Ribbon or Swirl Cookies
From Food Network Kitchens

A great make-ahead freezer dough that will impress all your guests throughout the holiday season.

Recipe Summary
Yield: Approximately 6 dozen cookies
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 14 to 16 minutes
Inactive prep time: 3 hours
Ease of preparation: Intermediate

Ingredients
Vanilla Dough:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons confectioners\’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons mint extract
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

Chocolate Dough:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions
For the vanilla dough: Mix the 2 sugars and the salt together in a medium bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk the egg and mint extract and set aside.
With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl.
While mixing, gradually add the sugar mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy,
about 1 to 2 minutes.
Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture and beat until smooth.
Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half.
Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper.
Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle.
Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet,
and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

For the chocolate dough:
Whisk the sugar, cocoa, salt in a medium bowl.
With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl.
While mixing, add the cocoa mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth.
Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half.
Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper.
Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets
onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

For a spiral cookie:
Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the workspace and remove the top sheet of parchment.
Brush dough lightly with cold water. Place a sheet of vanilla dough on the workspace,
and remove top sheet of paper. Using the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough,
place the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough.
Take care to line up the edges of the 2 doughs and trim as needed.
Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top piece of paper.
Brush the surface of the dough lightly with cold water.
Position the sandwiched doughs with the long edge facing you.
Using the edge of the paper as a guide, roll the doughs into a tight cylinder, 2 inches wide.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of dough.

Evenly position racks in the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Slice the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch thick cookies.
Lay about 1/2-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake until just golden – not too dark you\’ll lose the definition of the spiral, about 14 to 16 minutes.

Cook\’s Notes
• For the perfect spiral, make sure the first roll is very tight.
If there are gaps, they will show up in the final cookies.
If the dough gets too soft, simply refrigerate until malleable but not so dry that it cracks.