Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a very enjoyable holiday season full of good food and quality time spent with family and friends. As we welcome 2018 we all have likely set goals or resolutions for the new year. For me it is to continue the resolution I set last year, which is to always keep progressing by trying new things out of my comfort zone. As simple as these cookies may seem, they certainly fit the mantra of pushing myself.

You see, I am a drop cookie person. I hate waiting for cookie dough to chill in the refrigerator because I love raw cookie dough. Therefore, the longer it hangs out in the fridge the more of it disappears before it ever has a chance to hit a baking sheet. Once the dough is adequately chilled then you have to flour counters and rolling pins and despite your efforts you still end up with a mess of dough stuck everywhere.  Although I tend to avoid the rolled out cookie dough types, I decided these pinwheels would be the newest addition to the holiday table along with the regular offerings. I used sheets of plastic wrap to roll out both batters to reduce mess and clean up. Although these cookies do require a patient baker, they are not as challenging as they appear. Things went a lot smoother than envisioned (even with a 4-year-old kitchen helper) and I was really impressed with the results. These cookies are a great combination of flavors and make for a beautiful cookie!

Ginger Lemon Pinwheel Cookies

Ginger Dough Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Unsalted Butter; softened
• 1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Molasses
• 1 Large Egg Yolk
• 6 oz. (1 1/3 cups) All-Purpose Flour
• ¾ tsp. Ground Ginger
• ¾ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• Dash of Allspice

Lemon Dough Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter; softened
• 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg White
• 1 tsp. Lemon Extract
• ¾ tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 6 oz. (1 1/3 cups) All-Purpose Flour
• ¼ tsp. Salt

Preparation:

1. To prepare ginger dough: Place the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add the molasses and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice and stir with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat at low-speed just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. To prepare the lemon dough: Place the butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add the egg white and beat until blended. Beat in the lemon extract and vanilla. Combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat at low-speed just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Unwrap chilled ginger dough and roll between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 8 1/2 inch rectangle. Chill dough for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap the lemon dough and roll between sheets of plastic wrap into a 13 x 9 inch rectangle. Chill dough for 10 minutes. Carefully stack ginger dough on top of lemon dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along one long edge. Starting with the long side without a border, roll up dough, jelly roll style. Seal the edges but do not seal the ends of roll. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap dough. Cut with a sharp knife into 40 slices that are about ¼ inch thick. Reshape the rounds, if necessary, or return dough to chill in the freezer. Arrange slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, 1 batch at a time, for 8 to 9 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

PHOTOGRAPHY & STAGING: PETER MENDOROS

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