I baked the tiny gingerbread men last week. Yesterday I baked up the peppermint-vanilla swirl cookies. They're supposed to be pinwheel cookies, but I'm afraid my pinwheels lack all of the turns of the wheels. They are delicious, nonetheless. I always wonder why no manufacturer makes a peppermint cookie that doesn't also have chocolate. Peppermint and vanilla are a yummy combination, even without chocolate.
Anyway, these are impressive-looking for the low cost and relative ease. They are a refrigerator dough that is sliced after firming. I use my mother's chocolate and vanilla pinwheel cookie recipe, leaving out the chocolate in one portion of the dough and adding in red food coloring and peppermint oil until the dough tastes minty enough. I also add about 1 extra tablespoon of flour to compensate for the gel and oil added to color and flavor.
Baked refrigerator cookies freeze well. I froze my son and daughter-in-law's portion and a dozen for us. I also put out a dozen to eat this week and they're almost gone. I may have to make these again later this week.
I hope all of your cleaning, cooking/baking, wrapping, and other preparations are going well this week.
