Sliced Cookies: Cranberry Orange Pinwheels

These cookies are pretty and delicious. Make sure to cook the filling long enough for it to set, then let it cool completely. You'll also have to fully freeze the log before slicing. Otherwise you'll just have a complete mess on your hands.


Ingredients


For the Filling
1 tbsp corn starch
¾ cup whole berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup orange marmalade


For the Cookies
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1¾ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp orange zest
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp allspice


Preparation


Place all filling ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so the cranberry sauce doesn't burn. Boil until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.


Meanwhile, cream together brown sugar, butter, and egg in a large bowl. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients and mix until you have a soft dough. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. This will make the dough easier to handle.


Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into an 8x16-inch rectangle. Spoon chilled filling onto the dough and spread carefully with the back of a spoon. Keep the filling about ½-inch away from all edges. This will give the filling room to spread as you roll up the dough.


Starting on one 16-inch side, roll up the dough like you would a jelly roll. Don't roll it too tightly or all the filling with squeeze out. Be gentle, almost turning the dough over itself without adding too much pressure. Smooth out the roll and wrap in parchment paper. Freeze until the roll is frozen through, at least 4 hours. Overnight is better.


Heat oven to 375°F. Remove roll from freezer and carefully slice the roll into ½-inch rounds. Arrange these rounds on a prepared cookie sheet, keeping them at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges have browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool completely on wire racks.


This recipe makes 32 cookies. They will keep for at least 4 days if stored in an airtight container.