Pinwheel Cookies

Thanks to my daughter that this year to celebrate Christmas I was able to fulfill my dream of making Pinwheel cookies which were pending for so many years into my do to list. Lil K wanted this year to treat Santa with the Pinwheel cookies which she had seen in the picture and loved it. Christmas brings us joy and also a welcoming music to embrace a brand new year. So the whole month of December we pass with a joy of merriment and in a mood of celebration.  The streets, the homes all get lighten up and brighten up with the Christmas decors. The Christmas trees get ornamented from shopping Malls to Home. The kids wait since a long time and cross their fingers to open up their eyes with a bright morning of the day of Christmas to check how many gifts Santa has showered them. This expectation and the ritual have not been changed a bit. From my childhood to my daughters era Santa is welcomed with the Milk and cookies and a list of gifts that is wanted from him. Fest of Christmas brings joy at each individual’s heart which is now widely celebrated all over the world with a gala celebration. Let us now move to the recipe of Pinwheel Cookies.

{Recipe adapted from HERE. I have halved the measurement and it yields to 11-12 cookies}

Ingredients

Butter : 100gm (I have taken 1 tbspoon from it to use it later)

Sugar : 1/2 cup

Egg yolk : 1

Vanilla Essence: 2 tspns

Milk : 2 tbspn ( keep handy for more too)

Flour: 1 & 1/2 cup

Baking Powder : 1/2 tbspn

3 tbspns cocoa powder mixed with 1 tbspn melted butter and 1 tbspn milk..

Method:

1. First make the cocoa powder mixture. Melt 1 tbspn butter in 1 tbspn milk for a few seconds in the microwave.
2. Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and mix well and reserve.
3. Sift the flour together with the baking powder.
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg yolk  beat well.
6. Add vanilla, then 2 tablespoons milk beating until well mixed.
7. At low speed, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Then increase speed to medium and beat until the dough leaves the side of the bowl. Use your hand and knead in to a nice dough.
8. Divide the dough. Remove about ¾ of the dough and set aside. That portion will be the vanilla dough.
9. To the  other dough add the chocolate mixture and knead nicely. This forms the chocolate dough.
10. On a sheet of waxed paper, roll vanilla dough into a rectangle . Repeat with the chocolate dough in the same manner in to another wax paper.
11. Flip rolled chocolate dough onto vanilla dough and peel off waxed paper. Lightly press the surface with a rolling pin to adhere both the vanilla and chocolate dough.
12. With the short end facing you, roll the dough tightly into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator.
13. After about 30 minutes take the logs out of the refrigerator and roll on the counter to retain the circular shape and prevent one side from flattening.
14. Wrap tightly again in plastic wrap, place in freezer-safe container and freeze for about an hour or store in freezer and bake as needed.
15. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 160 decree C.
16. Thaw cookie log just slightly and slice to about ¼ thickness with a sharp knife.
17. Place cookie slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
18. Remove cookies from pan and place in cooling rack to cool and then serve.

Note:

Before you slice the cookies putting it in the freezer for at least one hour is a must. Otherwise the the design of the cookies will not come out neat. Please see my cookies. I was in hurry, so I have kept it only 15 mnts in the freezer and got specks of chocolates on the white part.

Sending this to the "Baking Palooza 2013" by Kolkata Food Bloggers: