Sprinkle Spiral Cookies

I stumbled upon these delightful cookies when I was looking for a recipe on how to make Battenburg cake (which is quite possibly my most favourite dessert recipe ever....) (well, maybe not ever, but definitely top 5...).  (Back to the cookies...) There was something about the sprinkles and colours in this cookie that immediately brought a smile to my face. 

A few months ago, one of my very good friends lost her mother to cancer.  In an effort to cheer her up and bring a bit of sunshine into her world, I made these cookies, hoping that they might have the same effect that they did on me - I am of the opinion that sprinkles make everything just a little bit better. 

The recipe and directions were flawless (I found these at Sprinkle Bakes - this girl really is a baked-goods genius), but it did take me a couple of trials to get them right.  I am pretty sure this had to do with my fridge temperature and my mixer (I don't have a food processor as the recipe recommends - so I had to make do with the electric mixer).  Despite the numerous failures, I learned from my mistakes, persevered - and four batches of colourful cookie dough in the green bin later - success!

 

I'll share my 'lessons learned' in an effort to make future attempts by any other willing bakers just a little easier...

Colourful Spiral Cookies

(Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes)

(Makes about 3 dozen)

Ingredients:

2 cups unsifted cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups unsifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

21/2 sticks unsalted butter (cold)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract (or any other extract eg. strawberry)

1/2 tsp rose gel food colouring (or other gel colour)

2 tablespoons unsifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups multi-coloured nonpareil /sprinkles

Directions:

(1) In electric mixer, on medium-low speed, combine flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar & powdered sugar and mix until combined (this should take no more then a minute)

(2) Add cold butter in pieces (I cut mine into 1 inch chucks); mix on medium speed until the mixture has the consistency of a course meal (about 5 minutes)

Mix on medium speed until resembles a course meal...

 (3) Add the vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until the mixture forms a ball (about 2-3 minutes)

This step usually finds my cookie dough in a ball around the electric mixer whisk....that's what you are looking for... 

(4) Divide the dough into two equal pieces; return one of the pieces to the electric mixer

(5) Add the almond extract, gel food colouring, and the extra 2 tablespoons of cake flour; mix on medium speed until just combined

PINK!

(6) Roll out each portion of the dough between wax paper

-Resist the urge 'dust the surface with flour' when rolling out the dough between wax paper.  This will make the dough too dry, and subsequently, brittle.  (Its a habit of mine to flour every surface prior to rolling out dough.....probably as a result of my roti making days...)  The dough should roll out quite easily in between the wax paper.

-Try to roll out each piece so they are the same size (I usually aim for 8"x12")

Roll out dough between wax paper.....

(7) Place the rolled-out out pieces on top of each other in a baking sheet (leaving the wax paper on) and refrigerate until firm  (about 20-30 minutes)

-without the wax paper, the dough will dry out and become brittle while chilling; this will result in a crumbly mess

-If you find the cookie dough is not 'firm enough' to roll into a log, leave it in the fridge until it is.

(8) Remove dough pieces from refrigerator; pour the nonpareils/sprinkles into a baking sheet

-pour into something long enough so you are able to roll the log in it...ideally something that's 12" or longer (eg. baking sheet)

(9) Carefully remove the top piece of wax paper from both sections of dough; brush the vanilla dough very lightly with water.  Using the bottom of the rose-colour dough's waxed paper as leverage, lift and flip it onto the vanilla dough so they are stacked.  Press lightly to ensure that the sections are sealed together.  Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and trim the edges of the dough so they are relatively lined up

Brush bottom (Vanilla) dough lightly with water...

(10) When the dough is just bendable, but still cold, roll up the dough (begin with the long side) like a jellyroll.  As you begin to roll, gently curl and tuck the edge (that you started with) with your fingertips so you don't get any air pockets as you roll the dough into a log

-if it's too firm (i.e. When you try to bend the rolled out sheets of dough and it feels like they are going to break) let it thaw for few minutes longer on the counter

-as you roll the dough, if the vanilla portion tears, just pinch the tear together and keep on keepin' on
- if the vanilla dough sticks to it's bottom wax paper as you are rolling, grab a sharp knife and slide it gentally between the wax paper and the dough to release the dough from the waxed paper - continue to do this as you roll...

