Today I made two different types of cookies - Chocolate & Peanut Butter Pinwheels, and Candy Cane Cookies. I can't take credit for either recipe - though I did tweak them both a bit. The pinwheels recipe was from Better Homes & Gardens, while the candy canes recipe I adapted from a recipe on about.com.
First: the pinwheels. I'm copying the recipe from the website, since I followed it pretty much to the letter. If I did make any changes, I've noted them in bold.
Ingredients
- 1 18-ounce roll refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 18-ounce roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1. In a large mixing bowl combine peanut butter cookie dough and flour; use a wooden spoon to mix well. Divide dough in half.
2. In another large mixing bowl combine sugar cookie dough and cocoa powder; use another wooden spoon to mix well. Divide dough in half.
3. Place half the peanut butter dough on a piece of wax paper, and place another sheet on top of that. Roll out the dough to a 12x6 inch rectangle. Repeat for half of the sugar cookie dough. Remove the top pieces of waxed paper, and invert one rectangle on top of the other; press down gently to seal. Remove top piece of waxed paper. Tightly roll up into a spiral, starting from a long side. Repeat with remaining dough portions.5. Using a sharp knife, cut dough logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 60 cookies.
Notes: This was a pretty simple one. I didn't realize that I had to let the dough chill for an hour, so whereas I thought this was going to be a quick and easy cookie to make, it turned out to take much longer than expected. The cookies were well-received, though, and I'd definitely make them again.
Next up: Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients:
- 14 tablespoons butter (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 to 6 drops red food coloring
- candied red cherry slivers, silver decorations, red sugar, multicolored decorative candies, and other decorations
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Gradually beat in the flour until blended.
2. Remove half of the dough to a sheet of waxed paper. Wrap and chill for about 1 hour.
3. Add the red food coloring to the remaining dough (I didn't measure this out - I just added enough until it turned red enough for my liking); mix on low speed until blended. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out small sections of the red and plain cookie dough. Hold one end and twist them around until you have what resembles a rope. Some recipes don't call for this, but I then roll the rope together to fully blend the two pieces of dough together. Make sure the pieces are at least 1/2 inch thick. Place the rolled dough in the shape of a candy cane on a baking sheet. Make sure you leave enough room between the cookies, because they puff up when you bake them.
6. If you want to, you can sprinkle the dough with colored sugar, candies, etc - but I thought they looked nice just as they were.
6. Pop them in the oven for 8 - 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Store in tightly covered containers with waxed paper between layers. These cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for longer storeage. Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on how thick they are.
Til next time - Happy baking!
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