edible gifting + chocolate bark 3 ways /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i rarely like giving homemade food as a gift, mostly because i know that people's tastes are subjective and i can't possibly know what each person likes!  and also because i would hate to disappoint anyone by giving them something they can't eat (you know, food allergies, sensitive diets, etc.).  so, i usually rely on a this go-to granola recipe to include in holiday gift giving, but this year i decided to switch it up, and go with a no-fail chocolate bark in 3 flavors.  i love how easy it is to switch up the flavors by adding nuts, spices, fruit, peppermint candies, zest, etc., etc.!  here, i've chosen to go with these: 1. a dairy-free dark chocolate w/ cardamom, toasted nuts, and citrus zest.  2. milk chocolate peppermint bark w/ white chocolate drizzle. 3. white chocolate, pomegranate and pistachio bark.  the recipe for these babes, and how i like wrapping edible gifts, is over on Gardenista!

happy happy holidays everyone! xo - lindsey

satsuma + rosemary pignoli nut cookies /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it's about time i share a holiday cookie recipe.  and this one is a family favorite - a recipe that my mom and i make each year, and eat more than i'd like to admit.  when i was younger, a few days before christmas my dad would take me and my brother down to arthur avenue in the bronx, an old italian neighborhood that my dad grew up in.  we would visit some of the same butcher shops, grocers, and bakeries my dad frequented as a child, and we would purchase items for our christmas eve feast.  the ravioli came from borgatti's where mrs. borgatti, her husband, and grandchildren would roll fresh pasta and ravioli right in front of us.  then, it was off to mike's deli to pick up italian sausage (something i never ever ate), where i remember standing eye-to-eye with a case holding beef tongue, and pig snout, and being totally intrigued, while simultaneously being disgusted.  on our last stop, we would visit delallo's bakery and pick up a couple pounds of pignoli nut cookies and quaresimali (a super crunchy and chunky biscotti) because they were my parents' favorites.  

we stopped going to arthur avenue mostly because we just didn't eat the same way we used to. but my mom missed her pignoli nut cookies dearly, so we started baking them a few years back, along with some other favorite christmas cookies.  and as we did, they became a total favorite of mine as well.  this recipe is naturally gluten, grain and dairy-free, just by nature of how a traditional pignoli nut cookie is made.  the base consists of either almond and granulated sugar, or almond paste.  it's mixed with egg whites and confectioners' sugar, and topped with pignoli nuts (pine nuts).  they're crunchy, chewy, sweet, nutty, aromatic, and zesty all at the same time!  and they're a super easy to put together during this busy time of year.  

happy hanukkah!  and happy holiday season! xo

satsuma + rosemary pignoli nut cookies (gluten + dairy free)

| makes 64 bite size cookies or 32 large cookies |

recipe slightly adapted from Saveur

  • 2 cups blanched almonds
  • 1/2 cup natural cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon satsuma zest (any citrus zest will work though)
  • 1/2-1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (depending on how strong you want it)
  • 1 cup organic confectioners' sugar, more for dusting
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/2 cup pignoli nuts

instructions

  • preheat oven to 300° and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. set aside.
  • in  a food processor fitted with a metal S-blade, combine almonds and granulated sugar; pulse together for a couple of minutes until you have a fine almond meal.  add the zest, rosemary, egg whites, and confectioners' sugar and pulse until dough comes together.  transfer cookie dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round nozzle, (alternatively, you can use a large ziploc bag with a snipped corner) and pipe dough out making 1 or 2-inch cookies.  for bite size cookies, press 6-7 pine nuts into cookie; for large cookies press 10-12 pine nuts into cookies
  • bake, rotating cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back, halfway through cooking, until lightly golden, about 25 minutes (*note: if making bite size cookies, check them after 20 minutes for doneness.)
  • transfer to a rack, and let cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar and serving
  • cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days

enjoy!

holiday butternut bundt cake w/ crushed cranberries + apples /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

we woke up to our first snowfall the other morning, albeit a dusting; our plump christmas tree is up, decorated with ornaments we've collected throughout the years; lit with strands of twinkling lights, its base hidden under a burlap tree skirt i made years ago (a craft projects gone right!).  our winter vista is now official, as the trees across the way have lost the last of their leaves,  and we can squeak out a view of the top quarter of the empire state building once more.  the holidays are officially here, and even though it's felt like a merry season for the past few weeks, it's now in close sight.    

sometimes it feels like i don't know where to start with holiday dessert though, do i go with cake, make sheets and sheets of cookies, chocolate bars, peppermint bark..? (i know, really tough decisions here.)  this year i decided to settle on a simple bundt cake - one that incorporates a number of things i love about the idea of a typical fruitcake, but without the heavy glug of it.  in that spirit, i decided to go with a tried and true cake my nana would always make: her 1,2,3,4 bundt cake.  it was her no-fail, all-occasion cake that could be made plain or jazzed up with fruit, nuts, zest, etc. so, when i thought of the holidays, of love, of memories, of baking, i knew an updated version of my nana's cake in the form of a butternut bundt was in order.  it's flecked with crushed cranberries to cut through the sweetness, the batter mixed with grated ginger, chopped apples and toasted nuts for a subtle crunch, and topped with some powdered sugar for good (holiday) measure.   

if you missed last week's post, i'm guest blogging for Gardenista this month!  you can peep this holiday bundt cake recipe over on their site today!  and stay tuned, i've got two more posts coming up this month and i'm super pumped about them! 

i hope the holiday season is bringing you joy, love, and warmth. xo