Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Day 5 - Chocolate Espresso Pinwheels

Day 5 -Chocolate Expresso Pinwheels

Remember how much fun pinwheel cookies were to eat when you were a kid? I used to eat around and around until I got to the middle. This cookie is punched up a notch with the addition of expresso powder...yum! You can keep these in the freezer and just slice some off when unexpected guests pop in.

Chocolate Espresso Pinwheels (Fine Cooking)
Makes about 10 doz. 2 inch cookies

3 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1-1/4 c. unsalted butter, slightly softened
1-1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. instant espresso powder
2 T. boiling water
3 T. unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder (this is different than reg. cocoa powder)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and still warm

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.

Cream butter on mid-low speed with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in a steady stream and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until combined.

Remove 2 cups less 2 Tablespoons of the dough and set aside.

Dissolve the expresso powder and cocoa powder in th boiling water and set aside to briefly cool.
Then, mix into the remaining dough. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the warm melted chocolate and mix just until thoroughly combined.

Portion each flavor of dough into 3 equal pieces. (I use a kitchen scale for this) Shape each piece into a 5 x 5 inch square on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap well. (The chocolate will be thicker than the vanilla. Refrigerate for 30 min.

While dough is chilling, tear off 12 (12") squares of waxed paper. Roll each piece of dough into a 7" x 7" square between two sheets of the waxed paper. Without removing the waxed paper, layer the squares of dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 10-15 min.

To shape the cookies, remove one swuare of the vanilla and one square of the chocolate dough from the refrigerator, peel off the top sheet of waxed paper from each then invert the chocolate square over the vanilla square (or vice versa!) Keep the layers as even as possible.
Use a rolling pin to gently roll the two layers to seal them together. Peel off the top layer of waxed paper. Starting with the edge closest to you, carefully curl the edge of the dough up and over with your fingertips, so no space is visible in the center of the pinwheel.

Use the waxed paper to continue rolling the dought into a tight cylinder. After the cylinder is formed, roll it back and forth to slightly elongate and compact it. It should be about 9 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide. Roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat with remaining dough.

Refrigerate about 3 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a sharp bladed knife to slight the dough into 3/16" rounds (I use that plastic ruler again!). Bake 12-14 minutes until the tops of the cookies feel set. Don't let them brown too much on the edges. Let stand on the pan for 1 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool. When cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. or freeze for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!


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