Icebox Swirl Cookies Food

CHOCOLATE VANILLA SWIRL ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• Begin with the vanilla dough. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Place the dough in a bowl or on a clean counter while you prepare the chocolate dough.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined. Place the dough in a separate bowl. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1-2 hours.
• Once the dough has firmed up, use your fingers to roll about 2 tablespoons of vanilla dough into a a long snake about 8″ long. It helps to do this on a flat, non-stick surface. Repeat until you have three rolls of vanilla dough and three rolls of chocolate. Combine the smaller rolls into one big roll and twist together carefully - you don't want to break the dough.
• You should have a thick, twisted log of dough at this point. Roll the dough gently to flatten out the sides, being careful not to make the log too thin - it should be about 2" diameter. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 2 weeks. Repeat with the remaining dough until all has been used.
• Preheat oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice cookies 1/4" thick and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
• Dough can be frozen for up to 6 months.

RIBBON OR SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the vanilla dough: Mix the 2 sugars and the salt together in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and mint extract and set aside. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, gradually add the sugar mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• For the chocolate dough: Whisk the sugar, cocoa, salt in a medium bowl. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, add the cocoa mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• For a spiral cookie: Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the workspace and remove the top sheet of parchment. Brush dough lightly with cold water. Place a sheet of vanilla dough on the workspace, and remove top sheet of paper. Using the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough, place the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough. Take care to line up the edges of the 2 doughs and trim as needed. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top piece of paper. Brush the surface of the dough lightly with cold water. Position the sandwiched doughs with the long edge facing you. Using the edge of the paper as a guide, roll the doughs into a tight cylinder, 2 inches wide. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of dough.
• Evenly position racks in the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Slice the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Lay about 1/2-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden - not too dark you'll lose the definition of the spiral, about 14 to 16 minutes.
• Roll and layer the two doughs into 15 by 18-inch rectangles, and 1/4-inch thick in the same way as the Spiral Cookies. Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the work space and remove the top sheet of parchment. Brush lightly with a little cold water. Place 1 of vanilla doughs on the work space. Remove top sheet of paper, and use the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough onto the chocolate dough. Take care to lining up the edges of the dough. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top parchment.
• Trim the edges on the layered doughs with a pizza cutter using a ruler or other straight edge as a guide. Working with the short edge facing you, cut the layered dough in half vertically. Set 1 piece on top of the other and then turn the dough, to have the long side facing you. Cut the dough in half again and set 1 piece on top of the other. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours before slicing.
• Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife. Slice blocks into 1/8-inch thick rectangles and bake until the white dough is just beginning to brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.
• Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

ICEBOX SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer (stand or hand-held), cream together butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in whole egg. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in milk, almond and vanilla extracts and salt. Gradually add flour and ground almonds, mixing until a soft dough forms (you may need to mix in the last additions of flour by hand).
• Divide dough into 3 equal portions, each in its own bowl. Leave one plain, tint the second with green food colouring and the third with red. Mix in colourings thoroughly. Cover each dough with plastic wrap and chill until firm and no longer sticky, about 45 min.
• Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper at least 10 x 12 in. (25 x 30 cm) in size. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough into a 7 x 9-in. (18 x 23 cm) rectangle, approx. 1/8 in. (3 mm) thick on its own piece of parchment. Patch edges as required to attain size. Chill dough, still on parchment, on baking sheets until firm.
• In a small bowl, beat egg white. To layer, place red dough (still on parchment) on work surface and brush with egg white. Lining up the edges, invert plain dough onto red one and peel off parchment from plain dough. Brush with egg white and invert green dough on top, again peeling away parchment. Use a sharp knife to lightly trim edges, wiping blade clean between cuts to keep colours distinct.
• Place longest side of dough nearest to you and tightly roll up into a log, smoothing and straightening as you roll (lift parchment to help release red dough). Gently press edge of log together to seal. If log's diameter is thicker than approx. 2 in. (5 cm), gently hand-roll to lengthen. Wrap log in plastic wrap and chill until firm, approx. 2 hr. (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Slice log into 1/4-in. (5 mm) thick rounds, wiping blade clean between cuts. Set about 1 in. (2.5 cm) apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 min., until firm but not browned. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

BASIC CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough in half; add cocoa to one portion. Divide each portion in half. On a baking sheet, roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 12x10-in. rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. , Remove waxed paper. Place one chocolate rectangle over a plain rectangle. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. , Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts if desire. , On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into three 10-in. x 1-in. rolls. Tightly wrap each roll in waxed paper. Freeze for at least 12 hours. , Cut into 3/8-in. slices and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

HOLIDAY ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• Using the electric mixer, mix the butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and the salt, and mix well. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add flour a little at a time, mixing it in until all of it has been incorporated.
• Divide the dough into balls, one for each color. For chocolate dough, add cocoa (1/4 cup is enough to flavor half a batch). Mix well with electric mixer. For colored dough, start with 1/4 teaspoon food coloring, and mix well. Add more in tiny amounts for darker colors. Gel-paste coloring can be intense, so add it gradually.
• Wrap each ball of dough in its own sheet of plastic wrap; pat flat into a rectangle. Refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to use.
• Parchment or waxed paper makes a good work surface. Sprinkle generously with flour, then roll out each piece of dough 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick to make the swirls; you can use thicker layers for the bull's-eyes.
• The bench scraper is a good tool for trimming dough's edges to make them even. The egg white, brushed on with a pastry brush, will act as a glue, making the layers stick together.
• For center, with your hands, roll chocolate dough into a 1/2- to 1 1/2- inch-thick rod; chill 20 minutes. Place rod on edge of rolled-out dough that's been brushed with egg white.
• Roll rod inside sheet of dough. Cut the dough where it meets up. Seal by pinching and pressing gently. Chill 20 minutes, then repeat to add other layers. To decorate, go to step 7, or jump to step 8 for plain.
• For spirals, measure and trim two or more colors of dough to same size. Brush on egg white, then stack layers. Brush top with egg white. Starting at one end, roll up the dough.
• Smooth and straighten the layers as you roll them so there are no gaps, then gently pinch and press the edge of the roll to seal it. Now the dough is ready to decorate. If you want plain cookies, skip to step 18.
• Add your favorite toppings (try coconut, colored sanding sugar, chopped nuts, or chocolate sprinkles): Spread topping in baking sheet, brush dough with egg white, and roll the log in topping.
• Roll each log in parchment or waxed paper; twist the ends of the paper closed. To help the logs keep their round shape, set each in a cardboard paper-towel roll that you have sliced open lengthwise.
• To remember what colors you have already used, with crayons, draw the designs onto key tags; tie the tags onto the paper covering the logs. Chill logs until they are solid, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Cut 15 inches of dental floss (or double thickness of thread). Let log soften for about 10 minutes. Remove parchment. Wrap floss around log and pull through. Make the slices thin: 1/4 inch or less.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place slices on an ungreased baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). A grown-up should bake the cookies 12 to 15 minutes, until firm but not browned. Let cool on baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

DATE SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine filling ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes stiff, 15-20 minutes. Chill. , For dough, cream butter and sugars in a bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extract. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a 12x9-in. rectangle, about 1/4 in. thick. Spread with half of the filling. Roll up, starting with the long end. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Wrap in plastic; chill overnight. , Cut rolls into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.