ginger Scallion Noodles

Oh, quick meals, you are a lifesaver. I had a sales meeting last week that was exhausting. It started with a 90 minute morning rush hour commute to meet my team at a manufacturing plant, followed by a tasting session I MacGyvered together with a hot plate in a hotel conference room then a night of laughter and horrendous bowling (on my part). It ended 16 hours later stuck in a parking garage for another hour with an unreadable parking card and no staff on duty to let me out. It was a long one.

The next day, I was beat and I was hungry. In these all too common situations when you don’t want to order food, hit a drive thru or fire up some mediocre microwave meal, there’s a real need for something that is delicious and satisfying, comes together in a few minutes with what’s on hand and requires little thought. Hell yes. Asian noodle things have long been my savior in these situations. I can throw a noodle soup of some sort together with pantry and freezer stuff in no time. But I don’t always want soup and that’s when I dig around for the ingredients for another long time favorite, ginger scallion noodles. I’ve come across this idea multiple times over the years – on a Splendid Table post, a David Chang IG story during lockdown and this version from Bon Appetit which is my favorite of the bunch – and love it because its smart, easy and delicious. I make a single serving but it can be easily multiplied up.

I usually have a few packs of ramen noodles in my pantry and sometimes fresh ones in my freezer but any noodles work in a pinch, Asian or Italian. Frozen dumplings? Totally work too. Don’t overthink it. The sauce is formed by mixing a few chopped fresh things, pouring hot oil over for a satisfying sizzle and seasoning with some common Asian pantry stuff – soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar. Sometimes, if I feel a need to wield a knife, I’ll hand chop the garlic and ginger, other times I’ll grate them on a microplane. If I have it, I might add some leftover chicken, a few cooked shrimp or a fried egg and always add a spoonful of chili crisp on top. Hits the spot every time.

STRESS BAKING THERAPY FACTOR:  A SLEEPY YES INDEED. Sometimes the goal is to just get something delicious and satisfying in the belly quickly that doesn’t require a lot of brainpower but is better than delivery or a microwave meal. This delivers above and beyond. Work smarter not harder.

fifteen years ago: Khachapuri (cheesy Georgian bread) 

fourteen years ago: Blood Orange Marmalade, Stovetop Smoked Salmon  

thirteen years ago: Chocolate Cabernet Sauce

twelve years ago: Chocolate Malt Pots de Crème, Baked Cheddar Olives

eleven years ago: Chocolate Cherry Buns, Chocolate Pudding Cake

ten years ago: Chocolate Crème Filled Cupcakes

nine years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies

eight years ago: Chocolate Banana Bread, Dark Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

seven years ago: Triple Chocolate Cream Puffs, Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramels

six years ago: Ethiopian Doro Wat (Spicy Chicken Stew) 

five years ago: Bittersweet Chocolate Sour Cream Ice Cream

four years ago: Dirty Chai Cookies

three years ago: Spicy MaPo Tofu Dumplings

two years ago: Spinach Feta White Bean Hand Pies

last year: Croque Madame Popovers

GINGER SCALLION NOODLES

1 serving

This is an easy 20 minute dish made with a lot of pantry ingredients and some things that keep well in the fridge. I seem to always have a few less than perfect scallions hiding in the fridge. Feel free to add additional ingredients – leftover shredded chicken, a few shrimp (cook for a few minutes with the noodles), diced tofu or a runny egg. Be sure to use a neutral oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed, avocado or vegetable.

1” piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped or grated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2 large scallions, very thinly sliced, divided

2 tablespoons neutral oil – grapeseed, avocado or vegetable 

1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce, low sodium 

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

good pinch of sugar

1 4oz package ramen noodles, fresh or dried

for serving: chili crisp, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, additional cooked protein

1. Stir together the ginger, garlic, and 2/3 of scallions in a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over high until sizzling hot but not smoking, about 2 minutes. If you’re not sure if the oil is hot enough, drop a piece of scallion in the hot oil. It should immediately sizzle.
3. Pour the hot oil over the scallion mixture, which will sizzle, turn bright green, and wilt. 
4. Let sit 5 minutes before stirring in remaining 1/3 scallions. (Note: I regularly forget to hold back some scallions. If you do too, it’s fine.)
5. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, sesame oil, and sugar.
6. Let sit 15 minutes while you cook the noodles of choice according to the package directions. 
7. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed. Might need a pinch of salt.
8. Drain the noodles, place in the bowl and toss to coat with the sauce.
9. Transfer to a serving bowl (or just eat out of the mixing bowl) and garnish with whatever you like.

