DAY Recipe

When we were taking our baby steps as chefs, one of our favorite teachers was
Lydia, queen of the soup pots at the Strathallen Hotel in Rochester, New
York. She grew up in Austria, so, of course, she knew plenty about baking.
When we got to work in the morning, we’d taste that day’s “zoop” (as she’d
say in [...]

Makes 24 wedges.

INGREDIENTS
1/2cup sugar
1/2teaspoon salt
1cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4teaspoon vanilla extract
2cups all purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
Blend sugar and salt in processor. Cut in butter using on/off turns until blended and smooth. Blend in vanilla. Add flour [...]

Found throughout the Middle East, this shortbread-style cookie remains white after baking. Some people make diamond-shaped or round cookies with this dough, but the ring shapes are more common.
Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

[...]

Shortbread is the ultimate sugar cookie, crisp yet tender, and bursting with
buttery flavor. It’s a good cookie to make when the cookie monster in you
growls but you don’t have any eggs in the house. Gluten-free rice flour
(cornstarch can be substituted) is used with regular flour to give it a
delicate crumb.

[...]

Makes about 20.

INGREDIENTS
3/4cup unsalted shelled pepitas, toasted
4ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4teaspoon salt
2 3/4cups all purpose flour1large egg white, lightly whisked
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grind pepitas in [...]