Foodie Inspiration: Spiral-Roll Sugar Cookies

This is one of the first recipes I found online and just made it my own. I don't remember exactly when I found it, but it was probably around Christmas, 1998. Wow, 14 years ago! I have made this exact recipe countless times since then. I haven't seen a need to tweak it, so here it is:

http://www.cookingcache.com/dessert/sugarcookies4.shtml?rdid=rc1

Whoever Martha F. is, I've been very, very happy she submitted this recipe.

Back in 1998 (when I was 20, and had nowhere near as nice of a kitchen as I have now), I needed recipes that were as simple as possible. I chose this recipe off this website because the other sugar cookie recipes called for buttermilk, or sour cream, or even cream of tartar (which I never had at the time). Since I moved out on my own, and actually since I was a kid, I have gravitated toward recipes that allow me to use what I already have, instead of necessitating a special trip to the grocery store. I'm not usually patient enough to wait that long. This recipe seemed simple enough to me, so I went with it.

I'm trying a different spin on it this time, though. In the past, I've just rolled it out and then added frosting and/or sprinkles. This time, I'm splitting it up, dyeing the dough, and rolling it up to create cookies you can slice and bake.

As usual, get all your ingredients and equipment together. Then, put your butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and get it going. As it mixes, add the eggs and vanilla:

While they are mixing, get your dry ingredients together:

Then, add your dry mixture slowly (about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time). It should be fairly thick by the time you're done.

Now, separate half the cookie dough into a bowl.

Add a 1/4 tsp of gel food coloring (or as many drops of liquid food colors as necessary) and stir it with a fork. If any of the colors you will be making are red, do that color in the separated bowl. I just find it's easier to get most other colors out of equipment. Red is harder, for some reason.

I mixed the green in the bowl. Scoop the green into a smaller bowl. Cover both bowls (I like aluminum foil) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the bowls from the fridge and uncover. You can see I made a lot less red than green here. No particular reason, I was in a big hurry, as I usually am, so I didn't split the dough evenly in half. No big deal, I will just use the leftover green for something else. If you did the same thing, just make sure that both dough balls you're working with for this project are essentially the same size.

Flour a cutting board (or wherever you plan to roll out the dough), and get your rolling pin ready.

Roll out your dough. Aim for a rectangle shape, and try to get the dough about 1/3" thick.

If you're finding that it's getting oddly-shaped, just fold over edges and flatten them out again until you have an approximate rectangle shape. Carefully (and I do mean carefully, this is not easy) transfer this to a plate, or use another cutting board for the green. Roll out the green dough in the same way, then layer one on top of the other.

Roll them together along the long side. Once you've finished rolling it up, press the "seam" over so that it's less likely to come undone. Wrap up (I just used leftover foil from the bowls) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but longer is probably a better idea if you can.

Unwrap the dough and put it back on the floured board. Using a sharp knife, cut slices of the dough no more than 1/2" thick.

The dough will warm up quickly, particularly if you only refrigerated it for 30 minutes. So slice the roll quickly and separate the slices from each other.

Place them onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 10-12 minutes. Substitution: I mostly use Pampered Chef stoneware to bake. It takes longer to heat, so it takes longer to bake. This recipe says 6-8 minutes to bake, and even when I use a metal cookie sheet, it still takes longer. This batch took 14 minutes, but it shouldn't take you as long if you're using metal. Once you get a feel for your oven and your bakeware and making cookies in general, you'll have a good idea how long it takes to bake them.

They're done! Don't they look yummy?

If you want to frost them, I can recommend my own cream cheese frosting. I have never used the frosting recipe on the recipe page because I don't trust raw egg whites. Today, I'm just using frosting I had from last week, so I won't have pics, but here's my easy recipe at the bottom of the page.

You can see a pic of them at the top with a little frosting and some red sanding sugar. Enjoy!

Easy Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 32 oz package powdered sugar (7-8 cups)
1 tsp vanilla or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (the paste adds those beautiful vanilla bean flecks)
Milk or cream as necessary

Soften the butter and cream cheese. DO NOT MELT. You want it soft enough that the mixer can beat them together smoothly, but firm enough that the frosting doesn't take on a ganache quality. Mix them together until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste or vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time for the first half, then 1/4-1/2 cup. Add the powdered sugar until the frosting stops absorbing it. Scoop into a bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. To soften for spreading, mix again in the mixer and add milk or cream as necessary for consistency.

