Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread toasted

Today I'm posting my recipe as it appears on the cards I turned in for the King Arthur Flour Yeast Bread Competition at the Iowa State Fair this morning. I don't expect this bread here to win anything today. I decided around 9:00 last night that I would enter this competition, with three entries no less. My timing was a bit off, and I didn't have the right amount of time to let this bread rise all the way. I expected it to rise a little faster and the cheesy potato bread was rising super fast, but not so fast that I could have baked it first... I don't make the best baking decisions at 1:30 A.M.

The decision making doesn't get much better at 7:30 A.M. after only four hours sleep. I drove myself to drop off my three entries, naively thinking I could drive into the drop off lot. Apparently one needs a special permit for this. So I ended up parking about two blocks away, thankfully for free on the street, and walked my entry in. I should have dragged one of my kids out of bed to run in for me to drop the stuff off. Well, live and learn, as they say. At least they don't require a ticket to go in to drop food entries off.

Back to the point of this post. This bread is interesting because it has rolled oats in it. I'm not sure if it's the oats or the need for a longer rise, but this is a relatively dense loaf of bread. Lots of cinnamon and raisin flavor, and it tastes great toasted with lots of melty butter. There's a lot of chew to it--again, not sure if that's due to the rise or the oats. It's a hearty bread that I think my husband would like for breakfast, so I think I'll probably be making this again.

Well, what do you know. It ended up taking first
place in the cinnamon raisin bread class. Guess
it turned out the way it was supposed to.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
      --adapted from KingArthurFlour.com
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1 heaping cup raisins
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water, 110°F
• 5 1/2 to 6 cups KingArthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

Combine and heat the milk and butter (on the stove or in the microwave) until just hot to the touch (about 120°F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and add the raisins or other fruit, water, oat flakes, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt and cinnamon; stir well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix three cups of flour with the instant yeast. When the milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add the yeast/flour mixture and turn mixer on low. Add remaining 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour, half a cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat it on all sides, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a cozy place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Knock down the dough, knead briefly on a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into two lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Brush tops of loaves with the egg & water mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until nicely browned and internal temperature reaches 185 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Near the end of the baking time, if the loaves are getting dark too quickly, cover them with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny-side up. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Yields 2 loaves

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Rolls

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Roll

The macadamia nut side.

Yes, this cinnamon roll is made with croissant dough.

Well, today is the first day of the Iowa State Fair 2012, which means it's also the day of the Tone's Cinnamon Roll Competition. This is the first year in six that I won't be competing. Part of it is because I just got back from a month in California (working and visiting family), and part of it is that I think I'm still bitter from last year's competition (see German Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls). 

Since this is my blog, and I can say what I want, I'm going to take the time to go into my sad "first world problem" story. I realize that in the light of eternity, this is not even a grain of salt, but I'm going to indulge myself. Skip down to the recipe if you don't want to know the sordid details.

When I moved to Iowa back in 2005, I was not yet eligible to enter the competition for that year. So the next year I entered, and my big winner was Nanaimo Bars. That year I realized that the BIG prize was in the Tone's Cinnamon Roll Competition. There were two classes in this certain competition: Cinnamon Rolls (sticky-caramel, with or without nuts)  and Cinnamon Rolls (plain-frosted or unfrosted). First prize in each class was $500, and the overall winner got $3000. That means that if you won overall, you really won $3500 in all, because you have to have won first place in your class to be in the running for best overall. I wanted the big money, so I got to work on making cinnamon rolls. 

My first year I made a macadamia nut sticky bun and honey wheat cinnamon rolls. They were reasonably sized and delicious. Well, they both went immediately to the reject table after being tasted. Bum-mer. When I checked out the winning rolls later, I noticed that they were ridiculously large. Other than that, they left me unimpressed. 

The next two years I tried to go bigger, to no avail. I still went to the reject table. I also tried to mix things up by using croissant dough for my sticky buns and I sometimes used pecans, sometimes macadamia nuts. I was frustrated. I knew my cinnamon rolls were delicious, but so were most of the other ones presented to the judges. How was I ever going to stand out? What was the secret? These thoughts consumed me most of the year as I tried roll after roll out on family and friends. They weren't complaining, but I knew there had to be some secret I wasn't in on.

