Grandma Betz’s Sugar Twist Christmas Cookies

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to send all of the adults in the family a tin of cookies for Christmas. The ones I remember most were the ones she sent to my dad, these sugar twists. My grandma died back in 2002 after a long fight with emphysema. In 2007, I asked my grandfather to send me a couple of my grandma's cookie recipes. He sent me this one, but at that point, I wasn't a good enough baker to execute these cookies. I remember sitting in M's kitchen in Grinnell and rolling out the dough, but in the end, they ended up being too dense and they didn't have any layers.

 This is in black and white because...uh, it's like a memory.

In the intervening years, I lost the recipe he sent me - I'm guessing it has to do with the approximately eight times I've had to move since then. I was scouring the internet trying to find the recipe, and I thought this looked close. I decided to make them, but I also added my own touches. I've also written instructions that are a little more clear than the original.

 Sugar Twists

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp Yeast
• 1/4 C Water (between 105 and 115 degrees Farenheit)
• 1 C Unsalted Butter (cold)
• 3 3/4 C Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 C Granulated Sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Bakery Emulsion

Instructions

1. Stir yeast into warm water and allow to sit while you mix up the rest of the ingredients.
2. Combine flour and salt. Dice butter and work into the flour mixture. 
3. Add in the eggs, sour cream, 1 tsp of vanilla, and yeast mixture. Mix until well combined and dough forms. 
4.  Mix the granulated sugar, 2 tsp of vanilla, and lemon emulsion together until the sugar appears uniform.
5. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours.
6. Preheat oven to 375. 
7. After refrigeration, spread 1/2 C of vanilla on a cutting board and roll out 1/2 of the dough. Place the remaining dough back in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll it out. 
8. After the dough is rolled out into a large rectangle approximately 1/2" thick, place 1 TBSP of the vanilla sugar along the middle third of the dough. Fold the left and right thirds over one another. Then fold the dough into thirds again so that it is square. Roll out the dough back into the large rectangle. Spread another 1 TBSP of sugar down the middle section and refold back into a square. Roll back out. Add more sugar as needed throughout the rolling out process.
9. Cut the dough into strips and twirl them into desired shape. The middle cookie in the picture above was folded in half and then twisted. The other cookies were just twisted. 
10. Repeat with remaining dough.
11. Baked on a lined baking sheet for 15-10 minutes until golden brown.

 

My grandma really loved coffee, but it's Coke Zero in this cup! 

Craft Divergence: DIY Ruffle Wreath

I've been in a really crafty mood lately, which is good, because Christmas is coming! I have yet to sort through my all of my craft supplies since my move back in August, so it's been kind of an adventure. I can't find a lot of things, but I'm rediscovering materials I forgot about! The fabric I used for this is from back when I lived in Ann Arbor, and I'm pretty sure it's from the Scrap Box.

This wreath probably cost me under $5. This is in part because the wreath is made from a pipe insulator. I picked up this idea off of Pinterest which linked to The Penny Parlor. THIS IDEA CHANGED MY LIFE. Lots of wreaths are in my future, I think. All you do is tape the ends together - I used packing tape, because I forgot to buy duct tape.

 

The wreath was made using this tutorial at Kelly Hicks Design, though I packed my ruffles more tightly together for a more robust look. Love it! This is probably going to be a Christmas present, but I do rather like it, so who know?!

Coming Out Day Rainbow Mini Bundt Cakes

October 12th was National Coming Out Day. The Journal was having a bake sale and I wanted to have an item that acknowledged the day. I baked these mini rainbow Bundt cakes, which aren't anything special in terms of taste (they're just made from white cake mix), but they're adorable!

Daring Baker's Challenge: Povitica

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

The Daring Baker's Challenge will be a new monthly feature on my blog! This is my first month participating, and every month there will be a new challenge that I will post on the 27th of the month.

This bread is insanely complicated and I now understand why the Croatian grandma I saw in a YouTube video said she made them loaves in batches of twelve. I only made one loaf, which had a traditional walnut filling, and it was quite labor intensive. It is a yeast dough, which I tend to struggle with, but it actually came together quite easily. I had a harder time rolling the dough out thinly enough to get enough beautiful layers inside. The recipe suggested you roll the dough out on a bed sheet, which I did. Felt kind of weird, but it was quite effective.

This bread was really addictive and delicious. I thought, oh, this bead is just okay, but then I couldn't leave it alone. I am now trying to come up with some filling variations. I'd like to incorporate apple butter into my next one, as I have a fresh batch a friend made for me!

Actual Cupcake Battery

Earlier today, my friend Nate shared this story with me on Facebook: Cupcake Batterer Charged with Domestic Violence.
I assure you, there is no actual assault or battery in my life and I have never assaulted anyone with a baked good, despite the name of my blog.