May 3, 2008

Strawberry pinwheel cookies


Blogging has definitely renewed my interest in baking and cooking. Before starting this blog, I used to cook out of necessity, doing just enough to go by. Nowadays, I cook or bake something everyday. JM is now so used to sampling new treats, he assumes that I would make something interesting everyday. But for the past few days, I was not in a mood to do anything, so my kitchen was taking a breather. Eventhough JM didnt say anything specific, he hinted about missing the treats! Yesterday, I decided to make these cookies because they look very attractive. Once I started assembling the cookies I doubted my decision because it was taking longer than I expected, but somehow finished the entire dough. When JM came in from work and suddenly saw these yummy cookies on the counter waiting for him and his face lit up. Its for these moments that I bake, that smile made it worth the time I spent shaping them !! :-) We were taking pictures of the cookies and suddenly I remembered that I had forgotten to brush the cookies with butter before baking. Ooops!! But nevertheless, they were really tasty and could be considered a bit healthier, couldnt they?! It takes a bit of time to shape the cookies, but make for a good presentation! Happy baking everybody!

Recipe (Makes 32 cookies):

All-purpose flour - 1 2/3 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Butter - 1/3 cup, softened
Cream cheese - 1/3 cup, softened
Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1, large
Apricot or peach preserves - 3-4 tbsp
Butter - 1-2 tbsp, melted
Pistachios - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, neat the butter, cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy.

Add the vanilla and egg to the butter mixture and beat until just blended.

Mix in the dry ingredients to form a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half.

Press each half into dics and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Set two cookie sheets aside.

Roll out each disc into a 10" square on a lightly floured surface.

Cut each of these squares into 2 1/2" squares.

Drop 1/2 tsp of preserve into the centre of each smaller square.

Cut 1" diagonal slits from each corner of the smaller square.

Fold alternate corners from the slits to the centre to make a pinwheel (windmill) shape.

Sprinkle the preserves and the centre with chopped pistachios, pressing down to seal.

Gently transfer the cookies to the baking sheet using a spatula, placing them about 1 1/2" apart.

Brush with melted butter.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and the edges are firm.

Rotate the baking sheets halfway through for even baking.

Cool on the cookies sheets until firm enough to be transferred to cooling racks.

Cool completely.

Source: Cookies 1001 mouthwatering recipes from around the world, Reader's digest.


Tips:

  1. I used strawberry preserves and omitted pistachios.
  2. I forgot to brush the cookies with melted butter, but they turned out fine.
  3. The cookies will keep for 4 days.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't these every look pretty! You did a fantatic job!

Sig said...

Wow, those are some beautiful cookies... Love the presentation...

Neen said...

Wow, those look super intense. They look kind of like Hamantaschen, only more complex in terms of the design. If you're baking goodies like these every day, how to you manage to eat them all in time?

@the_whisk_affair said...

Thanks JJ & Sig !

Hey Neen, thanks! Well, finishing the diff food in time is showing on us! ;-)Its not that I bake everyday, but I do attempt something new, be that for dinner or for dessert.

Anonymous said...

wowooooooo what a cooky.

i request you to add some more photos to show us how to shape the cooky for new cooks. photos will teach faster than reading, i think.

plssss

@the_whisk_affair said...

Hi anonymous, I will try to post the pics at the earliest.

Unknown said...

Hi there,
Your Jam thumbprint cookies look very yummy..but after filling the cookies with jam do we bake them?