Well, when the premium book came out for 2009, I noticed an addition to the cinnamon roll classes: Non-Traditional Cinnamon Rolls. Had they taken note of my crazy efforts to stand out and decided to make an entire class for these non-conformist but delicious rolls? I like to think they did it for me, but I have no evidence.

That year, I decided to make these rolls. My inspiration, obviously is from Mrs. Field's white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Trial runs turned out well and got good reviews from family and friends, and the day of the competition they turned out perfectly. Golden brown, buttery, flaky, with a nutty caramelized bottom and a little white chocolate drizzled on top. One of the judges said they transported her to Vienna, where she imagined eating one while sitting at a cafe. 

In the end, they won first place in the Non-Traditional Cinnamon Roll class, and I was $500 richer. The judges loved them, and I felt vindicated. Sure, I didn't win the big prize, but then, once that happened, I wouldn't be allowed to enter any more. This way, I could keep on entering. 

So the next year in my preparation, I was leaning toward a bacon sticky bun--you know, using fried bacon bits instead of nuts. Only a few people really LIKED those rolls. They mostly had the novelty of bacon going for them. Then, it came to me: pulled pork cinnamon rolls. I made them; they won; and I started this blog (see Pulled Pork Cinnamon Roll post for details).

Having won two years in a row in this new class, I might have gotten a little cocky. I really expected to at least make it behind the velvet curtain, but my entry the following year went straight to the reject table. I was ticked. I guess I still am a little bit. (Again, see German Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls post.)

So, this year, instead of entering the competition, I am at home with my son, making this older winning recipe and blogging about it. Maybe next year I'll have the time and the will to enter again, but for now, I feel good about not entering the fray this year. One day I really need to write a post about the darker side of food competition. It might just be cathartic for me. For now, I will nurse my bitterness and make more people fat. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for listening.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough

• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour,  plus extra for rolling
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk, cold
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, but cool
• 2 ½ sticks butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, cold
• 1 tablespoon King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling

• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Other

• 1 cup finely chopped roasted macadamia nuts
• 3 ounces white chocolate

Instructions:

The Dough

1.  Whisk 3 cups flour together with the yeast, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.  Place the milk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Add the flour mixture and kneed at low speed until a ball of dough forms.  Cut the 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and add to the dough.  Continue to knead until the butter becomes fully incorporated and the dough becomes smooth, begins to form a ball, and clears the sides of the bowl.  Add up to ¼ cup more flour, one tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky.  Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.

2. Place the 2 ½ sticks of butter and 1 tablespoon flour into the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.  Beat until butter is uniformly smooth and creamy. 

3. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface.  Roll dough into 10 x 14-inch rectangle.  Spread butter evenly over the bottom 2/3 of the rectangle.  Fold unbuttered third onto the middle third.  Brush away excess flour with a clean pastry brush. Then fold that onto the bottom third.  Seal edges with side of your hand.

4.  Using a rolling pin, gently whack the dough, starting at the center of the dough and go outward.  Then gently roll the dough into about a 7 x 12-inch rectangle, and fold into thirds again.  Make sure that the butter doesn’t break through.  IF it does, sprinkle with flour.  Fold the square into thirds to form a long rectangle, brushing away excess flour as you fold.  Wrap in wax paper and then place in an unsealed gallon size plastic bag. Refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes.

5.  Remove dough from refrigerator and remove from bag/wrap, and on a floured surface, gently whack and roll into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle.  As in step four, fold dough into thirds and then fold one last time so you have a square again.  Wrap and refrigerate again for 2 hours to overnight.

Forming  & Baking the Rolls                                                             

6. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt with a fork and set aside.

7.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into a rough 16” x 16” rectangle about ¼” thick. Evenly spread the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the surface of the rectangle, leaving about 1 inch clear at one end. Gently press sugar down with the flat palm of your hand. Starting at the edge opposite the unsugared edge, roll the dough into a log.  Gently pinch the seam to seal.

9.  With a very sharp knife, trip off ends.  Cut log into 12 equal pieces. Press one side of each roll into macadamia nuts.  (If not many pieces stick. Sprinkle 1- 1 ½  tablespoons nuts onto baking sheet before placing roll on top.)  Place rolls on prepared sheets, nut-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. *Note: you can make these without the nuts as well. Just skip this nutty step and place cut rolls on the baking sheet, let rise, and bake the same.

