Today's baking

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Comment by Linda Wolff on December 6, 2011 at 2:46pm

You are right on the Mexican wedding cakes, Eileen. The pinwheels are made with semi-sweet bakers chocolate squares. I'll add that recipe in a few minutes. The Pepper-nuts is a recipe that I got from my Pastor's wife. It's a recipe that was really really old from her grandmother's side of the family and came from Germany. My husband was born in Germany (and he doesn't like them). He says they are nothing like what he grew up with, but my grandchildren and daughter love this one and not the one my husband grew up with. I have to cut the recipe for this pepper nut recipe down to about 1/4 the original size or I would be making cookies until summer! It's a huge recipe.

Here is the pinwheel cookie recipe: 1/2 cup real butter, 1/2 cup Crisco (shortening), 1 tablespoon real vanilla, 2 egg yolks, 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 3 (1 ounce squares) of semi-sweet bakers chocolate squares, melted in microwave, 1 tablespoon of milk.

Sift dry ingredients of flour, salt, and baking powder together and set aside. Cream the sugar, butter, and Crisco together until nice and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the tbsp. milk. Then on low speed, add the flour mixture. Divide the dough into equal parts, wrap the white dough and place the white half into the refrigerator. Melt the 3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate and incorporate into the remaining dough. Wrap that one too, and also place in the refrigerator for at least three hours or overnight.

Roll out the chocolate dough first. I used parchment paper both top and bottom so that it would not stick. It needs to be no more than 1/4 inch or less thick. Set aside and roll out the white in the same manner. The white will most likely be a tiny bit smaller. Since it is on the parchment paper, I take the white and peel off the top parchment paper and flip the dough onto the chocolate layer and gently pull the parchment paper off the white layer. I had to carefully loosen the chocolate dough with a pancake turner away from the parchment paper to get it to start rolling like a jelly roll. Rolling the dough was the hardest part. Go slow. The recipe said to place it back into the refrigerator again overnight before slicing, but I didn't do that. I went ahead and sliced and baked them once I had them in the roll. 375 degrees F for about 10 to 12 minutes.

I have never heard of Polvorones before. I've heard of the other two. I still have more to make for gifts, and then on to my dad's birthday cake and my grandson's before Christmas.

Comment by Eileen S on December 6, 2011 at 2:12pm

I'm brewing a fresh pot of coffee right now and heading over to your house. :)  Those look sooooo yummy and inviting!  I spot Polvorones on top, yes? (aka Mexican wedding cakes, aka Russian Tea Cakes) those are my daughter's favorites! And what are the pinwheel ones? I'd love to see a recipe for those!  And Pfefferneus in the bag?  My mom makes those every year.  I can't wait to be done with cakes so I can get going on cookies now!! :)

Comment by Linda Wolff on December 6, 2011 at 1:55pm

Thank you Tammy. I still have so many that I still need to make for gift giving...but I am all cookied out! lol

Comment by Tammy Owenby on December 6, 2011 at 1:33pm

They are making me hungry.

Comment by Linda Wolff on December 5, 2011 at 10:47am

Thank you Nadia. We had so much fun making them.

Comment by Nadia (zohreh) on December 3, 2011 at 10:55pm

These are so adorable !Yummy ! Well done!