It’s been a “bad” month for creating things. Work has been crazy busy and I have been off on some mini-adventures, which has left the cooking and baking at the margins, which I hate. Mostly because cooking and baking are my self-reliever, and when I just don’t have the time or the energy, I feel badly. That said, last night I did make these Apricot and Dried Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies. They aren’t the prettiest cookies that I have ever made (I let the butter get too soft, which in turn make the dough crumbly which in turn made it hard to roll out, and then roll together). They do taste quite lovely though.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup dried cranberries, very finely chopped
Directions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In the work bowl of your stand mixed with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and lemon zest, then reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Divide dough in half; wrap each portion in plastic and flatten slightly to form a disc. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
Roll one disc of dough out on a lightly floured board to a 10 x 12-inch rectangle, 1/4-inch thick; trim edges if needed. Place jam in a small bowl and microwave briefly (about 10 seconds); whisk to loosen. Use an offset spatula to spread 1/2 cup preserves over dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the top and a 1/2-inch border at the sides. Sprinkle evenly with the dried cranberries. Roll dough up into a log; moisten edges and pinch to seal. Wrap roll in waxed paper and twist ends to secure, then chill for 24 hours. Repeat with remaining dough.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
Use a serrated knife to cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices, rotating rolls to keep them from flattening (reshape into rounds if needed). Place slices two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 16 minutes, until edges are set. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