10.  Preheat oven to 400°.  Place one pan in refrigerator until the other is done baking.  Whisk egg wash ingredients in a small bowl and brush each roll with it, on the sides and top.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a deep golden brown color all over.

11.  Remove pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Slide parchment with rolls onto wire rack to cool.  Allow to cool at least 10-15 minutes before frosting.  Repeat with other pan.

12.  Melt white chocolate in microwave then drizzle over tops of rolls.

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls

Just so you know what it looks like unbaked.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

I think I originally got this recipe from Allrecipes.com, but I don't know for sure if this is the right link. I've modified it a little bit because they were much too sweet with all the sugar called for. These are things I only make at Christmastime, mostly because they're pretty labor intensive with all the chocolate dipping. People love them, though, and they did win a blue ribbon at the 2008 Iowa State Fair.  
I love these for their crunch. You get the peanut crunch from the peanuts in the crunchy peanut butter, but you also get a finer crispy kind of crunch from the graham cracker crumbs. Of course, they are peanut buttery, and the chocolate just rounds out the flavor and texture and makes it all just fabulous. If you're looking for a peanut butter ball recipe, I think this is one of the best. 

Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chunky peanut butter 3 T creamy peanut butter 1 stick of butter, softened, but cool 2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs 3 cups milk chocolate chips 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (only if not tempering chocolate)  1/3 cup salted peanuts, halved, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
1. Mix together peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and graham cracker crumbs.  Shape into 1-inch balls.  Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

2.  Melt chocolate chips and shortening in top of double boiler (or melt and temper the chocolate). Dip balls into chocolate and set on waxed paper.  (Use a toothpick to poke and dip each ball, or else use two forks.) Garnish with a ½ peanut on top.  Allow chocolate to firm up before serving.

Makes about 56 balls

Pineapple Kolaches

King Arthur Flour Pineapple Kolache

So, I compete in the Iowa State Fair food competition each summer, and I'm always looking for new ways to win. One way is to find classes in the competition that have only two or three entries each year. Less competition, better chance of winning.  It sounds like cheating when I say it like that, but, what can I say? It's worked for me a few times. A couple of years ago, I was perusing the entries in the King Arthur Flour Yeast Roll Competition, and I saw these cute little danish-looking things, that I knew couldn't be danishes because they were too plain, and the dough wasn't laminated. I pulled out my handy dandy premium book for the food competition, and deduced that these were Kolaches. Hmmm. Fast forward a year or so, and I was having a chat with a colleague about food, and she mentioned a Czech pastry called Kolaches. She was kind enough to bring me one from back home in Saint Lucas, Iowa, where they have a Czech festival each year.  It was a cherry Kolache, and it wasn't flat and round like this one, it was a little purse of dough, and there were four little "windows" of cherry filling. So cute. So tender and soft.  Very nice.

So, this year, 2011, I decided to try my hand at Kolaches for the IA State Fair. Since I'd never tried making them before, I just checked the sponsor's website, and of course, King Arthur Flour had a recipe for me. What you see below is pretty much copied and pasted from the website, but I've deleted some of the variations they list.  What I got was a Kolache much sweeter than the one I first tasted, but the dough was the same, and it got me a blue ribbon in the Kolache class. Better yet, they also won second place overall in the yeast roll competition.  

Everyone who tries these loves them, so I'll have to try making them again, just to share.

Kolaches

   --adapted from King Arthur Flour's Kolache Recipe

Ingredients

DOUGH 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 2 teaspoons instant yeast 1/2 cup lukewarm water 2 large eggs 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

PINEAPPLE FILLING 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained (reserve 3 tablespoons of the juice) 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons melted butter. STREUSEL TOPPING 2/3 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup (about 5 2/3 tablespoons) melted butter

Instructions

DOUGH: Warm the sour cream gently, and combine it with the sugar, salt, and butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl, the bowl of an electric mixer, or the bucket of your bread machine. Cool the mixture to lukewarm (if it isn’t already that temperature), and add the yeast (if you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the water first), warm water, eggs, and flour. Mix and knead the dough, using your hands, a mixer, or a bread machine, till it’s soft and smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough overnight. Note: This dough won’t rise much, so don’t worry about having to put it in a huge bowl.

