Mocha. Check! Swirl. Check! Cookies. Double check!! I love all those words, so how could I not give these cookies a try? And they're so pretty! As soon as I saw these on Sprinkle Bakes' site, I knew I had to make them. Onto my Pinterest board they went.
I'll be up-front that making these cookies does entail quite a few steps, but if you like mocha flavor and shortbread'ish cookies, they're worth it. You get started by preparing a base dough that then gets divided in two. Half becomes coffee dough, using instant coffee granules (how easy!), and the other half becomes chocolate dough. These then get rolled together jelly-roll style to form the gorgeous swirl.
Sprinkle Bakes advises that the chocolate dough is a tad prone to cracking. If that happens, she says to STOP and fix it before continuing to roll. Well ... yes, I discovered first-hand that the chocolate dough does indeed crack quite easily. See that big ol' crack all the way down my dough roll?
But no worries. I just stopped, as advised, and gently rubbed and pinched the dough back together. It worked, and the dough log was none the worse for the wear.
Once the dough is rolled, chill it for at least an hour before slicing. Then give it a chop in half ... Check out that gorgeous spiral! Success!!
Then slice into 1/4" slices.
My slices squashed a little bit and the 'tails' of the end came a bit loose when I cut them. Once I placed the slices on the cookie sheet, I just gently reshaped them. All was well.
Once out of the oven, behold your beautiful spiral. Pretty, pretty, pretty! Oh, and yummy, too. Now stay tuned ... because this method gave me an idea that I just have to try. It's coming soon!
Mocha Swirl Cookies
Source: Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes
Ingredients
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee
2 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
Directions
Prepare the Base Dough:
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy (about 3 to 4 minutes). With the mixer running at low speed, gradually add the sugar to the butter. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until well incorporated. Remove dough from the mixer and divide it into two equal portions.
Prepare the Coffee Dough:
3. Return half of the dough to the mixer.
4. Place instant coffee granules in a small zip-top plastic bag; crush fine with a meat mallet. Add crushed instant coffee granules to the dough in the mixer bowl. Mix until combined and dough is speckled with coffee granules. Remove coffee dough from the mixer.
Prepare the Chocolate Dough:
5. Return the other half of the dough to the mixer and add the melted chocolate. Mix until well combined.
Make the Cookies:
6. Roll out each dough separately between two sheets of wax paper to about 1/4" thickness. Each piece should be a 9 x 14" rectangle. Chill on baking sheets in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
7. When dough is thoroughly chilled, place the coffee dough on top of the chocolate dough. With a rolling pin, gently press together the two pieces of dough. Let the dough stand at room temperature until malleable.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut down one of the 14" sides to even the dough up. This provides an even start for the spiral when you roll up the dough. Very slowly and carefully, roll the dough very tightly jelly-roll style, using the wax paper to guide the dough. If the chocolate dough cracks while rolling, stop and gently press and pinch the dough back together before continuing to roll. Continue to roll very slowly.
9. Once rolled into a log, cover the dough roll in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. Turn the dough log while chilling at least once (or more) so it doesn't become flat on one side.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough log from the refrigerator. Uncover and slice in half with a sharp knife. Place half of the dough log back in the refrigerator to keep it chilled while you slice the other half. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4" thick rounds. If the ends of the spiral come loose or the shape warps, gently reshape once the slices have been placed on a cookie sheet.
11. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 - 3 minutes before trasnferring to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 40 cookies.
Enjoy!
This post is linked with Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, These Chicks Cooked hosted by This Chick Cooks, Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party hosted by Mrs. Fox's Sweets, It's a Keeper Thursday hosted by It's a Keeper, Share Your Creations hosted by Kristen's Creations, Inspiration Friday hosted by At the Picket Fence, Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum, Weekend Bloggy Reading hosted by Serenity Now, Link & Greet Party hosted by Country Momma Cooks Friday Favorites hosted by Simply Sweet Home, Sweets for a Saturday hosted by Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Strut Your Stuff Saturday hosted by Six Sisters' Stuff, Sweet Indulgences Sunday hosted by A Well-Seasoned Life, Sundae Scoop hosted by I {heart} Naptime, Think Pink Sundays hosted by Flamingo Toes, Cure for the Common Monday hosted by Lines Across My Face, Savvy HomeMade Monday hosted by Home Savvy A to Z, Mangia Mondays hosted by Shine Your Light, Totally Tasty Tuesdays hosted by Mandy's Recipe Box, Tuesday Talent Show hosted by Chef in Training, Crazy Sweet Tuesday hosted by Crazy for Crust, Show Off Your Stuff hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans.