DIY power shots … Lemon Ginger Turmeric Cubes

I don’t really believe in New Year’s Resolutions though I do like the idea of change with a clean start. It just takes me a bit to get around to it. I need to clean up my eating habits and once I get through Super Bowl, Fat Tuesday (known as Paczki Day in these parts) and Valentine’s Day, I figure it’s a good time to start. A regular meal schedule is needed, one with more protein, less sugar, less carbohydrates – the usual directives. In the past I’ve roughly followed and enjoyed “The Food Lovers Cleanse” published years ago in Bon Appetit and later a book by the same name and have started it up again this year. It’s a two week plan of healthy, flavorful food cooked fresh daily, includes uses for leftovers and is vegetable heavy, low carb and low dairy. It is easy for me to follow and I especially like that there is something sweet, mostly fruit based, to end each day. Realism. Thank you!

I’ve also taken a fancy to those little juice shots, the tubes of immunity boosters with ginger and turmeric. They’re great for cold and flu season, full of anti-inflammatory and immunity properties and good-for-you types of stuff. The main issue is they are rather pricey – 3 or 4 bucks a pop. It adds up. I thought about this while standing in a Korean market recently, staring at a $3 tray of fresh turmeric rhizomes. Could I make something similar to those shots myself? Probably. They seem pretty straight forward. I bought that turmeric and a big handful of fresh ginger and set off to find out.

Turns out, it’s very easy. I found a recipe from Eating Well that worked pretty well. Ginger, turmeric, honey, lemon juice and pepper are thrown into a blender and the pulp strained out. The juice is then frozen in an ice cube tray. Combine a frozen cube in a mug with hot water and you have a pretty tasty beverage with many of the health benefits of those purchased shots. I had everything but the ginger and turmeric on hand so it was relatively inexpensive though to cost out a batch, I estimate it’d run around $5 total for 9 cubes (versus over $30 for the purchased shots.) I can work with this.

While I liked the original formulation, I wanted it a touch sweeter and more gingery so I increased those ingredients along with the black pepper and I added a little coconut oil because I read it improves energy and endurance and I really need that. I’m not much of a breakfast first thing kind of person but have drank a mug of this every morning of the last week. It might be all psychological but I feel pretty good and it’s been a great start to my days. Worth keeping up, certainly.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: ZING! These are bright, tasty and a great wake up drink in the morning. I used to take a daily turmeric pill for its anti-inflammatory properties and this will slide in nicely instead with an added boost of vitamin C and antioxidants. I wonder how many different flavor directions I can take this idea. Definitely worth experimenting!

fifteen years ago: Khachapuri (cheesy Georgian bread) 

fourteen years ago: Won Ton Soup, Paczki Day 

thirteen years ago: Dark Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Ganache Tart

twelve years ago: St. John Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

eleven years ago: Peppermint Patty Brownies, Chocolate Raspberry Tart, Chocolate Snack Cake

ten years ago: Dulce de Leche Fondue, Chocolate Linzer Cookies, Chocolate Crème Filled Cupcakes

nine years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies

eight years ago: Orange Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Candied Clementines,  Mexican Chocolate Poundcake, Chocolate Mint Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

seven years ago: Chocolate Cardamom Shortbread Hearts, Dark Chocolate Pudding

six years ago: West African Puff Puffs

five years ago: Texas Marmalade

four years ago: Dirty Chai Cookies

three years ago: Spicy MaPo Tofu Dumplings

two years ago: Spinach Feta White Bean Hand Pies

last year: Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings

LEMON GINGER TURMERIC CUBES


serves 8-9

The original recipe said 2 teaspoons of ground fresh turmeric can be substituted for the fresh but I like using the fresh rhizomes and find them relatively inexpensive in Asian markets. For longer storage, I peel the extras and freeze.