(11) After forming the dough into a log, remove the wax paper.  Gently lift the log on top of the nonpareil/sprinkles in the baking tray and roll (gently pressing) until the log is completely coated with decors

Sprinkles!

(12) Wrap the log in waxed paper and refrigerate until firm enough to slice (about 2 -3 hours should do it)

(13) Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper

(14) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

(15) Remove cookies from the refrigerator.  Slice into 1/8 - 1/4 " thick cookies place on parchment-lined baking sheets

Make sure the logs are cold & firm enough that when slicing they don't loose their 'round' shape...

(16) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are no longer shiny on top and the bottoms of the vanilla portion are golden

-be careful when checking the bottoms of the cookies while they are still hot.  They will firm up after cooling down, but while they are hot, they are very delicate

(17) Let cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes before transferring them (gently!!!) to cooling racks to completely cool

These cookies are so very photogenic....I clearly couldn't stop taking pictures....!

These cookies are more fussy then I would usually go for, but I can't argue with how delightful the end results are....

Happy Cooking! 

The Biscotti Series.....(Part 2)

The great thing about biscotti is that you really can add anything to them (I've seen some great Cranberry & White Chocolate versions) once you understand a basic biscotti recipe.  However you'll want to be careful with any sort of chunky ingredient, as they can cause crumbling when attempting to cut the biscotti loaf into biscuits (for example, finely chopping the nuts before adding them to the batter will make slicing the biscotti loaf into biscuits much easier...).

The 'zester' makes zesting citrus fruit easy....otherwise a grater or a peeler & fine dice will work...

Pistachio-Orange Biscotti

(makes about 36 cookies)

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all purpose plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp orange zest

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

1 cup pistachios (ground or finely chopped)

Directions:

(1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

(2) Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside

(3) With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the butter, sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract and almond extract mixture has lightened in colour

(4) Add one egg at a time, mix on medium until combined

(5) Reduce the mixer speed to low, add pistachios and mix until combined

(6) Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated

(7) Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about an hour

-this makes the 'sticky' cookie dough easier to work with

(8) Take dough out of bowl and shape into a log on a floured surface

Pistachios & Orange make for a light and fresh biscotti

(9) Place shaped log on layered baking sheets; fix shape if required 

Layered baking sheets prevents the bottom of the biscotti from burning...

(10) Bake 25-30 minutes, until top is a light golden brown

(11) Remove from oven and let cool slightly (cool enough to work with).  Cut log into 3/4 inch slices (biscotti) with a serrated knife.  Lay Biscotti on side on baking sheet, cut side down.

-No longer need to bake on double layered baking sheets

-Might have to use more than one baking sheet - make sure they are lined all line with parchment paper

-Cut with confidence.  Tentative cuts may cause biscotti to crumble.

(12) Bake for 10-15 minutes more
(13) Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet on wire racks.  Once it's cooled a bit, if you find that the biscotti is not hard enough, bake for another 5-10 minutes. 

Can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of months

I found this recipe one the Williams Sonoma website (and adapted it to my liking, because that's what I do...).

Happy Cooking!

The Biscotti Series....(Part 1)

Biscotti + Coffee = (makes me) happy.   It's very simple. 

And because of my simple equation, I was very excited to learn how to make Biscotti in my Northern Italian Cuisine class. 

The keys to making biscotti (the ones that I've found useful)...

-In the summer, flour tends to be more moist, so you might have to use more

-In the winter, flour tends to be more dry, so you might have to use less

-If you live in a humid climate you might need more flour

-if you live in a dry climate you might need less flour

-You might also want to see how the stars are aligning on the day you are going to make Biscotti...

I generally start off with the amount of flour the recipe states.  If the dough is too moist once all the ingredients are incorporated (and most of the time my biscotti dough is too moist, because the humidity in Toronto is higher) I'll incorporate a 1/4 cup of flour until I get the right texture.  What you are looking for in the batter is the consistency of sticky cookie dough.  

