Chocolate Pinwheels Recipes

BASIC CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough in half; add cocoa to one portion. Divide each portion in half. On a baking sheet, roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 12x10-in. rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. , Remove waxed paper. Place one chocolate rectangle over a plain rectangle. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. , Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

CHOCOLATE PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir cocoa into one half. Stir chocolate sprinkles into other half. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Roll half of plain dough into 9x8-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Repeat with half of chocolate dough; place on plain dough. Roll doughs up together tightly, beginning at long side. Repeat with remaining plain and chocolate doughs. Wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt until well blended. Place half of dough in another medium bowl.
• Beat almond extract, cherries and food color into half of dough. Divide cherry dough in half. Wrap each half of cherry dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm.
• Beat vanilla, milk and cocoa into remaining plain dough. Divide chocolate dough in half. Wrap each half of chocolate dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm.
• Place one part of chocolate dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper; roll into 10x7-inch rectangle. Repeat with one part of cherry dough. Refrigerate both about 30 minutes or until firm. Peel top sheets of waxed paper from both doughs. Turn cherry dough upside down onto chocolate dough; roll up doughs together, starting at long side, into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours. Repeat with remaining parts of dough.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Cut rolls of dough into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices 1 inch apart.
• Bake 8 to 11 minutes or surface appears dull. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix Chocolate Dough ingredients with spoon until soft dough forms. In another large bowl, mix Peanut Butter Dough ingredients with spoon until soft dough forms. Divide each dough in half; set aside.
• Place one half of the chocolate dough between 2 (17x12-inch) sheets of waxed paper or cooking parchment paper; roll out to 12x7-inch rectangle. Repeat with one half of the peanut butter dough; remove top sheet of waxed paper from both doughs. Invert peanut butter dough onto chocolate dough. Replace waxed paper on dough, and gently roll out to 14x8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet; trim edges. Starting with long side, roll up dough using bottom sheet of waxed paper to help roll up dough. Wrap dough log tightly with waxed paper; twist ends to enclose. Repeat with remaining cookie doughs. Refrigerate 2 hours 30 minutes or until very firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap 1 of the dough logs; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough log.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes. Store covered in airtight container.

COCONUT-CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 8 tablespoons butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture, beating until almost combined. Add coconut and beat until incorporated. Place dough between two sheets of parchment and roll out to a 10 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, trim 1/2 inch from edges to create a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Place chocolate and remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water; stir until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk. Let cool 5 minutes. Mixture will be thick and pasty.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and peel off top sheet of parchment. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate mixture evenly over surface of dough. Using the bottom sheet of parchment for support, roll dough into a tight log. Wrap log in plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic from log and cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until firm and beginning to brown around edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, cream cheese and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12x8-in. rectangle. For the filling, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and cocoa until smooth. Spread over each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Brush tops of loaves with egg. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Sift flour with soda and salt.
• Set aside.
• Beat butter until fluffy.
• Beat in sugar.
• Beat in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
• At low speed, add half flour mixture.
• Mix in the rest by hand to form a stiff dough.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling (I am told that one can easily melt chocolate chips in a microwave, but I have not tried it. If you know how to do it, have at it!) Melt chocolate over hot (NOT BOILING) water, add butter.
• Cool.
• Divide dough in half.
• Roll each half into a 8x10 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
• Spread each with half the filling.
• From the long side, roll each rectangle tightly like a jelly roll.
• Gently press edge to seal.
• Wrap separately, seam side down, in saran wrap or foil.
• Refrigerate until firm, about 8 hours or overnight before slicing and baking.
• (They will keep in the fridge for a little over a week.) Preheat oven to 375, and place 1/2 inch slices 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool for a few minutes on sheet, then cool on wire rack.
• Makes 40 cookies all together.