1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)


¾ cup peeled chopped fresh ginger (about 3.5oz)

2 tablespoons peeled chopped fresh turmeric (around 2 pcs)

4 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons coconut oil

¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper


1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender; process until smooth, about 1 minute. (Note: a high powered blender like a VitaMix works extremely well though a regular blender does the job too.)
2. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup, pressing solids to extract the juice; you should have about 1 cup of juice. Discard the solids.

3. Pour the juice into a silicone ice cube tray (my tray hold 2 ½ tablespoons per cube and makes 9 total). 
4. Freeze until solid, at least 1 hour. 
5. Once frozen solid, transfer to a labeled ziploc bag with the serving instructions written on the outside and store in the freezer up to 2 months. 
6. To make 1 serving: place a cube in a heatproof mug and stir in 8oz of boiling water. Depending on your cube size, you may have to experiment with the cube to water ratio to find what tastes best.

perfect weekend snacks … Chicago Style Hot Dog Flower Buns

The other day I was thinking about what to bring to a Super Bowl Party. Something I could make ahead so I didn’t have to worry about last minute time crunches or reheating. I was stumped. Fortuitously, my inbox contained an email from King Arthur Baking Company with recipes for Super Bowl snacks. Thank you universe (or more likely, my eavesdropping phone). Toward the bottom was a recipe link for “Scallion Sesame Hot Dog Buns”, a Chinese bakery favorite of hot dogs encased in a sweet bread, sometimes cut and shaped like a flower. It jogged a memory of a wonderful version I used to get at a now closed bakery that took this classic concept and localized it into a version of a Chicago hot dog with all the toppings. The bread, hot dogs and flower shape were all the same as the Chinese bakery version but it had all those beloved Chicago dog ingredients too – neon green relish, onions, tomatoes and a sport pepper. They were delicious. I got to thinking … these buns will be perfect to bring because they’re really just gussied up pigs in a blanket and everybody loves those. Plus Lunar New Year is today so a nod to that is an extra bonus. Thematically on point with a bit of local flair.

Because it was right in front of my face, I went with the King Arthur recipe for the milk bread that started with a “tangzhong”, a flour paste that helps keep the dough nice and soft. It’s an extra step and another dirty pan but it makes a big difference in this type of dough and is very easy to incorporate. Now came the Chicago part –  I used Vienna all beef hot dogs, a requirement and a hill I will die on. Don’t use cheap hots dogs. Just don’t. I couldn’t remember the specifics of how this thing came together in that bakery version but as a lifelong Chicago hot dog lover, I knew what I had to work with: yellow mustard, chopped onion, neon green relish, fresh tomatoes, dill pickle spear, celery salt and poppyseeds because these are always on a soft poppyseed bun. But never ketchup. Never. 

I divided the dough into eight even pieces, rolled each into a neat square as long as the hot dog and gave each a thin schmear of yellow mustard and a sprinkle of celery salt. The dough was wrapped around the hot dogs and each was cut into six equal pieces. I shaped six pieces into a few traditional flower shapes and three for smaller snack bites. 

After a second rise and an egg wash, I added the other elements: a sprinkle of poppyseeds, halved grape tomatoes tucked into the edges, chopped onion, that iconic neon green relish strewn about, and the iconic sport pepper on top. Perfect. I skipped the pickle because I don’t care very much for cooked pickles and didn’t feel it was necessary. I’ll serve kosher dill spears alongside. They emerged from the oven absolutely perfect, exactly what I was hoping for. Delightful!