Foodie Inspiration: Light Wheat Bread

In essence, this is the recipe that turned me into a foodie. I'm not posting a link because I've tweaked it so many times it does not resemble at all the original recipe I started with two years ago. You can see, of course, the full recipe at the bottom of this post.

I love baking bread. There's something inherently wholesome and natural about it. The smell of the yeast as it rises, the smell of the bread baking in the oven. These are things that Sean and I have come to love. A little over a year ago, I decided that I was going to start making bread for our family as a regular occurrence instead of a special treat. Fast-forward 13 months, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's not just for taste and enjoyment of doing something on my own; this is a nice cost-saving measure. I've estimated each loaf costs me around $2 apiece. This bread is comparable to Great Harvest, which charges around $5-$6 per loaf. So I get better bread with less money. Let's get to work.

Get your mixer and dough hook. You can do this by hand, but I prefer a mixer to save time and my achy joints. You'll start by putting the cup of warm water (not hot), 1-2 tablespoons of yeast, and honey into the bowl. Philosophical note: some bakers think that using too much yeast is a big problem. I haven't noticed a difference in the quality of this bread whether I use a teaspoon or two tablespoons of yeast. So until I see a problem, I will continue to do it this way because it rises better in a much shorter period of time. As you'll read many, many times in this blog, I'm in a hurry.

Then stir it up with a fork and allow it to rest for ten minutes or so.

While you're waiting for the yeast to feast on the honey, take some time to get your other ingredients ready. You are going to need four cups of flour. The bread I'm making today is light wheat. That means I will add 2.5 cups of bread flour, and 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour. I am very pleased that I am grinding my own wheat flour now. If you have the option, it's a great idea. Freshly-ground flour (this was ground on Wednesday) makes a big difference.

On flour: yes, it has to be bread flour. It cannot be all-purpose or, heaven forbid, cake flour. Bread flour has a higher protein (gluten) content. If you use a flour that has a lower protein content, the consistency of your bread will not be as nice and it will not rise as well. The bread flour I prefer is King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour. It has a protein content of 12-14%. The wheat flour I use (or if you wanted to by some King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill) has a similar protein content.

Optional Substitutions: I have made four different varieties of this bread with the same basic recipe. First, you can use all bread flour and make a white loaf. Second, you can do as I'm doing and make light wheat (2.5 cups bread flour, 1.5 cups whole wheat flour). Third, you can do the same, only use oat flour instead of whole wheat. Finally, you can use exclusively whole wheat flour. Although I have found this last variety usually translates into one loaf instead of the two you'll get from the other varieties. If you want to double the recipe, it will work easily for the first three varieties. I have a KitchenAid Pro 600 series mixer, and my mixer has timed out mid-knead the couple times I've tried to double this recipe when making bread using only whole wheat flour. Better to make it twice then try to force your mixer to accommodate eight cups of whole wheat flour.

Now, you'll crack the eggs into a separate bowl. And it seems the good folks at Nichol's Farms don't want me to forget the expiration date:

Crack them into a separate bowl, making sure to remove any tiny pieces of shell. (You can see a tiny piece on the upper left side of this bowl. I did remove that before they went into the mixing bowl.)

Your yeast mixture is ready when it looks like this, nice and foamy.

Pour the eggs in and start the mixer, around setting 3. Add half the flour quickly, and allow it to start to mix together.

Slowly add the second half, 1/4 cup at a time. Optional Substitution: if you'd like to add butter to this recipe, now is the time. If I want a bread that is nice and butter for rolls or hamburger or hot dog buns, I will add two tablespoons (1/4 stick) of softened, not melted, butter. Please note that you may need to add up to a half-cup more bread flour to get the right consistency.

As the dough starts to pull together, it will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. At this point, only add a tablespoon or two of flour at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated to add more.

This is what it looks like once it's fully mixed. You can see that it's almost pulled completely away from the bowl and the dough hook.

When you press into the dough with your fingertip, it should spring back reasonably quickly and not be sticky. If it's still very sticky (i.e. you pull your finger away and there's dough all over it), add more flour and resume kneading.

Once you're done, transfer it to a bowl that has been sprayed or oiled and floured and cover it with a damp cloth. I often use the same mixing bowl, and just sprinkle some flour on top of it. Let it rise until doubled, which should take 45-90 minutes depending on the flour and how warm your house is.