Next day, remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into about 20 pieces, each 1 3/4 ounces, about the size of a golf ball. Place the pieces on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between them. Flatten the balls till they’re about 1/2-inch thick, cover them with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.



PINEAPPLE FILLING: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the drained pineapple to boiling. Cool to lukewarm before using.

If you’re using cornstarch, mix cornstarch with the reserved pineapple juice. Stir the dissolved cornstarch and the sugar into the hot pineapple, and cook over medium heat, stirring, till the mixture thickens and becomes clear. Immediately remove the filling from the heat, and stir in the melted butter. Let it cool to lukewarm before using.



STREUSEL TOPPING: In a small bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, then add the butter, stirring till crumbs form.



Kolache right before going into the oven.

ASSEMBLY: Using your fingers, make a wide, deep indentation in the center of each flattened dough ball. Don’t be afraid of being decisive here; you want to make a deep enough indentation that it doesn’t just disappear as the buns rise and bake. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each bun; crumble a little of the streusel on top. Cover the kolaches, and allow them to rise for about an hour; they won’t necessarily double in bulk.

Bake the kolaches in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, till they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Yield: about 20 kolaches.


Chocolate Dipped Refrigerator Cookies

Dipped cookies waiting to set up.

Here's another crisp cookie recipe that I think comes from my Aunt Tee.  These have a simple, rich butter-brown sugar flavor that will satisfy a sweet tooth easily, but they taste even better when they're dipped in Dove Milk Chocolate (of course).  These are cookies you want to be sure not to UNDERbake, because they taste much better crispy than chewy.  They keep well, so the cookie snob in me does not have to throw them away for at least a week.  (If they make it that long.)  Since the dough is refrigerated anyway, you can bake up some of them one day and then keep the rest in the fridge until later.  I would probably try to use it within the week, though.  Any longer than that and I would freeze the dough.

I pretty much temper my chocolate these days if I'm going to dip anything in it.  It looks nicer, and it makes these cookies easier to store.  When you don't temper the chocolate, sometimes it doesn't really set up right and it's tacky to the touch.  Tempering gives the chocolate a better "shell" so the cookies won't stick to each other or other things.  See Tempering Chocolate page for instructions on tempering chocolate.

Oh, and these cookies won second place in the Midwest Living Cookies Refrigerator Cookie class in 2008.  Just so you know.

Chocolate Dipped Refrigerator Cookies

Ingredients

½  cup butter 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 ¾ cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts (or other nut) 2 cups milk chocolate chips or chunks, melted & tempered

Instructions

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla thoroughly.  Sift together flour, soda, and salt.  Stir into wet mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Form into a 2 ½-inch roll (or line an empty Fruit By The Foot box with plastic wrap and fill with dough).  

Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Chill until firm. 

Heat oven to 400°F.  With a thin, sharp knife, cut thin slices 1/8-inch thick.  Place slices ½-inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Once cookies are cool, dip one tip in the melted chocolate (preferably tempered) until half is covered in chocolate.  Shake excess chocolate from cookie and place on waxed paper to set.

Any simple box will do to shape your dough.

The thinner the slice, the more crisp the cookie.

These refrigerator cookies taste great even without the chocolate.

Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars.  Mmmmmm..

(Disclaimer: If you are a true blue Canadian, before you read this post and get offended, please know that I realize that "real" or "traditional" Nanaimo bars do not use Jell-O pudding powder. For a more traditional Nanaimo bar that uses Bird's powdered custard, click here.)
   
Chocolatey, creamy, chewy, with just a hint of salt, the Nanaimo Bar endeared itself to me from the get-go. If a pastry could be a friend, the Nanaimo Bar would be my BFF and a half. I first experienced this amazing confection at an event at Portland State University.  The servings they offered were at least twice the size of what I make them now, and I ate THREE of them over the course of an hour.  I didn't know its name, but I knew I was in love.  I eventually called the PSU food service to find out what those amazing bars were called and whether I could get the recipe. Imagine my horror and disgust at finding out they had ordered the bars from a bakery, and the person I was speaking with had no idea which bakery. 