Mocha. Check! Swirl. Check! Cookies. Double check!! I love all those words, so how could I not give these cookies a try? And they're so pretty! As soon as I saw these on Sprinkle Bakes' site, I knew I had to make them. Onto my Pinterest board they went.
I'll be up-front that making these cookies does entail quite a few steps, but if you like mocha flavor and shortbread'ish cookies, they're worth it. You get started by preparing a base dough that then gets divided in two. Half becomes coffee dough, using instant coffee granules (how easy!), and the other half becomes chocolate dough. These then get rolled together jelly-roll style to form the gorgeous swirl.
Sprinkle Bakes advises that the chocolate dough is a tad prone to cracking. If that happens, she says to STOP and fix it before continuing to roll. Well ... yes, I discovered first-hand that the chocolate dough does indeed crack quite easily. See that big ol' crack all the way down my dough roll?
But no worries. I just stopped, as advised, and gently rubbed and pinched the dough back together. It worked, and the dough log was none the worse for the wear.
Once the dough is rolled, chill it for at least an hour before slicing. Then give it a chop in half ... Check out that gorgeous spiral! Success!!
Then slice into 1/4" slices.
My slices squashed a little bit and the 'tails' of the end came a bit loose when I cut them. Once I placed the slices on the cookie sheet, I just gently reshaped them. All was well.
Once out of the oven, behold your beautiful spiral. Pretty, pretty, pretty! Oh, and yummy, too. Now stay tuned ... because this method gave me an idea that I just have to try. It's coming soon!
Mocha Swirl Cookies
Source: Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes
Ingredients
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee
2 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
Directions
Prepare the Base Dough:
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy (about 3 to 4 minutes). With the mixer running at low speed, gradually add the sugar to the butter. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until well incorporated. Remove dough from the mixer and divide it into two equal portions.
Prepare the Coffee Dough:
3. Return half of the dough to the mixer.
4. Place instant coffee granules in a small zip-top plastic bag; crush fine with a meat mallet. Add crushed instant coffee granules to the dough in the mixer bowl. Mix until combined and dough is speckled with coffee granules. Remove coffee dough from the mixer.
Prepare the Chocolate Dough:
5. Return the other half of the dough to the mixer and add the melted chocolate. Mix until well combined.
Make the Cookies:
6. Roll out each dough separately between two sheets of wax paper to about 1/4" thickness. Each piece should be a 9 x 14" rectangle. Chill on baking sheets in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
7. When dough is thoroughly chilled, place the coffee dough on top of the chocolate dough. With a rolling pin, gently press together the two pieces of dough. Let the dough stand at room temperature until malleable.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut down one of the 14" sides to even the dough up. This provides an even start for the spiral when you roll up the dough. Very slowly and carefully, roll the dough very tightly jelly-roll style, using the wax paper to guide the dough. If the chocolate dough cracks while rolling, stop and gently press and pinch the dough back together before continuing to roll. Continue to roll very slowly.
9. Once rolled into a log, cover the dough roll in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. Turn the dough log while chilling at least once (or more) so it doesn't become flat on one side.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough log from the refrigerator. Uncover and slice in half with a sharp knife. Place half of the dough log back in the refrigerator to keep it chilled while you slice the other half. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4" thick rounds. If the ends of the spiral come loose or the shape warps, gently reshape once the slices have been placed on a cookie sheet.
11. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 - 3 minutes before trasnferring to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 40 cookies.
Enjoy!
This post is linked with Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, These Chicks Cooked hosted by This Chick Cooks, Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party hosted by Mrs. Fox's Sweets, It's a Keeper Thursday hosted by It's a Keeper, Share Your Creations hosted by Kristen's Creations, Inspiration Friday hosted by At the Picket Fence, Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum, Weekend Bloggy Reading hosted by Serenity Now, Link & Greet Party hosted by Country Momma Cooks Friday Favorites hosted by Simply Sweet Home, Sweets for a Saturday hosted by Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Strut Your Stuff Saturday hosted by Six Sisters' Stuff, Sweet Indulgences Sunday hosted by A Well-Seasoned Life, Sundae Scoop hosted by I {heart} Naptime, Think Pink Sundays hosted by Flamingo Toes, Cure for the Common Monday hosted by Lines Across My Face, Savvy HomeMade Monday hosted by Home Savvy A to Z, Mangia Mondays hosted by Shine Your Light, Totally Tasty Tuesdays hosted by Mandy's Recipe Box, Tuesday Talent Show hosted by Chef in Training, Crazy Sweet Tuesday hosted by Crazy for Crust, Show Off Your Stuff hosted by Fireflies and Jellybeans.
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