Whimsical Swirl Cookies Dee Dees Recipes

WALNUT DATE SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the dates, 1/4 cup sugar, water, nuts and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. , In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes. , Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-in.-thick rectangle. Spread with date mixture; roll up jelly-roll style, starting at a long end. Wrap with waxed paper. Chill for at least 4 hours. , Remove waxed paper. Cut into 1/8-in. to 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

CHRISTMAS SWIRL COOKIES - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. In a batter bowl or a bowl of your liking, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
• 2. In a large mixer bowl using paddle; cream the butter until it's smooth; stir in the sugars and vanilla extract until they're evenly blended.
• 3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture one third at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough is evenly blended.
• 4. Divide cookie dough in to 4 equal pieces. Take 2 pieces and incorporate the food coloring of choice into each piece or add cocoa to one or both pieces. Don't add both! NOTE: I will be making 1 green and 1 red piece to go with the 2 vanilla pieces.
• 5. Place each quarter piece on a large piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick square, and then wrap it in the plastic. Refrigerate the 4 squares until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
• 6. Unwrap one piece of the chilled vanilla dough, leaving it on the plastic. Cover it with a second piece of plastic wrap, then roll it into a rectangle measuring about 9 by 7 inches. If the dough gets too soft and difficult to roll, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it until it's firm again, about 5 to 10 minutes. Unwrap a piece of the colored dough, cover it with another piece of plastic, and roll it into an 8- by 7-inch rectangle.
• 7. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap from both rolled doughs and invert the colored dough on top of the vanilla dough, lining up 3 sides and leaving about 1 inch of vanilla dough exposed on one side. Starting at the opposite side, lift the vanilla dough by the plastic wrap underneath it and snugly roll up both layers into a log, peeling away the plastic wrap as you go. Gently roll in sprinkles coating log. Wrap the log in the plastic and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. Repeat the process with the 2 other pieces of dough.
• 8. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap one of the logs and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Arrange the slices on the parchment about 1 inch apart and bake for about 13 minutes. The cookies will still be a little soft to the touch. NOTE: They will have a better texture if you don't allow the edges brown.
• 9. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet; transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

WHIMSICAL SWIRL COOKIES - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars and whisk until well blended. Place in large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
• 2. Add butter in, gradually, and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on your paddle. NOTE: I did find it necessary to add more flour at this point.
• 3. Remove all your dough and divide into two equal parts. Return one portion back in to the mixer and add the food coloring and any extra extracts. I used Wilton gel food coloring in pink and vanilla extract for this batch. You can coordinate your colors and flavors, for example green food coloring matched with a mint extract or yellow with a lemon extract, etc. Also, if you are using liquid food coloring, you will need to add a few tbsp. of flour to keep the dough from becoming too wet. Mix until the color is spread out evenly.
• 4. Roll out each portion of your dough, between two sheets a wax paper until is reaches about 11 x 9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both unto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. NOTE: I found that the dough became very firm in about 30 minutes.
• 5. When firm, remove the top sheets of wax paper from both. Brush the uncolored vanilla dough lightly with water using a pastry brush. Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even. Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together. Using a small paring knife; trim the edges of the dough to make straight, even lines.
• 6. Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside. Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible. Once it's ready, begin rolling the long side of dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style. Now, don't get nervous if the outer layer of uncolored dough tears a bit. It's no problem, just pinch and pat those tears and voila, then just keep rolling. NOTE: the outter layer did tear and I pinched it back together as instructed. Cookies turned out beautiful!
• 7. Now gently lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and roll away. Cover the log completely with your sprinkles. Wrap the colorfully decorated log in plastic wrap twice. Depending on when you want to bake the cookies, either place the wrapped dough into refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or you can put it the freezer and keep it there for up to 2 months. (If freezing, give yourself time for the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before cutting.)
• 8. Slice your dough into 1/4-1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then move them to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Enjoy your whimsical cookies!

COOKIE JIGSAW - DEE DEE'S

Steps:

• 1. 1. On cardboard or paper, draw a Christmas-tree template 10 inches high (from tip of tree to top of trunk) and 10 1/2 inches wide (at base of tree above trunk), with a 1-inch high by 2-inch wide trunk. Cut out template and set aside.
• 2. 2. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until well blended (mixture may look curdled). On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. At low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended. Pat dough into a small rectangle.
• 3. 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Place dough in center of cookie sheet. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 13" by 11" rectangle. Bake 15 minutes.
• 4. 4. Place cookie sheet on wire rack; center tree template lengthwise on warm cookie. With knife, cut around template into cookie; remove template, leaving tree outline. Press floured 1 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter into cookie at top of tree; remove cutter, leaving star outline. Press floured 1-inch round cookie cutters into tree in several places, leaving ornament outlines. Press 2 1/2-inch star cutter into remaining cookie around tree, leaving star outlines.
• 5. 5. Cut Christmas tree into various geometric-shaped puzzle pieces, being careful not to cut into ornament outlines. Cut remaining cookie around tree into puzzle pieces, being careful not to cut into star outlines.
• 6. 6. Return cookie sheet to oven and bake 12 to 14 minutes longer or until cookie is light brown. Set cookie sheet on wire rack; cut through all designs and pieces. Cool cookie puzzle on cookie sheet 10 minutes. Carefully slide puzzle, in 1 piece, onto wire rack; cool completely.
• 7. 7. To decorate: In 1-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute, stirring. Remove round ornament pieces from tree; brush tree and trunk with corn syrup. Sprinkle tree with green sugar crystals to coat, then attach small round yellow candies as desired. Sprinkle or dip trunk into chocolate sprinkles. Brush ornament pieces with corn syrup; sprinkle or dip into choice of colored sugar crystals or decors. Remove star decorations from around tree; brush with corn syrup and sprinkle or dip into yellow sugar crystals. Brush puzzle pieces around tree with corn syrup; sprinkle with blue sugar crystals to coat, then sprinkle lightly with white decors and stars. Reheat corn syrup if it becomes too thick.
• 8. 8. Allow puzzle pieces to dry completely, about 1 hour. When pieces are dry, reassemble puzzle on large tray to serve, or store puzzle in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week.