Cranberry-Orange Pinwheels | Baked by Rachel

A Tradition: Cranberry-Orange Pinwheels {giveaway closed}

By Rachel // December 16, 2011 // 198 comments //

You might remember these from last year. They’re a tradition in this house. An absolute must. When I asked The Mr recently what his top 5 favorite cookies were, these were on the list. Of course he couldn’t even give me a list of 5 but that’s not the point. I’ve been making them for Christmas easily the last 6 years or more.

I like making these for the aromas. The orange zest and cranberries give off wonderful fragrances. How something smells is just as important as how it looks and tastes, to me anyway. And these smell incredible. They also have a nice light taste. You can eat cookie after cookie without having a heavy feeling in your stomach like certain other desserts can cause.

These require more work than the average cookie but the end result is worth it. Be sure to check out my tips below for an easier time making these.

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Yield: Yields roughly 4 dozen cookies or 2 dozen per cookie roll/log.

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Total Time: 24+ hours

A Tradition: Cranberry-Orange Pinwheels

Ingredients:

1C cranberries
1C pecans
1/4C brown sugar
1C butter, softened
1 1/2C sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp orange zest
3C flour

Directions:

In a food processor; add cranberries, pecans and brown sugar. Blend well until only small pieces remain. Set aside or cover and chill until needed.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add baking powder, salt, eggs and orange zest. Beat only low/medium for roughly 1 minute. Contents may be lumpy. Add flour by the spoonfuls, mixing on medium speed until ingredients have been mixed well. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Divide dough in half. Place one half between two sheets of wax paper. Roll into a large rectangle roughly 1/4" thick. Remove top layer of wax paper. Evenly spread out half of the cranberry filling over dough to 1/2" from all sides.

Begin rolling from one of the short ends. Dough may stick at first. Gently guide dough by pulling up on wax paper. Pinch to seal ends. Transfer rolled dough log to a clean sheet of waxed paper. Roll and tape shut. Place between two large drinking glasses. This will help prevent flat bottom logs.

Chill at least 24 hours. After several hours, gently roll log to check for any flat spots.

When ready to bake. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice 1/4" thick slices. Space 1-2" apart on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are just turning golden. Let cookies rest on tray for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Store in a covered container for up to a week. Remaining dough may be frozen. Label well with any instructions such as type of dough, baking temp, time, etc.

**For more 'how to' photos go here.

Recipe source: BHG cookbook 12th edition

**Now for the giveaway**

***Giveaway is closed***

Because there are 9… count them… NINE days left until Christmas (or 10 if you want to include today) I’m giving away one Cuisinart Elite Collection 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder to one lucky reader.

The nitty gritty: You must have a US shipping address to enter. Giveaway will run from Dec 16, 2011 – Dec 17, 2011. One winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via e-mail Dec 18, 2011. Winner has 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Main entry must be done or bonus entries will not count. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

Main entry (required): What are your holiday plans?
Are you going to watch the 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story? Are you traveling to visit family? Or maybe baking a giant meal?

Want bonus entries? You may do each of the following once. If you already do any of them it still counts but you must tell me you do. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Bonus entry options:

-’Like’ Baked by Rachel on Facebook
-Follow me on Twitter
-Subscribe to my feed via RSS
-Share this post on Facebook
-Tweet the following: “Enter to win a Cuisinart Elite 4 Cup Chopper/Grinder from Baked by Rachel @rachelcurrier http://tinyurl.com/ca3yw4z #giveaway Ends 12/17″

Giveaway sponsored by Baked by Rachel (or me). :)

Good luck!