Sweet Swirl Cookies of Love

Here's a super easy, extra pretty Valentines Day treat you can whip up in a jiff for Monday's school parties: Sweet Swirl Cookies!

Don't they look deelish? They're plain old sugar cookies, rolled, sliced, and baked.

Get the recipe and tute for Sweet Swirl Cookies of Love after the jump...

I hope the other parents don't mind the sugar... what are you making for your Valentines parties?  Leave us a comment, and you might win an adorable embroidery pattern!

Sweet Swirl Cookies of Love

First whip up a batch of sugar cookies. We always use Martha Stewart's Ideal Sugar Cookie Recipe.  Makes approx 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons brandy, or milk (I prefer milk, surprisingly enough)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, brandy or milk, and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Here is where we shake it up to make our swirl cookies.
Transfer half of dough to a work surface. IN the bowl of your mixer add 1/8 teaspoon of food coloring (I used Wilton Rose). Mix until just evenly distributed, try not to overmix.

Place your white dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper and roll into a rectangle as best you can. Repeat with the colored dough. Place on a baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.


Remove the dough from the refrigerator and peel the paper off of one side of the colored dough. Lightly flour your work surface and flip the dough over onto it, then peel off the paper from the other side.


Lightly brush the top of the colored dough with water (i love my OXO silicone pastry brush).


Peel the paper off of one side of your white dough. Place it dough side down on top of the colored dough, trying to align the two rectangles of dough as well as possible. Then peel the paper from the other side. Try not to break your dough into pieces like I did, but if you do just gently smoosh them back on.


Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of your rectangle so they are straight and even. Save the scraps!


Start to gently roll the dough.


Continue until it is all rolled up.


You might see some gaps if you look at the side of the dough. You don't want those so gently roll the dough with two hands until the gaps disappear.


In a pan, empty your sprinkles or non pareils or whatever cookie decoration you like.


Brush the dough with water, then gently roll in the toppings, pushing the toppings into the dough so they stick.


It's so cute like this.


Wrap with plastic wrap:

Place in the refrigerator for one hour to firm up.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from the fridge and trim the ends of the dough flat.


Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Evenly slice the roll to about 1/4" thickness.


Place on cookie sheet.


Bake until lightly golden, about ten minutes; do not allow to brown. Also bake those scraps, I'm going to show you something fun to make with them next week. Transfer to wire racks to cool.


Package up cute:


Eat!


Get excited because these cookies are going to bring squeals of excitement from the kiddos in class on Valentines Day!