Sparkly Spiral Cookies {Blogger Cookie Swap}

It’s time for the Food Blogger Cookie Recipe Swap!

First a shout out to our fantastic hostesses who organize this swap each year:

Julie From White Lights on Wednesday.

Aubrey from Real Housemoms

Rachel from {i love} my disorganized life

Wendy from Around My Family Table

Laura from Pink Cake Plate

Abbey from The Cards We Drew

Kelley from Miss Information

Carli from Dimple Prints

Thank you so much, ladies!

For this swap, two bloggers are paired together.  They each send a favorite holiday cookie recipe to their partner and then bake up, and photograph the cookies.

This year, I was paired with Becca from It’s Yummi.  Becca is a trained Chef from Wisconsin.  She loves to make healthy, affordable meals and is a Green Bay Packer Fan (Go, Pack, Go!!)

For the swap, Becca sent me her recipe for Sparkly Spiral Cookies.  Essentially they’re sugar cookies (but a new to me recipe), tinted, and then rolled together and cut to make a fun design!

I’ve always had trouble with these sorts of cookies in the past and I’m wondering if it was my sugar cookie recipe, because these came out beautifully!!!  The colors stayed put (I had some color bleeding in the past) and they tasted great!  This cookie is more crisp that soft, which is perfect for a slightly minty cookie!

Sparkly Spiral Cookies

Adapted from It’s Yummi

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk (whole preferable, I used 2%)

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp peppermint extract

White food coloring (optional)

Red food coloring

Red sanding sugar

Place the shortening and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth.

Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla.  Mix on low until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.

Remove half the dough (I weighed the dough, but you can eyeball it).  To the remaining dough, add in the peppermint extract and the white food coloring (optional) and mix until combined.

Form the dough into a disc and place between 2 sheets of waxed paper.  Roll into an 8x10 square, about ¼-inch thickness and refrigerate.

Add the other half of the dough back into the mixer and add the red food coloring.  Form into a disc and place between 2 sheets of waxed paper.  Roll into an 8x10 square, about ¼-inch thickness and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Remove the top piece of waxed paper from each dough layer.  Flip the red layer on top of the white, then carefully roll into a log.  Wrap in one of the pieces of waxed paper and freeze for 1-2 hours or until very firm (wrap more securely if freezing longer).

Preheat the oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Unwrap the frozen dough and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into ¼-inch slices and place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are set.  Cool slightly then move to wire racks and cool.