A Tasty Challenge.....: Pin Wheel Cookies

Monday, December 13, 2010

Recipe No: 142

This is a recipe that I got long back from a neighbor of mine who introduced me to the world of baking. This is one of my son’s favorite.

Ingredients Makes 20-25

Method of Preparation

Sift together Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Keep it aside till ready to be used.
Mix Coffee Powder with a teaspoon of Milk from the quantity mentioned above and keep aside till ready to be used.
Mix together, Butter, Sugar and Vanilla Essence till light and fluffy.
Mix in Flour and Milk to the creamed Butter and make a soft but stiff dough.
Divide this dough into two.
Make a ball out of one, cover with a plastic wrap or Aluminum foil and refrigerate for ½ hour.
To the second half of the dough, mix the Cocoa Powder and the Coffee mixture and make smooth dough out of it.
Make it into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap or Aluminum foil and refrigerate for ½ hour.
Once chilled, place each Ball between two wax papers or plastic wraps and roll into roughly 12 inch circles.
Peel the paper from one of the sides of both the dough and place one above the other so that the doughs are touching each other.
Now peel the above paper and roll the dough tightly into a log. This may be sticky so get maximum help from the bottom wax paper.
Once rolled, make it into a perfect round log. If the log is thick in the middle press there and evenly distribute the dough. Tap the sides also to make it as even as possible.
Wrap it in an Aluminum foil and refrigerator for 2 hours. Well if you don’t have so much time, keep it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F/ 180˚C.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment or Butter paper and spread a little oil.
Cut the dough into ¾ to 1 centimeter thick pieces and place on the Cookie sheet one inch apart.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes for soft and chewy cookies or for 15-18 minutes for crunchy Cookies.
Serve at room temperature.

Notes:

While making the Chocolate part, if the dough is too sticky use a teaspoon more of Flour.
Ideally it is good if you can roll the dough into rectangles. But as I have too much experience rolling round Chappaties, somehow mine will become round always!!
The cookies should be a little soft to touch in the middle when it comes out of the Oven but it will harden up as it cools.
My kids love soft and chewy cookies, so I used to take it out of the Oven around 15 minutes. But, if you prefer these soft ones it should be finished as soon as possible. If you want to keep it for more than 3 days do bake for 18 minutes.