Spicy Lemon Cookies

I am not going to lie to you: it is cold outside, really, really cold. In fact, I think that my friend from LA's perspective on what you need to wear to get through a winter in the midwest finally came to fruition this season: ski goggles and snow pants.

So in an attempt to not dwell on the fact that we have had more than 30 days of temperatures below zero, I decided to bake a cookie with some heat. This cookie resembles shortbread with a hint of lemon and cayenne that hits you a few seconds after you finish the cookie. I love it...and so did all of my coworkers.

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Spicy Lemon Cookies

Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 400º. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg and beat until combined.

Sift together the flour, cayenne powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture until combined. Refrigerate dough. Once it is chilled, roll out to about 1/4" thickness and use a 2" cookie cutter to cut out desired shape (I used a scalloped style). Place on a silpat or parchment paper and bake for 7 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

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I filled some of the cookies with a lemon buttercream

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti

I am a big believer in mastering a handful of recipes that seem far more difficult to make than they really are. The key is to not divulge this fact and instead simply say "thank you" when people compliment you (which they will).

In my opinion, eclairs fall into this group of recipes as do meringues, caramels, and biscotti.  This recipe is filled with dark chocolate and cherries but if you are not a fan of those flavors, you could substitute practically any nut or dried fruit...pistachios, cranberries, white chocolate, rosemary and apricot... 

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Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 1999

Make the biscotti: Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. 

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix sugar, melted and cooled butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until combined. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until it is all incorporated. Mix in chocolate and cherries until combined.

Divide the dough in half and then shape each half into a 2-inch by 13-inch log (flouring your hands can make this part easier as it is a sticky dough). Place them on the baking sheet and space them apart by at least 3 inches.

Bake logs for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool completely (20-40 minutes), remove then from the baking sheet and place them on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs on a diagonal into 1/2-inch wide slides. Arrange the slices cute side down on the same baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (60-70%)
1 cup dried cherries, chopped

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Pumpkin Birthday Cake

The fortunate thing about not being at work over the holidays is that I don't have to (unsuccessfully) restrain myself from eating from the endless baskets of candy, the trays of baked goods, and the gift boxes filled with chocolate covered things, cheese, and the single pear (which I have never quite understood).

I believe there is a parable that goes something along the lines of: A wise person who avoids sugar over the holidays should limit herself from baking those sweets at home.  I probably made that up but this seemingly wise person still loves a good excuse to bake.

And what better excuse than my father's birthday.  This year I decided to bake a pumpkin cake which I made last year for Thanksgiving.  It is not only delicious it is also extremely easy to make...and I truly mean that: it takes about ten minutes to put together and you can do it all without a mixer.  I decorated the cake with a meringue frosting and toasted it with my kitchen torch.  While I love any excuse to use that tool, you can also toast the meringue under the broiler.

The recipe can be found here:  Pumpkin Layer Cake