Tuesday, 22 December 2009

• Recipe: Rainbow Cookies

  
  

  How fun!  I had never heard of CommunityCookbook until I found the link at LoquaciousLady's site; but I love the idea, and Xanga is the BEST place to have such a meme. We have some really adventurous cooks in our community, and a few are just really good at sharing comfort foods. So, the topic for the first two weeks in the community is Sweet Sensations. So, here's the Rainbow Cookie recipe I promised to LoquaciousLady. These cookies began with a recipe called Refrigerator Crisps out of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook back in the 70's.
  
   I changed a few things in it, so it's my recipe now.  It's become a family and church family favorite; but as time has gone by I make them less and less. My son the Talented Cook, never enjoyed making these with me so much, and my Artsy Son Who Dislikes Cooking surprised me by making them all by himself one winter day in his teens (he managed to follow the recipe nicely).  The kids love them because they are so colorful and they like the flavor; but watching the faces of the adults when they take their first bite of these cookies is funny. They expect something like a sugar cookie and these are so much more flavorful with their spiced up ingredients.
  
  Just remember that you can make them without color.  Just mix up the dough, make two plain rolls, and bake.  These will bless you if you make them when it's a chilly day that needs a warm spicy kitchen smell to bring the family away from their bedrooms or video games for some time to just chat and chew together.  Enjoy! 
  
  

  
  Rainbow Cookies
  
  Ingredients
  

   ¾ c shortening
  ¼ c butter
  ½ c granulated sugar
  ½ c firmly packed brown sugar (break up any lumps)
  1 egg
  2 T milk
  2¼ c all-purpose flour
  ½ t baking soda
  ½ t salt
  1 t ground cinnamon
  ¼ t ground nutmeg
  ¼ t ground ginger
  blue, green, yellow and red liquid food coloring (but you can use gel colors, too)
  
  Directions
  

  • In a large mixing bowl, add cream shortening, and sugars until fluffy.  Add egg and milk, beating well.  (Add the food coloring now, if you are going to make a big batch of 8 rolls. –with one bowl of dough being one color. It blends smoother.)
  • In smaller separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.  (OR: put dry ingredients into bowl, and stir thoroughly with a small sauce whisk…making sure to rotate bowl tipping to the side as you stir, so that you bring the stuff on the bottom and sides into the blend.
  • Blend dry mix into creamed mixture by thirds, mixing well each time. If only making one batch of regular cookies, form into two rolls, and jump to step 10.  If making Rainbow cookies: Separate into four lumps of dough (3/4 c for the first 3 to be set aside in covered bowls, and the remainder being the least amount for the first color in small mixing bowl).  You will need a mixer that can handle stiff dough.
  • Make a well in dough ball, and mix in ½ t blue food coloring into smaller ball of dough.  The colors will dim a bit when you bake them, so don't be scared of the strong colors while it's just dough.  Blend until it is a consistent color throughout.  Divide in  half, and shape into two long rolls on wax paper, covering counter.  (Tip: make the counter a bit moist by wiping with a dampened cloth, and then lay the wax paper over it.  It will stay in place better as you work.)
  • After cleaning the mixture from bowl and beaters, (to remove previous color) take the next quarter of dough and add ½ t green food coloring.  Blend until color is consistent throughout. Shape the dough into a rectangle next to the roll of blue dough; but about twice as wide.  You will need the dough to cover 3/4 of the blue roll when it is placed over it.  Tip the blue roll over the green dough by lifting the wax paper and then smooth the dough layer over the roll firmly with the wax paper covering the dough.
  • With clean bowl and beaters, take the next quarter and add ½ t yellow food coloring and repeat step 6.  Each new layer will need to be a larger rectangle than the one before it since it is covering more area.

    

  • At this point, the rolls will look like this: 

   

  • Take the final quarter and add ½ t red food coloring and follow step six again.  You should have two rolls of four banded rolls completed.
  • Wrap each roll completely with waxed paper and chill until firm (about 2-4 hours).
  • Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  • Working with one roll at a time (and leaving the other in the refrigerator), with a thin sharp knife, cut slices about ¼ inch thick and lay each slice on a lightly greased or parchment covered cookie sheet about ½ inch apart.  You will see rainbows as you slice them.  If some of the layers come apart, you can just smooth into place before baking and they will bake up perfectly.

    

  • Bake for 5-7 minutes or until delicately browned.  Since they are colorful, it's hard to see the browning, so err on the side of caution and take them out as soon as you see some happening.  Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 mins so that they set.
  • Remove to cooling rack to finish cooling before placing in an air tight container.  These can be stored at room temperature (taste best that way), or freeze for serving at another time.

  Yield: 2.5 or 3 dozen per roll
  
  

  Again, these might seem like a lot of work, but they are really worth it when you see what kind of attention they get.  I also liked doing it when I was alone in the house or stuck inside due to gloomy weather.  I frequently hand out unbaked rolls to special family members so that they can enjoy the smell in the house when they decide to bake them.  The rolls can be frozen and baked after they thaw, too.  I generally let them thaw overnight before trying to cut and bake them.
  

  • 12:39 PM
  • 5102 Views
  • 30 eProps
  • 12 Comments