Cinnamon Roll Cookies

In case you haven't noticed, this is a continuation from my last blog post. I guess I was feeling unusally lazy, and wanted to publish this in two posts. I'm not quite sure if my last two sentences made any sense at all; but hopefully you have followed my train of thought. (:
Now, back on track. These. Cinnamon. Roll. Cookies. Are. AMAZING. I can't say enough about these cookies. Yes, they're quite a laborious process. But these cookies are definitely worth it. I would suggest decreasing the amount of sugar in the dough by 1/8 to 1/4 cup; depending how sweet you like your cookies to be. But for me, I like my desserts a little sweeter...
And these cookies were so delicious that I might've ate more than one... or two... or four...
You get my point. By hey, mixing the dough and taking trips down to the refrigerator count as exercise right?

The visible cinnamon roll swirl ...

Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Adapted from http://www.mybakingdom.com/
Makes 4 dozen
Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE FILLING
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4, plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

FOR THE ICING
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk

To make the cookies: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Scrape the dough into a ball in the center of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, or the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Once the dough is chilled, divide it into two equal halves. Place one half back in the bowl and put it back in the refrigerator for now. On a large piece of plastic wrap, pat the first half of the dough into a rectangle about nine inches by twelve inches, and about half an inch thick. Place half of butter on the dough and spread it all the way to the edges. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar evenly over the buttered dough and press the sugar into the dough. Finally, sprinkle half of the cinnamon evenly over the dough. Use the plastic wrap to tightly roll the dough into a log. Place the log in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator for at least an hour. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough and filling ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with Silpat mats or parchment paper.

After the dough has chilled again, slice each log into half inch slices (about 24 per log). Place on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and instant espresso powder. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and whisk until it just comes together. Next, add the milk, one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. It should be thin enough to drizzle, but thicker than a glaze.

With the cookies on a wire cooling rack set over parchment paper, drizzle the icing over the them with your whisk. Allow the cookies to set up for a few minutes before stacking or storing.

Recipe by Sugarbear

Homemade Twix Bars?

Mhmmm. Twix. There's nothing like sinking your teeth into a nice piece of chocolate caramel shortbread. Now, Twix is already pretty amazing on its own. However, I decided to step it up a bit; by making homemade twix. Yeah yeah yeah. I could have just bought a small Twix bar at the local grocery store, but it's nothing compared to this recipe.
I have to admit that I was a little doubtful at the beginning of this baking process. I mean, how's it even possible to recreate a mass-produced candy bar? However, as I took my first hesitant bite, my heart stopped. I now know what heaven tastes like.

Boiling caramel from scratch was a long and patient process; but it was definitely worth it. All the flavors came together so well. Pleaasseeeeee. Take the time off to make this recipe.


Homemade Twix Bars
adapted from Sherry Yard’s, “Desserts By The Yard”
Shortbread
5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground rice (rice processed in a spice grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve to remove chunks)*
Make the Shortbread:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment.
In a large bowl  cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground rice and salt and allow the dough to come together. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze it.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 10 minutes, until the shortbread is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack to room temperature.
*Several people have asked about the rice. I just used what I had in the house – brown rice, and the results were great. It’s not the same as rice flour because you want to have a little bit of texture. The purpose of the rice is to give the base of this cookie a unique crunch that remarkably resembles the store-bought Twix. This can be omitted without drastically changing the finished product. But I encourage you to try it. I really love the texture it gives.
Meanwhile, prepare the ….
Caramel
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (Regular corn syrup is fine)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling over the caramel layer
Make the Caramel:
Combine the sugar, golden syrup, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Remove any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan by wiping down the sides with water. You can use your hand or a pastry brush. Place the pot on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Wipe down any stray sugar crystals that appear using a very clean and wet pastry brush. Do not stir from this point on. Keep an eye on the pan. The mixture will be very bubbly.
When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden brown insert a candy thermometer to check the temperature. When it reaches 300°F, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 1minute, or until the bubbles subside. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth, then whisk in the condensed milk. Add the salt (vanilla salt is very nice here if you have it) Whisk until smooth.
Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over medium heat until the caramel reaches 240°F. Remove from the heat and pour over the shortbread. While the caramel is warm sprinkle the surface with the best quality salt you have. Kosher is fine, Fleur de Sel is better, Maldon would be my preferred choice.
Allow to set. This will take about 2 hours.
Once the caramel layer has cooled prepare your …
Chocolate Glaze
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Bittersweet chocolate chips also work)
2 tablespoons butter
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain marie or in the microwave. If using the microwave melt it slowly – in 30 second intervals. Stir well after each interval.
Once completely melted pour over the caramel.  Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate in a nice even layer.
Place in the refrigerator to set. They cut best when chilled.
Cut into desired shape and size. Serve.