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SCORE! These are cute as hell, very tasty and I think pretty close to the ones I remember. Bonus – they make me laugh. As I mentioned, they’re just fancy pigs in a blanket and with all my favorite flavors. I love them. They’re going to be a big hit this weekend!                               

other ideas for Lunar New Year:  Potstickers for Chinese New Year, Chinese Sticky Ribs, BBQ Chicken Bao, Chinese Almond Cookies, Piggy Coconut Buns for Chinese New Year, Spicy MaPo Tofu Dumplings, Scallion Pancakes, Won Ton Soup, Red Curry Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce

other ideas for Super Bowl snacks:  Pull Apart Pigs In A Blanket Ring, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Kimchi Buffalo Wings, Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings, Sticky Northern Exposure Wings, Chili Crisp Wings, Sticky Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings, Tamarind Five Spice Chicken Wings, Miso Honey Butter Chicken Wings, Green Curry Chicken Wings, Beer Cheese, Parmesan Peppercorn Savory Shortbread, Cotija Cumin Shortbread, Hatch Chile Queso Dip, Antipasto Squares, Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, My Party Cheeseball, Port Wine Cheddar Cheese Log, Pimento Cheese, Beer Braised Onion & Bacon Tart, Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese puffs), Smoky Baba Ghanoush, Parmesan Pea Dip with Crispy Prosciutto Chips, Rumaki, Spicy Seeded Parmesan Straws, Baked Brie with Fig Jam, Pumpkin Hummus, Pimento Cheese Stuffed Pretzels, Queso Fundito, Cheese Straws, Puff Pastry Asparagus Spears,

CHICAGO STYLE HOT DOG FLOWER BUNS

makes eight flower buns or 16 snack bites 

for the tangzhong:

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons whole milk`

2 tablespoons unbleached bread flour

for the dough:

½ cup whole milk, cold

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ½ cups unbleached bread flour

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

¼ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

for the buns:

eight 6” all beef hot dogs, Vienna Beef preferred

yellow mustard

celery salt

for the topping:

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (egg wash)

poppyseeds

cherry or plum  tomatoes, halved

¼ white onion finely chopped

Chicago green sweet pickle relish (neon green preferred)

Chicago sport peppers, cut in half lengthwise

kosher dill pickles for serving

1. To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain. 
2. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3-5 minutes. 
3. Transfer the tangzhong to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  
4. To make the dough: Pour the cold milk over the tangzhong to help it cool to lukewarm.   
5. Add the yeast and dry milk to the mixture and give a little stir. Let sit for a few minutes to give it a head start then add the egg, melted butter, flour, sugar and salt to the bowl.
6. Mix with the dough hook, first on low then increase to medium high/high speed until a smooth, elastic dough forms; about 10-15 minutes. If you need to scrape the bowl a few times to incorporate the bottom bits, do so. This part is important to ensure proper gluten development for a fluffy bread; you should have a nice, firm, smooth dough after 10-15 minutes.
7. Knead the dough a few times by hand to form a tight ball, spray or oil the now clean bowl and place the dough in it. Give a turn to coat the dough fully, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot.
8. First rise: let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk. 
9. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.  
10. To shape: On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a 6″ square. 
11. Spread the surfaces with a thin schmear of yellow mustard and a sprinkle of celery salt. 
12. Place the hot dog on one edge, then roll it up in the dough. Pinch the seam to seal and give the dough log a few rolls to seal. Set aside. Repeat with remaining dough and hot dogs for 8 logs total.  
13. Cut each log into six equal 1″ pieces. Turn the pieces cut side up and nestle each piece against each other with the dough seam on the inside to form a flower shape (one circle in the center, with five circles surrounding it) on the prepared sheet pans. For snack size, press three pieces together in a triangle shape. 
14. Second rise: Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until puffy.  
15. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven to 350°F. 
16. To bake: Beat the egg and water together to make an egg wash then brush the buns, making sure to get the sides.  
17. Sprinkle the buns with poppyseeds, press in a tomato halve or two, scatter the chopped onions and some relish on top and lay half a sport pepper on top, pushing in gently to adhere. 
18. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden brown.  
19. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store any leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for several days. 

