CINNAMON PINWHEEL COOKIES

CINNAMON PINWHEEL COOKIES image

Yield 4 dozen

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

For the vanilla dough -
½ cup confectioners' sugar
¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt, extra-fine preferred
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
For the Cinnamon Dough -
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon salt, extra-fine preferred
¼ teaspoon cinnamon oil, optional, for stronger flavor
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour

Steps:

1) In a medium-sized mixing bowl cream together the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla. 2) Add the flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use - at least 1 hour. 3) In a saucepan combine the sugar, honey, salt, cinnamon oil, vanilla, butter, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. 4) Remove from the heat and allow to cool briefly. 5) Transfer the cinnamon mixture and the toasted pecans to a food processor, and process until smooth. 6) In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the pecan mixture and flour to make a cohesive dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use - at least 1 hour. 7) Place parchment or waxed paper on your work surface and dust it lightly with flour. Lay the vanilla dough on the parchment and roll it into an 18" x 12" rectangle. Set it aside. 8) Using more parchment paper or waxed paper, roll the cinnamon dough slightly smaller than the first, into a 17 ½" x 11 ½" rectangle. 9) Place the smaller piece of dough on top of the larger piece of dough, using the parchment to transport. 10) Starting with a long edge, use the parchment to help you gently roll the stacked dough into a tight log, with no gaps. Press the edge to seal, then wrap the log in plastic wrap or parchment, and freeze for 1 hour. 11) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. 12) Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap it, and place it on a clean work surface. Let it thaw for 15 minutes, or until it's soft enough to cut. 13) Use a sharp knife to gently cut the log into ¼" slices. If the dough becomes too soft to handle, place it back in the freezer briefly. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets. 14) Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they feel firm. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.