Week 27: Red White and Blue Cookies

Happy 4th of July!

For this week’s cookie recipe, I wanted something patriotic, and I managed to find a perfect recipe for it. It’s essentially a sugar cookie with a literal twist.

Note: This is not a cookie you make on impulse.

This kind of cookie takes so much time to do, so you need to make sure you plan your day accordingly. The dough needs to be refrigerated for a minimum of two and a half hours when all is said and done.

Also, the sanding sugar is something you’ll find at a craft store. I found mine at a local Michael’s, and they come in this little package. They’re about $1, and you only need one for this recipe.

So I made a mistake the first time I made this recipe. You need to be sure that you roll the dough along the short side to get that nice rolled look. On step 10, you need to cut the 9″ x 12″ sheet of the layered dough in half. What you need to do is cut it at the 4.5″ mark on the shorter length, and then roll it from the 4.5″ side. This will give you the swirl that you want in the final product.

Other than that, this recipe is probably the most challenging recipe I’ve made, and the final result (when done right) is absolutely amazing.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• red food coloring
• blue food coloring
• Sanding sugar for decorating

Instructions:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium-high speed).
2. Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract; mix on low speed until well combined.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Place 1 piece back in mixer bowl and add several drops of red food gel; mix until color is uniform throughout dough.
5. Repeat process using another piece of dough and the blue food gel. (Note: The 3rd piece of dough does not get colored.)
6. Press each piece of dough into 4” squares and cover each piece individually with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. Remove one piece of dough and place between 2 sheets of wax paper. Roll dough into a 9”x 12” rectangle. Repeat process with the remaining 2 pieces of dough. Refrigerate dough (still between sheets of wax paper) for 30 more minutes.
8. Remove all 3 pieces of dough from refrigerator. Peel top layer of wax paper off each piece and discard.
9. Flip the piece of plain dough on top of the red dough; remove wax paper. Flip the piece of blue dough on top of the plain dough; remove wax paper.
10. Cut the stacked dough crosswise to create (2) 4.5”x12” stacks of dough. Roll each of the stacks into a tight log lengthwise. Note: roll from the 4.5″ length side to get that swirl effect. If you roll it from the 12″ length side, they won’t come out right. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F.
12. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
13. Using a serrated knife, slice each log into ¼” rounds. Place each round onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops of cookies generously with sanding sugar. (Note: If dough is too soft, refrigerate for another 30 minutes.)
14. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just begin to turn brown.
15. Let cookies cool on pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks until completely cooled.

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