Day 12 … Pfeffernüsse

When I was a kid, my grandmother would get us a very special gift every year, a book of Christmas Around the World. Each book featured a different country’s Christmas traditions, history and recipes and came with a tree ornament. I loved them. Obsessed over them. Still do as they all sit on my mother’s bookshelf to this day. In one of the Nordic books, I became fascinated with St. Lucia Day, begging my mother to bake saffron buns and make me a pine bough crown with lit candles to wear on my head and maybe ligh candles on our Christmas tree. She wisely declined. Lit candles around a live tree in Arizona is never a good idea.

The recipes in those books, particularly the cookies, fascinated me. Unfamiliar, heavily spiced and intricately decorated cookies were my siren song. Cookies with names like zimtsterne, spekulatius, springerle, vanillekipferl and pfeffernüsse. How fun! Today’s cookie for Day 12 to wrap up this year is inspired by these memories. We’re going to make pfeffernüsse.

A lightly crunchy round, spiced cookie with a white glaze, it is lovely. Christmas in a bite. Today we’re going traditional. Well, sort of traditional. The spice mix is called lebkuchengewürz and is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, cardamom, ginger, star anise, mace and nutmeg. All the things! I hear you can buy this easily, already blended, in Germany where it’s quite common or you can mix your own (recipe below). Speculoos spice or even a pumpkin spice could work too. Or, and hear me out here, you can use garam masala.

I’ve taken to using garam masala frequently in my baking as it contains all those lovely baking spices too, often some combination of cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, mace, and nutmeg and tastes rather Christmas-y. Last year I made a lovely garam masala shortbread for this series. So that’s what I use here as well as a little white pepper as pfeffernüsse does mean “pepper nut”. Dipped in a simple powdered sugar glaze, they are wonderful.

Thanks for playing along this year. With this batch, I’m up to 72 recipes, all made from the same basic butter cookie dough. Maybe I’ll be back with more next year. We’ll have to see. Happy Holidays and enjoy my friends!

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 10: Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

Day 11: Milk Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints 

DAY 12: PFEFFERNÜSSE

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
2. In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, baking soda, spice mix of choice, white pepper, almond flour, egg white and honey on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
4. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
5. Let cool completely.
6. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the rolled dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the rolled dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 
7. For the glaze: in a bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and water to form a thick, pourable glaze. Thicken with additional powdered sugar or thin with additional liquid to achieve the desired texture.
8. Dip the rounded side of a cooled cookie in the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.
9. Place back on the sheet pans and sprinkle with a pinch of ground white pepper. Allow the glaze to set at least 30 minutes until firm.

Lebkuchengewürz:

2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground green cardamom

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground star anise

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Day 11 …. Milk Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Day 11! Almost at the finish line. What are the holidays without a thumbprint cookie? A big fat drag, I say. Who doesn’t love a nutty jammy thumbprint? Or a peanut butter blossom (which I technically think of as a thumbprint – round fat cookie, stuff in the middle, check.) Today I’ve got a double chocolate concoction – a chocolate cookie made from our basic butter cookie dough with a dulce de leche chocolate center. Yes indeed.

Super easy too! While you can certainly make your own dulce de leche (see here) you can also buy a can in the Hispanic section of your grocery store. Choose your own path. Combine that caramel with milk chocolate and a bit of cream and you’ll have a heavenly cookie filling. Simple. I rolled the dough into balls then pressed an indent in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon. Sometimes the dough cracks, and that’s ok, just push it back together. A rustic look is what we’re going for. After baking, press that center indent back in with the wooden spoon and pipe the filling in while the cookies are warm. Sometimes that filling will peak and, in my opinion, looks a bit rude. If you want a giggle, leave it. If not, pop the cookies back in the oven for 30 seconds and that peak will melt out.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Waferis with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies, 

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 10: Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

DAY 11:  MILK CHOCOLATE CARAMEL THUMBPRINTS

If you’re freezing the dough, make the balls with the indents then freeze until firm on a sheetpan. Transfer once frozen to a ziploc bag with the cookie name, baking time and temp and the date. For the 1/8 dough batch, make the filling amount under the ¼ batch recipe. Halving that amount is a bit too small to make easily. Use any extra filling to top ice cream, drizzle on a cake or fill other cookies or cupcakes. Leftover egg whites and yolks can be frozen until needed. Or just make some scrambled eggs for the baker.

