I picked up this cute little pack of recipe cards, in the gift shop at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, MN, while attending the General Mills Eat & Greet event last summer, thinking it would be a great way to introduce my 8 year-old to the joys of baking, or not.
Since, I can't seem to get a rise out of bread dough, no matter how HARD (or, long) you know, I glare at it!
My 16 year-old, however, has been baking up a storm the last couple of days and...DANGIT...she hasn't messed up any of the recipes, yet.
For example, I would have NEVER attempted these Lemon Spiral Cookies -- recipe had more than 5 steps -- so, I stood over her shoulder (read: how to annoy a teenager) took some pictures and thought I'd share the recipe.
Not to mention, I'm NOT going to be the only one packing on the cookie dough...DANGIT!
Lemon Spiral Cookies (or, Valentine's Day Swirlies, depending your age and/or gender)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 10 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 lemon
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- red food dye
1. Grease two baking trays. Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter and stir it in until the mixture is smooth.
2. Grate the lemon rind on the small holes of a grater. Stir the rind into the mixture. Sift the flour into the bowl. Stir it in.
3. Stir the milk into the mixture. then, put half into another bowl. Add three drops of red food dye to one bowl. Stir it in.
4. Make two balls of dough. Flatten each one a little. Wrap them in food wrap. Put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle flour onto clean surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the plain dough until it is 10 x 6 inches and 1/4 inch thick.
[Note: This IS about where they would've, you know, lost me!]
6. Roll our the pink dough until it is the same size. Brush the plain dough with a little water. Lift the pink dough onto the plain dough.
7. Cut the edges of the dough straight. Roll it up from one long side. Wrap it in food wrap. Put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
She makes it look SO easy, right?
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit) Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Cut it into 1/4 inch slices. Put them on the trays.
Yes, there's one missing [wipes corner of mouth] thanks for noticing!
9. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Leave them on the trays for two minutes. Use a spatula to lift them onto a wire rack.
FINAL VERDICT: I love the fact that these recipes are very easy-to-read and that each recipe card includes step-by-step illustrations. My 16 year-old had no problem following this recipe (right down to the rolling two separate colored balls of dough, together) however, I suggest that younger children definitely get help using the grater (YIKES!) Also, the cookies came out pink, instead of red (can never tell with food dye) but, I think they're pretty...in pink. Also, the recipe states, "Makes 40 cookies," and I guess theirs were a lot thinner, perhaps even a bit harder, than Holly's bigger and softer cookies. Melt-in-your-mouth sort of good, they were!
FIND IT HERE: Available at Amazon.com
Thank goodness mid-terms are done!
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[DISCLOSURE: NO PAYMENT, OR ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION, BESIDES SHARING RECIPES WE LIKE OR, YOU KNOW, DON'T MESS UP, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST]