If you are unsure when it comes to baking 'doneness', it's always better to under-bake biscotti then over-bake...for two reasons:  First, the cookie will harden as it cools and second, (once it has cooled a little after the second baking) if the biscotti is not as hard as you would like it to be, you can always put it back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

I have two recipes for biscotti that I love => Toasted Almond & Chocolate and Pistachio & Orange 

Chocolate and Toasted Almond Biscotti

(makes about 36 cookies)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

(1) Toast almonds.  Spread them out on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler (set to high).  Once they have a light golden colour take them out of the oven and let cool.  Don't walk away because they can go from toasted to burned in about 10 seconds

-can also toast almonds in a pan on medium until they just start to smell

***don't over-toast the almonds as they will give the biscotti a bitter taste***

-once almonds have cooled, chop them up finely

(2) Get two trays and layer one on top of the other.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the top tray

-the layering of the two trays ensures that the bottom of the biscotti won't burn

(3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

(4) Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt; set aside

(5) With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the eggs and butter until mixture has lightened in colour

(6) Add the sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract, mix for another 2 minutes

(7) Turn the mixer to low, add chocolate chips and toasted almonds, mix until just combined

(8) Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined

(9) Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about an hour

-this makes the 'sticky' cookie dough easier to work with

(10) Take dough out of bowl and shape into a log on a floured surface

(11) Place shaped log onto layered baking sheets; fix shape if required

(12) Bake 25-30 minutes , until top is a light golden brown

First bake - light golden brown

(13) Remove from oven and let cool slightly (cool enough to work with).  Cut the biscotti log into 3/4 inch slices (can do this either vertically or on an angle...your choice) with a serrated knife; lay the biscuits on baking sheet, cut side down

-No longer need to bake on double layered baking sheets

-Might have to use more than one baking sheet - make sure they are lined all lined with parchment paper

-Cut the biscotti log with confidence.  Tentative cuts may cause biscotti to crumble.

Lay biscotti on baking sheets, cut side down for second baking

(14) Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until top of biscuit is golden brown

(15) Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet on wire racks.  Once it's cooled a bit, if you find that the biscotti is not hard enough, bake for another  5-10 minutes. 

Can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of months

These are great for sharing as they travel really well.

Part 2 of my 'Biscotti Series' will be the Pistachio & Orange recipe. 

Happy Cooking!

An Adventure in Shortbread Part 2 (Part 5 of 'Christmas Cookies')

The second of the two kinds of shortbread that I make is the type that melts in your mouth...it's light and it's airy. 
I have been using this recipe for years (It was my very first shortbread recipe!).  I am not sure where it originally came from (sometime in the late 1980's, my sister put together a MacWrite-v.4.5, 3-ringed binder recipe book (including hand-drawn pictures by yours truly) (she was probably somewhere around the age of 10 so I would have been 5 years old...) for my Mom & Dad's wedding anniversary...this is where I found it).

This is a good shortbread dough to use with a cookie press.  Personally I am not a huge fan of the cookie press, mainly because I find that once the cookies are baked, they are almost too delicate and crumbly.  So a few years ago, I started using a piping bag to shape these cookies. Although it required a lot of arm strength to pipe them out, I ended up being extremely happy with the results.  They are much more sturdy and can stand up to being packaged with other cookies.  I used a number 1M Wilton tip on a regular piping bag, and piped them into mini rosette shapes. 

  

Whipped Shortbread
(makes about 60 cookies)

1 lb(500 g) of butter, at room temperature
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour

(1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees
(2) Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper
(3) With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and icing sugar until very fluffy (this is what gives the cookie that light and airy texture...it takes about 5 minutes)
(4) Mix in corn starch and vanilla until combined
(5) Turn electric mixer to low and mix in flour 
(6) Turn electric mixer back to medium speed and continue to mix until dough has that light and fluffy texture (about 3-4 minutes)
(7) (time to get the cookies onto your baking sheets) Drop by teaspoonfuls or use a cookie press or pipe cookies onto the parchment lined baking sheets.  (I usually do this in a couple of batches as I don't have enough baking sheets or oven space to bake these all at once.  If you find your kitchen getting too warm in between batches, pop the shortbread dough into the fridge so it doesn't melt prior to baking)
(8) Once they are shaped, before putting them in the oven, its time to have some festive fun with cookie decorations...I used red and green M&M's and different coloured sugars. 
(9) Bake 20-25 minutes, until edges are a golden brown

We made it!  All 5 Christmas 2011 National Day of Baking recipes have been posted.  I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing about them. 

I know I am a few days late, but Happy New Year!  I wish you all the best things for 2012.  And, as always...

Happy Cooking!

An Adventure in Shortbread Part 1...(Part 4 of 'Christmas Cookies'...)