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the filling: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. Place the dulce de leche and chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. 
3. When the cream begins to boil, pour it into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Give the bowl a shake to combine the cream with the chocolate and let sit 5 minutes.
4. Remove the plastic wrap and whisk until the mixture is smooth and silky. If the liquid and solids ‘split’, add a little more cream and whisk again. If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, put the bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power and stir until melted.
5. Transfer to a pastry bag and leave at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours. If not using on the same day, store in the refrigerator and return to room temperature before using..
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and position two oven racks, one in the bottom rack and one in the middle. Line sheet pans with silicone baking mats or sheets of parchment paper.
7. For the cookies: In the bowl of a standing mixture, combine the water and espresso powder until dissolved.
8. Add the room temperature cookie dough, cocoa, brown sugar and baking soda to the bowl and with the paddle attachment, mix on medium until well combined.
9. Roll tablespoon pieces of dough into round balls and carefully press your index finger or the round end of a wooden spoon into the center of each ball to flatten and make an indent. The dough will crack a bit as you press down; just push it back together. The cookies will bake with craggy, crunchy edges. For best results, chill for 30 minutes before baking.
10. Place the cookies 1” apart on the prepared sheet pans. (If not ready to bake, place the indented cookie balls on a sheet pan and freeze until firm. Transfer to a ziploc bag and freeze up to 3 months. Bake directly from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time.)
11. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until baked through and slightly firm to the touch.
12. As you remove the cookies from the oven and while they are still warm, press the round end of a wooden spoon into the divot to make larger.
13. Pipe the filling into the warm cookie centers. If the filling peaks, pop the sheet pan back into the warm oven for 30-60 seconds to let the filling melt and even out.
14. Let cookies cool completely and store at room temperature .
15. Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container up to 4-5 days.

Day 10 … Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

Coming up with new ideas for this series after 5 years and 60 different cookie recipes isn’t the easiest thing. I often wonder if any have any new ideas left. Then my brain starts whirling. I’ll write down flavor ideas over the course of the year and then come back and figure them out, see if they’ll work. This was one of those ideas. I had a note in my phone that just said, “corn & blackberry”. A kernel of an idea for a sweet corn cookie with blackberry jam. Possibly a thumbprint, maybe a bar, perhaps a sandwich. I’d made something like this years ago based on a Christina Tosi recipe and loved it. This could work.

When I got around to developing the recipe last month, there was a problem. One of the key ingredients was freeze dried corn. I couldn’t find it anywhere. The Spice House, under new ownership, no longer carried it. The grocery stores no longer had it on the shelves. Sure, I could buy a bag on Amazon for $17 but that was dumb. I’m already asking you to deal with ½ of an egg white; this was a bridge too far. So, I pivoted. Used cornmeal (the Quaker stuff is just fine) and corn flour. You can buy a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Corn Flour in the grocery store or take your cornmeal and grind it to a powder in a spice grinder. The cornmeal gives texture and the finer flour gives a nice, sweet corn flavor. Not quite the same as ground freeze dried corn but pretty similar results.

The key to sandwich cookies is to roll the dough into a thin sheet when you first make it, while it’s warm and pliable. Then chill for at least 30 minutes THEN cut. Cold dough will hold a cookie cutter shape and transfer much better than warm dough. 

In between the cookies, I like blackberry jam but whatever you like (or have) will work. If you want to make a salt and pepper buttercream like I did in that original cookie linked above, have at it. It’s pretty delicious. In the end, it’s a little bit of sweet summer memories nestled into your cookie platter this year.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

DAY 10: SWEET CORN & BLACKBERRY COOKIES

If you don’t have corn flour, grind your cornmeal into a fine powder in a spice mill. 