Yay, it's doubled! I used a smaller bowl for this, so if you left it in a large mixing bowl it might not look this big. Just look for it to have doubled in size.

Now we're going to knead it. I just collapse the air out of it and then just kind of smash it in a ball with my hands for as long as I can stand it. I usually knead for a minute or so. Some recipes say you must knead for 5-10 minutes each time. So far, I haven't found a problem with the consistency of my bread. That could be that I let it rise two times before proofing, I'm not sure.

Now, I use a pastry separator to split the dough into two. Put them in two pans that have been sprayed or oiled and floured, and cover again with a damp cloth. Wait until they have doubled.

Now, they've doubled.

Grease and flour two loaf pans to accommodate them.

Next, stretch out the dough slowly. If you see it starting to tear, you're pulling it too far. Stretch it into a rectangle and then roll it up the long side. This allows for a more consistent texture for the loaf. Place the roll into the pan. The last stage of rising is called "proofing." Allow it to rise at least to 0.5-1" above the rim of the pan. These are a little small today, so that will be more than double. When they're almost done, preheat your oven to 350.

They're ready to go in the oven!

You might consider doing a wash for the top. A water wash (don't use too much! Just a light brushing) will create a soft crust. A butter wash will create a flakier, brown crust. An egg wash will create a harder, darker-brown crust. For the butter wash, just melt a tablespoon of butter into a bowl:

Then, brush it on gently with a basting brush.

If you want to do an egg wash, just beat a single raw egg in a bowl and brush it on the same way. When the oven is preheated, put them in the oven (same rack is fine, middle level) for 25 minutes.

They're done! You can tell they are done by tapping on the crust. If it sounds hollow, you're good to go. These ended up a little smaller than usual. I can usually expect the loaves to be similar to regular store-bought sandwich bread, in size. It took less flour to reach optimum elasticity today, so I'm guessing that's the culprit. Allow the loaves to cool as long as you can stand it. Then, enjoy!

If you're wondering what this might look like with an egg wash, here you are. Coincidentally, this is the first time I ever made this kind of bread, and the first bread I'd baked in several years. The fact that it turned out so well and so beautiful on the first try ought to demonstrate that this really is an insanely easy recipe with great results.

Light Wheat Bread Recipe
1-2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1/3 cup honey

Put these three together and let them sit in the bowl for about ten minutes until it starts to get foamy on top. Then get out the other ingredients.

Three eggs
1/2 t. salt
4 cups bread flour (or 2.5 cups bread flour, 1.5 cups whole wheat flour; or 4 cups whole wheat flour)

Mix it all together with a bread hook (or knead by hand) until it is nice and elastic. Put it into a metal bowl that has been greased and floured. Let rise covered with a damp towel until doubled. Punch down, knead for as long as you can stand it. Let rise covered again until doubled. Divide in half, put in loaf pans that have been oiled and floured (or just on a cookie sheet, for artisan-bread style). Let rise one more time, this time uncovered. Bake at 350 until it's golden brown, around 25-30 minutes.

Festive Brownie Crackle-Top Cookies

I had planned to start this blog by making the bread that turned me into a foodie. However, I'm not set to make that bread again until tomorrow, and today these cookies were on my mind. Actually, does a day go by when these cookies are not on my mind? They are delicious. Absolutely delicious. Did I say they are delicious? Well, they are.

I'd like to offer up a link to the basic recipe. Please note that I made substitutions, as I always do in just about every recipe I make. I will post my amended recipe at the bottom. In the meantime, here's the link:

http://homecooking.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/blcookie91.htm

So, the first thing I'm going to do is get out all my ingredients, and make sure that I have my measuring cups and spoons, as well as a clean mixing bowl, whisk, and scraper.

