Thursday, December 18, 2008

Christmas Cookie Countdown [Day 2]

Well, today looks like another full day of baking for me! Not only is it -12 below out, I just found out some bad news on the weather channel last night. More snow is on the way, and supposedly this storm is supposed to be worst then the last. (The last we got about a foot of snow) My California trip at the beginning of January is looking better every day, even though it won't be hot there, it'll be about 70 degrees warmer than here! I will take that any day. But there is something about winter; the hot cocoa, the pretty trees laced with glistening snow, the feeling of being with your family crammed in the house sitting by the warm fireplace--it all makes the season. So even though the cold weather can put a damper on things, I just don't know if my year would feel complete without these things. But that does not mean that moving to a southern state is not in the cards after college. I'm sure after a few more winters of scraping my car, letting it run for a half hour to warm up, and how my skin gets extremely dry in the winter, I will be headed to a place where I will be decorating palm trees for Christmas. =]

So todays cookie is a fun holiday pinwheel cookie that starts with a tube of store bought sugar cookie dough. I actually picked this up about a month ago when they had a really good sale, and figured I could make something out of it eventually. When I came across this recipe, I knew I could put it to use!
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients:
1 (32 oz/the family size) tube of sugar cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
1/2 C all purpose flour
6 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
Red and green food coloring
Directions:
1)Take your granulated sugar and divide it in half.(3 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp) Place a few drops of red food coloring in one pile of sugar, and green in the other. Like this:
2)Divide cookie dough out into four pieces and sprinkle flour onto work space. Roll out one piece at a time into a 12x7 rectangle. On two of the rectangles, you will be spreading the green sugar on, on the remaining two you'll do red. Make sure you get all the way to the edges, and don't be afraid to put a lot, otherwise it might not show up good once they bake!
3)Starting with the shortest side, you are going to roll up the rectangles like a jelly-roll. (You will be a pro if you make homemade cinnamon rolls often) Then roll them in wax paper and refrigerate for about 1 hour to make it easier to handle. This is what you should have so far:
4)Next preheat your oven to 350 F. Then take the logs out and unwrap them. Cut each roll into about fourteen slices and place on a ungreased cookie sheet.(or if you're like me, use tinfoil on your pan for easier cleanup) If it gets a little hard to slice the cookies, spray your knife with cooking spray, or pop em' back in the refrigerator to harden up a bit. Here's what they look like before you put them in the oven:

5)Bake 7-9 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown. Cool 1 minute, and remove from pan to cooling rack. This recipe makes about 50 cookies, give or take a few depending. They are soo pretty once they're done; a perfect addition to my cookie platters!

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