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Christmas: Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Source of Recipe


Southern Living (December 2008)



List of Ingredients



• ½ cup butter, softened
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 large egg
  
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ tsp baking soda
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  
• ¾ tsp red food coloring
  
• Parchment paper
  
• Peppermint Frosting (recipe follows)
  






Instructions



1. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended, scraping bowl as needed. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
   
   
2. Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll one portion of the dough into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle on a piece of lightly floured plastic wrap.
   
   
3. Knead food coloring paste into remaining portion of dough while wearing rubber gloves. Roll tinted dough into a rectangle. Invert untinted dough onto tinted dough; peel off plastic wrap. Cut dough in half lengthwise, forming two 12- x 4-inch rectangles. Roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at one long side, using bottom piece of plastic wrap as a guide. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 4 hours or up to 1 month.
   
   
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
   Cut ends off each dough log, and discard. Cut dough into ¼-inch-thick pieces and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 6 to 7 minutes, or until puffed and set; cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
   
   
5. Place Peppermint Frosting in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip one corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe about 2 teaspoons frosting onto half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, gently pressing to form a sandwich.
   
   Makes 4 dozen
   
   
   PEPPERMINT FROSTING
   • ¼ cup butter, softened
   • 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
   • 2 cups powdered sugar
   • 1 Tbsp milk
   • 1/8 tsp peppermint extract
   
   Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium, and gradually add milk and peppermint extract, beating until smooth.
   
   Makes 1¾ cups.
   
   
   






Final Comments


For photo, copy and paste into web browser:
http://tinyurl.com/pinwheels1