Next, I'm going to start adding the wet ingredients and sugar together. I know that lots of people have very specific instructions about how and when to put ingredients in. I rarely find that that's necessary, and I'm in a such a hurry that I rarely take that time. In this case, it didn't prove to be an issue. So put the eggs, sugar, fat (butter, vegetable oil, or EVCO), and vanilla into your mixer and get it mixing on medium. Substitution: I did not add butter. I used extra-virgin coconut oil. I have done this with many sweet recipes and have enjoyed the result. EVCO stays pretty soft at room temperature (will turn to oil consistency at 76 degrees F). It adds a very slight coconut flavor as well. If you decide you'd like to use EVCO in this or other recipes, the exchange is 1:1. Here's what it will look like once you've mixed it well:

Next, I work on the other dry ingredients. I put flour in the bottom, then cocoa. I like to use a large measuring cup like this so I don't have to dirty lots of small measuring cups when I'm adding one ingredient to another. Finish out with salt and baking powder. Substitution: This probably needs a separate blog post, but I don't buy baking powder as a single ingredient. Baking powder can be easily put together using baking soda and cream of tartar. Cream of tartar comes from tartaric acid, an organic acid found in various things, specifically grapes. Wine and vinegar, because they are made from grapes, contain tartaric acid. Tartaric acid reacts with a base (baking soda) to create leavening. So if you're ever stuck without baking powder or even cream of tartar, you can probably get away using a small quantity of baking soda and vinegar as well. In the meantime, I use baking soda and cream of tartar at a ratio of 2:1; I would probably do the same with baking soda and vinegar. For the purposes of this recipe, that would be 1 tsp of baking soda to 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.

Then, I stir it up with a fork. Substitution: I did not add the chocolate chips to this recipe. I like these cookies to be consistently smooth, so I didn't want the texture of the chocolate chips. And I don't need the added calories, either. If you decide to forgo the chocolate chips, cut the salt required in half, from 3/4 tsp to 3/8. Otherwise, the cookies have a saltier kick than you might prefer.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. The recipe suggests you fold this in by hand using a scraper, but I'm just not going to do that. I'll save that kind of care for meringue. However, even if you use a mixer, this is a case where you don't want to go too quickly. As always, I'm in a big hurry, so I don't even slow down or stop my mixer. I just keep it at speed level three. If you don't want dry mix all over you and your countertop, add about 1/4-1/2 cup of dry mix at a time. You might want to take the time to stop periodically and scrape the sides. I have a powerful mixer, so I didn't in this case.

The recipe suggests that you refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. I decided that I was going to scoop it out and chill the dough balls, instead of freezing all the dough together. I used a small Pampered-Chef "ice cream" scoop and put the balls on wax paper on top of a cooling rack. In retrospect, I think I'd chill it all together. The balls were less round once I'd scooped and chilled them. If they'd been a little softer for having scooped them right before putting them in the sugar, I believe they'd have retained their shape better. No matter, they turned out round and beautiful anyway.

While you're waiting for the dough to chill, take a moment to clean up a bit. Wash your mixing bowl, whisk, and scraper; put away your ingredients. Also, prepare your powdered sugar. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and I used much less. I also added red sanding sugar because it's approaching Christmas and I like festive cookies. I think you could also add green and it would add a nice effect. I think I put about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup sanding sugar in the bowl, but only used maybe 1/2-2/3 of that. Granted, I didn't put powder on the outside of all the cookies, to respect the wishes of some in this house who don't like sugar on the outside of cookies. This is all to say if you follow the recipe, you'll probably end up wasting some sugar at the end.

I had more cookies than I have cookie sheets I like to use, so I rolled some of them in the powdered sugar and put them back on the wax paper and cooling rack I used to chill them.

As the recipe says, bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. I use stoneware baking sheets, so it was 15 minutes for me the first time (while the stones were warming up) and 13 minutes the second time (since they were already warm). Here's how they look, fresh from the oven.

The red sanding sugar didn't show up very well in that picture, so I took another one to show the colors. Doesn't it look yummy? I mean, delicious?

Because I am diet conscious, I will include my estimate of the nutrition information of this recipe (per cookie):
68 calories, 2.3 g fat, 1.9 g sat fat, 13.7 mg cholesterol, 50.4 mg sodium, 39 mg potassium, 11.2 total carbs, 0.5 g dietary fiber, 7.6 g sugars, 1.2 g protein

As promised, here is my amended recipe. I have also amended the order of the items to reflect in which order I used them:

Wet:
3 eggs
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) extra-virgin coconut oil
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Dry:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/8 tsp salt

Powdered sugar mix:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sanding sugar

Instructions: Beat the "wet" ingredients on low-medium for a couple minutes. Mix dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet 1/4-1/2 cup at a time until well-mixed. Will look like a thick brownie batter. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Put powdered sugar mix into a bowl. Scoop dough into balls and drop them into the powdered sugar mix, taking care to cover it completely. Place on a sprayed or greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Makes about four dozen cookies.