Christmas Swirl Cookies Recipes

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.

SUGAR SWIRL COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Mix in egg, vanilla, and salt.
• Mix in flour.
• Make the dough into a ball and cut into two halves.
• Add food coloring to one half of the dough, working it in until evenly mixed.
• On a large cutting board covered in plastic wrap, use a rolling pin to roll out each piece of dough to make two 12x9-inch (30x22-cm) rectangles. Tip: Place wax paper over the dough while rolling to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
• Take the colored dough rectangle and place it over the other regular dough rectangle.
• Use the plastic wrap under the regular dough rectangle to help you roll the two rectangles up.
• Fill a flat dish or baking pan with sprinkles. Roll the dough around it until the outside is completely coated.
• Chill for at least 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Cut the dough into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices and place them on a cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, until blonde.
• Enjoy!

HOLIDAY SWIRLED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high, add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just combined. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, dusting with more confectioners' sugar as needed. (Return the dough to the refrigerator if it gets too soft.) Cut out shapes with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
• For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 8 tablespoons water if necessary to make a smooth icing that thickly coats the back of a spoon.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a cooling rack on top.
• Put 1/4 cup icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 9 drops red food coloring to one bowl and stir until evenly combined. Add 2 drops green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour the remaining white icing into a clean rimmed baking sheet and spread or shake to evenly coat it. Drizzle the red icing all over the white, then drizzle the green icing over both. One at a time, put the cookies face-side down in the baking sheet icing. Take the cookies out one at a time, shaking gently to let excess icing drip off, and place right-side up on the prepared cooling rack. Decorate with edible glitter or sprinkles if desired. Let the icing harden completely before serving, about 1 hour.

CHRISTMAS PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Resift again into another bowl.
• Beat the butter with the brown and white sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two equal parts. Place one half in a second bowl. Add red food coloring to the dough in one bowl, and green food coloring to the dough in the other bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to blend the food coloring into the dough until evenly blended. Add additional drops of food coloring to make the desired shade.
• Roll out the red dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness. Roll out the green dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness, and place on top of the red dough. Beginning on one edge, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colors spiral inside each other. Wrap the log in waxed paper, then in a cotton towel, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
• Unwrap the dough log, and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Slice the log into rounds 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until set, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent edges from browning. Remove from oven, and cool on racks.