"Valentine Day Recipes Just For You"

Chocolate Spiral Cookies Recipe

For the vanilla dough:
1/2 vanilla bean
7 oz. (3/4 C. plus 2 T.) cold, unsalted butter
1 C. plus 1 1/2 T. powdered sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 orange, zested
Pinch baking powder
Pinch salt
2 C. all-purpose flour

For the chocolate dough:
1/2 vanilla bean
7 oz. (3/4 C. plus 2 T.) cold, unsalted butter
1 C. plus 1 1/2 T. powdered sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 orange, zested
Pinch baking powder
Pinch salt
1 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

Vanilla dough:
Use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean lengthwise in half. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds, and orange zest in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Combine the baking powder, salt, and flour, and add to the butter mixture all at once. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a 4-by-9-inch rectangle, wrap it in plastic, and place it in the refrigerator.

Chocolate dough:
Use a sharp knife to slice the vanilla bean lengthwise in half. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Place the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds, and orange zest in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Combine the baking powder, salt, flour, and cocoa powder, and add to the butter mixture all at once. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a 4-by-9-inch rectangle, wrap it in plastic, and place it in the refrigerator.

Let each dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, if possible, overnight. A longer resting time will allow the dough to chill thoroughly and the gluten in the flour to relax. Also, the flavors of the cookies (orange, vanilla, chocolate, and butter) will mature and the flour and butter will absorb the flavor of the cocoa (the chocolate dough will be darker the next day).

Preheat oven to 400�F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. It will be hard, so give it a few quick raps with a rolling pin to make it easier to roll. Lightly flour each side of each piece of dough. Roll each dough into a 7-by-16-inch rectangle about 1/8th-inch thick. Place one rectangle on top of the other, and roll it out to an 8-by-24-inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. Brush the rectangle with a thin coat of water to help the dough stick to itself.

Roll each dough into a cylinder about 24 inches long. Cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick slices. Lay the cookies, cut side down, onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies
 



   

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