The thing with Shortbread is that my mom likes the buttery 'Walkers'-like Scottish version (the one that comes in the Tartan packaging...), and everyone else likes the light and airy, melt-in-your-mouth Whipped version.  So, in order to spread the Christmas joy to all those around me.....I make both.  I am fairly certain this is how I go through so many pounds of butter in December....

Basic Shortbread (the one that my Mom likes...)

I've been using a recipe for shortbread, which was ripped out of an old Martha Stewart magazine, for years now.  It's a very basic shortbread recipe (hence the name of the recipe), which isn't too sweet.

I try not to fancy it up, which means no icing, sprinkles, nonpareils etc, because it's pretty good as is and it's a nice departure from the super sweet decorated treats which are available in abundance at this time of year (don't get me wrong, I love those too...I do sometimes wonder how the silver nonpareil's end up 'silver'....one of life's mysteries I guess...).  This is the kind of shortbread that is good for dunking in a hot cup of tea...

The other good thing about this cookie is that it lasts for about a month in an airtight container...and tastes even better about a week after it has been baked. 

Basic Shortbread

(makes about 36 cookies – depending on how big you want the cookie to be)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature, (plus more for pans)

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees

(2) Butter a 9 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan (it's okay if it's a little bigger)

(3) In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy 

(4) Add salt, vanilla and almond extract, mix to combine

(5) Turn the mixer speed to low and add flour, 1 cup at a time, until just combined

(6) Press dough into prepared pan (1/2" thick) leveling and smoothing the top (I use the side of a tall water glass as a mini rolling pin to smooth out the top)

(7) (this step makes cutting them easier once they have finished baking) using a dough scraper or a dull knife (you don't want to scratch the bottom of you baking pans) cut dough lengthwise into about 9 strips (or however wide you want the cookie to be)  cut the strips crosswise into 36 bars about 3 inches wide (or however long you want the cookie to be) 

(8) Using a fork, poke a creative decoration into the surface of the unbaked cookie

(9) Bake shortbread until they are a light gold colour (but not browned) - this can take 75-85 minutes, so be patient

(10) Once finished baking, remove pan from oven, let cool slightly on a wire rack.  Once it's cooled slightly, go over cuts that were made prior to baking with a dull knife

(11) Let cool complete, remove from pan

(12) Can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month 

(adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/342398/basic-shortbread)

Warning, these are very addictive....

Up next….Part 5 of 5 of the 2011’s Christmas cookie extravaganza!  Whipped Shortbread….

Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kiss Cookies (Part 3 of Christmas Cookies...)

A continuation of my love affair with Hershey's Kisses.....

When I discovered Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses in the grocery store, you can imagine how excited I was to find, sitting in the next display, Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kisses (yay!).  They were begging to be bought and used...who was I to say 'no'?

I used a similar recipe as with the Candy Cane Hershey's Kiss Chocolate cookies...however instead of using peppermint extract, I finely chopped up some Oreo's, in order to tie the flavour of the Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kiss into the cookie batter. 

And as I did with the Pumpkin Spiced Hershey's Kiss cookies and the Candy Cane Hershey's Kiss Chocolate Cookies, I baked these cookies in a mini muffin pan so they would retain a better shape when the Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kiss was placed in the middle.

Here's the recipe....

Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kiss Chocolate Cookies
(Makes 5-6 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup  unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5-10 Oreo Cookies, finely chopped
1 bag Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:
(1) Place unwrapped Cookies 'n' Cream Hershey's Kisses in freezer (this ensures that they retain their 'Hershey's Kiss shape')
(2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
(3) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside
(4) With an electric mixer, on medium speed, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until lightened in colour
(5) Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients until thoroughly combined
(6) Fold finely chopped Oreo's into batter
(7) (this is where it gets a little messy) Using two spoons, drop approx. 1/2 tablespoon of dough into a non-stick mini muffin pan (I do one mini muffin pan at a time, but if you have more then one pan, feel free to do more)
(8) Bake for 12-15 minutes (do not over-bake, otherwise cookies won't be chewy)
(9) Take Hershey's Kisses out of freezer; Remove baking pan from oven, immediately press Hershey's Kiss in middle of cookie
(10) Cool 10 minutes on baking pan; transfer to racks to cool completely.

I can't wait to continue with my discovery of new types of Hershey's Kisses.  I hear that there is a Hershey's Kiss filled with Cherry Cordial Creme...!

Happy Cooking!