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, peanut butter, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and egg white. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
2. Divide the dough into manageable pieces and roll into a thin even layer, about 1/8” thick, between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
3. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight. (If refrigerating overnight or longer, wrap tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the edges from drying out.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. With a round or square cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart.
6. Gather the scraps and reroll/cut, refrigerating if the dough becomes too soft.
7. Bake the cookies until golden brown and crisp, about 9-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
8. Let cool completely.
9. Put the jam in a piping bag or small ziploc and snip the tip. Pipe around 2 teaspoons of jam on the bottom of a cookie, top with another and press gently to adhere.
10. The cookies are best consumed, once assembled, within a few days. The dough can be frozen or roll and cut into shapes and freeze on a sheet pan until solid then layer between sheets of parchment and transfer to a marked ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp) and frozen up to 2 months. Cookies be baked directly from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time. 

Day 9 … Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 9 and I’ve got a simple bar cookie for this one. At this point, a week before Christmas, you’re either incredibly cool, calm and organized – and bless you if you’re that person – or you’re like me with a sink full of dirty dishes, family room full of wrapping paper scraps, bits of tape stuck to every available surface and the mad dash to get stuff in the mail tomorrow. Egad. It’s like a Christmas Elf threw up in here. Then there’s that little matter of holiday baking to get under control. Well, it’s a good thing we’ve got some basic butter cookie dough stashed away because we’re going to turn that into the most delicious bourbon pecan bars. Brownie like chocolate bourbon pecan bars. And at this time of the year, it’s a good thing to have an open bottle of bourbon lying around. 

Into that base dough goes some cocoa, a little egg white and some chopped chocolate to make them extra fudgy. Yes, I know the smaller batch calls for an annoying half of an egg white. It’s just how it works out – I warned you about these idiosyncrasies in the beginning. If you wish, save the remaining egg for an egg wash for something else, scramble up a little snack for the baker or throw that remaining white and yolk into the topping and count it as one of the eggs. I won’t tell. Then into the baking pan goes that dough and the topping is a sort of lightly boozy chocolate pecan pie mixture. Don’t forget to line the pan with a good crisscross of foil or you’ll never get these things out. It all bakes up into an easy and wonderful cookie that freezes quite nicely, ready to be pulled out in a week for holiday gatherings. Enjoy! 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

DAY 9: CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN BARS

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the chocolate cookie base: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, break up the base dough and add the cocoa powder, brown sugar, egg white and salt.
2. Mix until well blended then add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.
3. Line the pan with a crisscross of foil and crumble the dough into the pan. Press to smooth into an even layer.
4. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Bake until dry and just a little firm to the touch, 15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
7. For the topping: while the crust is baking, toast the pecans on a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. In a large bowl, whisk together corn syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, eggs and salt.  
9. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.
10. Carefully pour the mixture over the baked cooled crust, distributing the pecans and chocolate chips evenly if needed.
11. Bake until the center feels set yet soft when gently pressed, sort of like gelatin, about 15 minutes. 
12. Let cool completely, on a wire rack, if possible, before slicing. Carefully remove the bars in one piece, using the foil sling to help ease them out of the pan. Remove the foil and slice with a sharp knife into bars. 
13. For really clean slices, chill the bars for a few hours until firm before slicing. 
14. Bars can be baked and frozen up to 2 months. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes for easier slicing.

day 8 … Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 8 of 12 Cookies and we’re taking a little side trip to France with this one. Pain d’Epice is on deck today and while traditionally known as a spiced cake or quick bread, a French gingerbread essentially, we’re turning it into a cookie with a lovely boozy glaze. 

Into the base butter cookie dough goes a little honey, a bit of orange zest and some of those warm baking spices – cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. After baking, a quick dip in the most delicious mix of powdered sugar, orange juice and Armagnac, a special type of brandy from the Gascon region of Southwest France, one of my favorite places in the world. No Armagnac? That’s ok; use brandy, cognac, whisky or even just orange juice. 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

