Twistedsnowballs Recipes

SNOWBALLS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, pecans, and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown: it's better to undercook them than to overcook them. While cookies are still hot, roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them in confectioners' sugar once more.

FROSTED TWISTS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Warm the milk in a small saucepan until steaming. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Add the milk, shortening, eggs, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the salt and 7 cups flour; mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too sticky. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Lightly oil 2 baking sheets. Combine the cinnamon and the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-by-24-inch rectangle, with a long side facing you. Spread the butter over the right half of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges; sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
• Fold the left half of the dough over the cinnamon sugar, like closing a book. Cut the folded dough crosswise into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Take one strip and twist several times, stretching the dough a little; hold one end of the strip against a baking sheet and wind the strip around to form a coil, tucking the other end underneath. Repeat with the remaining strips, spacing the rolls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Lightly cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Make the glaze: Beat the confectioners' sugar, butter and salt in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until combined, about 3 minutes. Slowly beat in up to 1/4 cup boiling water until pourable. Drizzle over the warm rolls and top with sprinkles.

BUTTER NUT TWISTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add buttermilk, eggs and yeast mixture; stir to form a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. In another bowl, mix filling ingredients. Punch down dough; divide into three portions. On a sugared surface, roll one portion into a 12x9-in. rectangle. Sprinkle 1/3 cup filling lengthwise down one half of the dough. Fold dough in half over filling, forming a 12x4-1/2-in. rectangle; pat down to press filling into dough. Seal edges., Sprinkle an additional 1/3 cup filling down one half of the folded dough. Fold in half again, forming a 12x2-1/4-in. rectangle. Press to form a 12x4-in. rectangle. Cut into twenty-four 1/2-in. slices. Repeat with remaining dough and additional filling. Twist each slice one time and roll in remaining filling; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks; serve warm or at room temperature.

DANISH TWISTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in yeast mixture and egg yolks; stir just until dough clings together. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into thirds. Roll each portion into a 9x7-in. rectangle. Cut into 7x1-in. strips. Pinch ends together, forming a circle; twist once to form a figure eight. , Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes. , Brush with egg whites. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2-in.-deep indentation in the center of each twist; fill with jam. , Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls.

TWISTED SNOWBALLS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F.
• Cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar.
• Add the flour, salt, zest, and nuts, stirring until a dough forms.
• Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake on center oven rack for 10 minutes.
• While still warm, roll each snowball in confectioners' sugar and transfer to wire rack.
• Re-roll once snowballs have cooled completely.