BLACK AND WHITE SPIRAL COOKIES

By LaLaCooks

Makes about 80 cookies. Published November 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Make sure the cookie dough is well chilled and firm so that it can be uniformly sliced. After the dough has been wrapped in parchment, it can be double-wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Variations
Almond Sables
Vanilla Pretzel Cookies
Lemon Sables
Chocolate Sables
Toasted Coconut Sables

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (2 3/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• Chocolate Sables
• 1 large egg
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (2 3/4 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 2/3 ounces)
• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 ounce)

Details

Servings 80
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

For French Butter Cookies: 1. Place egg in small saucepan, cover with 1 inch water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill small bowl with ice water. Using slotted spoon, transfer egg to ice water and let stand 5 minutes. Crack egg and peel shell. Separate yolk from white; discard white. Press yolk through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl.

For French Butter Cookies: 2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with rubber spatula as needed. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer; add flour and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, press dough into cohesive mass.

For Chocolate Sable Cookies: 1. Place egg in small saucepan, cover with 1 inch water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill small bowl with ice water. Using slotted spoon, transfer egg to ice water and let stand 5 minutes. Crack egg and peel shell. Separate yolk from white; discard white. Press yolk through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl.

For Chocolate Sable Cookies: 2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with rubber spatula as needed. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer; add flour and cocoa and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, press dough into cohesive mass.

To Form Spiral Cookies: 3. Halve each batch of dough. Roll out each portion on parchment paper into 6- by 8-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Briefly chill dough until firm enough to handle. Using bench scraper, place 1 plain cookie dough rectangle on top of 1 chocolate dough rectangle. Repeat to make 2 double rectangles. Roll out each double rectangle on parchment into 6- by 9-inch rectangle (if too firm, let rest until malleable). Starting at long end, roll each into tight log. Twist ends of parchment to seal and chill logs 1 hour.

4. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using chefs knife, slice dough into -inch-thick rounds, rotating dough so that it wont become misshapen from weight of knife. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets.

5. Bake until centers of cookies are pale golden brown with edges slightly darker than centers, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using thin metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature. Store cooled cookies between sheets of parchment paper in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Videos

French Butter Cookies (Sables)

TECHNIQUE
FORMING SPIRAL COOKIES

1. Halve each batch of dough. Roll out each portion on parchment paper into 6- by 8-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Briefly chill dough until firm enough to handle.


2. Using bench scraper, place 1 plain cookie dough rectangle on top of 1 chocolate dough rectangle. Repeat to make 2 double rectangles.


3. Roll out each double rectangle on parchment into 6- by 9-inch rectabgle (if too firm, let rest until malleable). Starting at long end, roll each into tight log.


4. Twist ends of parchment to seal and chill logs 1 hour. Slice logs into 1/4-inch rounds.