DAY 8: PAIN D’EPICE COOKIES WITH ARMAGNAC GLAZE

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

No Armagnac? That’s ok; use brandy, cognac, whisky or even just orange juice.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
2. In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, brown sugar, all the spices, honey, orange zest and salt and on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
4. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
5. Let cool completely.
6. For the glaze: in a bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, Armagnac, orange juice and a pinch of salt to form a pourable glaze. Thicken with additional powdered sugar or thin with additional liquid to achieve the desired texture.
7. Dip the rounded side of a cooled cookie in the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.
8. Place back on the sheet pans and allow the glaze to set at least 30 minutes until firm.
9. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the rolled dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the rolled dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 

day 7 … Tahini Cookies

Day 8 of 12 and we’re using tahini today! Tahini is a creamy paste made from sesame seeds and when you think about it, it has a lot in common with peanut butter or any nut butter really. With that in mind, I add a few good spoonfuls to the basic butter cookie dough, along with a bit more flour, sugar and some baking soda, formed them into chunky little discs and rolled them in black and white sesame seeds. An interesting and rather pretty spin on a peanut butter cookie. 

The key is to use a good tahini, one made from sesame seeds and not much else. I’m a big fan of Soom Tahini which has one ingredient: sesame seeds. No filler oils or emulsifiers, just tasty tasty ground sesame seeds. I recommend seeking it out and then whipping up the best hummus you’ve ever made.

As for the sesame seeds your roll the cookies in, you can use white, black, toasted or not or a combination. I happen to like the look of a black and white mix but work with what you have. Just make sure to give them a sniff – if they smell off, toss ‘em. Sesame seeds, like poppyseeds, tend to go rancid quickly so make sure you store them in the freezer.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: TAHINI COOKIES 

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place the sesame seeds in a shallow dish and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, tahini, flour, brown sugar and sift in the baking soda. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls, flatten slightly then roll in the sesame seeds to fully coat. 
4. Place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
5. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the sesame coated dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the sesame coated dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 

Day 6 … Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 6! Halfway through this year’s 12 Days of Cookies. Today we’re making sandwich cookies with one of my very favorite flavor … passionfruit. So damn good. Bright, tart, sweet and a welcome addition to this year’s mix. The cookie dough has a few things in it that work well with the filling – lemon zest, shredded coconut and a little coconut extract. That extract really does amp up the coconuttiness but you don’t have it, just use vanilla. 

The filling is two ingredients – white chocolate and passionfruit puree. That’s it. Make sure you buy decent white chocolate, none of that awful candy coating stuff. Ghirardelli bars are readily available and work well though Valrhona is better if you find it. The passionfruit puree (not juice) I prefer is from Goya and is found in the freezer section of some grocery stores, usually Hispanic grocery stores, and I’ve seen it occasionally at Target. Delicious. It’s a little pulpy, very flavorful and worth seeking out. Makes a fabulous cocktail, a fantastic buttercream and is really best as a fruit curd. Wowza. Make sure you plan ahead as the ganache filling is rather soft and benefits from sitting at room temperature overnight to firm up.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

DAY 6: PASSIONFRUIT SANDWICH COOKIES

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. for the filling: Chop chocolate very finely and place it in a bowl. Make sure to use very good quality white chocolate. White chocolate chips or melts will not work.
2. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth.
3. Whisk in the room temperature passionfruit puree until smooth. If the puree is even a little cold, the mixture will seize. If this happens, return to the double boiler or microwave to warm a bit and whisk until smooth. 
4. Pour the mixture into a piping bag or a ziploc bag and let sit overnight at room temperature to firm up. If not using within 24 hours, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before using.
5. for the cookies: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, lemon zest, coconut, coconut extract and sugar. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
6. Divide the dough into manageable pieces and roll into a thin, even layer, about 1/8” thick, between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. (If refrigerating longer, wrap tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the edges from drying out.)
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
9. With a 2” cutter (round or square), cut out shapes and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart.
10. Gather the scraps and reroll/cut, refrigerating if the dough becomes too soft.
11. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown and crisp, about 7-8 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Keep an eye on the cookies; they brown quickly.
12. Let cool completely.
13. The dough or the cutouts can be frozen between double layers of parchment (they tend to stick together with only one layer) in a marked ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp) up to 2 months. Cookies can be baked directly from the freezer.