Months passed, and I ended up getting a name AND a recipe for these wonderful bars from my friend Kathi, who lived near the Canadian border.  They are a Canadian dessert (the best cuisine Canada has to offer, I might add) and they are called "Nanaimo Bars."  Once I had a recipe and a name, I could tweak it and make it mine.  As I introduced the little bar to friends and family, they all fell in love with it too.

Fast forward a few years to my first food competition at the Iowa State Fair.  Actually, the Nanaimo Bar is the only reason I really entered in the first place.  The first time I saw the winners' displays at the ISF,  and looked at the blue ribbon cookies, I thought, "My Nanaimo Bar would kick all these cookies' butts."  And kick some cookie butt it did.  Not only did it take first place in its class in 2006, but it went on to win best cookie overall: the "Cookie of the Fair."  Top dog over 54 other classes of cookies.  Once you eat these, you will know why, and you too, will feel the love.

      For a blonde Nanaimo bar, click here.

Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup sugar  
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 ½  cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• ½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Middle Layer

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons half & half
• 2 tablespoons powdered (instant) vanilla pudding mix 
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Top Layer

• 1 cup semi-sweet-chocolate chips (or, even better, about 22 Dove Dark Chocolate Promises)
• 1 tablespoon Crisco or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped white or milk chocolate, melted

Instructions:

Line the bottom of a 9 X 9-inch pan (glass or metal) with parchment paper or non-stick foil.

Bottom Layer:  In a 300° oven, toast coconut and chopped pecans until golden brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally.   Remove from oven and set aside.  In the top of a double boiler, melt ½ cup butter and Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate (or cocoa and sugar). Whisk to combine.  Whisk in the beaten egg.  Whisk until thickened, and then remove at once from heat.  Fold in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and pecans.  Press into prepared pan.  Put in refrigerator while you prepare the next layer.

Middle Layer:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together ½ cup softened butter, half & half, and pudding mix.  Fold in the powdered sugar.  Beat until very light.  Spread evenly on top of the first layer.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Put in refrigerator again for an hour or so, until middle layer is firm.

Top Layer:  In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips and Crisco or vegetable oil. The chocolate may melt the middle layer if it’s too hot, so you might want to let it cool for a little bit.  Pour onto second layer and spread evenly.  Drizzle white or milk chocolate over the top for decoration.*  Let set in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes and then cut.  (This keeps the chocolate from cracking when you cut it.)  Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. 

Note: Be sure to remove any foil or parchment paper that may have stuck to the bottom of individual bars.

Makes 16-25 servings, depending on how you cut them.

*I've created a post that gives explicit instructions and photos on how to make the "feathery" lines you see on these bars: How to Make Those Feathery Lines on Nanaimo Bars.

Nanaimo Bars with pretty designs

See my Nanaimo Bar TikTok

Swedish Cream Cookies

Swedish Cream Cookies All Colorful and Happy

A few red and green sprinkles make these ones Christmasy.

Simple and delicious. Mmmmmmmm. Swedish cream cookies are basically smooth, creamy frosting sandwiched between two tender pie crust circles.  They're not really much to look at, but the flavors and textures are just one of those combinations that make your mouth happy. 
I originally got the recipe for these from my good friend Karla.  Her recipe had no salt, but I definitely tasted salt in this cookie.  She insisted she added no salt, which we finally discovered was true, but she had used self-rising flour.  Since I liked Karla's version better than the no salt & no leavening original recipe, I've added a little bit of salt and baking powder to this recipe.  I think it makes for a more tender melt-in-your-mouth kind of experience, and who doesn't want THAT?
Believe it or not, these cookies are a favorite for several of my friends, but beware: you can't stop eating them once you've started.  You've been warned.

Note: You can  just use one or the other of the extracts. If you do, use 1 tsp vanilla OR 1 tsp almond. You can also make the frosting vanilla bean flavor by following the instructions at the end of this post.*

SWEDISH CREAM COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
Cookie:

• 1 cup salted butter
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for dusting)

Frosting:

• ½ cup salted butter
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• food coloring, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Cut 1 cup of the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cream and form the dough into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Note: I do all of the mixing in my Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment, and they turn out fine.  The original recipe calls for the cutting in of the butter.)
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Dust a cutting board with the sugar/flour mixture.  Roll dough out a third of the dough at a time to 1/8-inch thick and cut with a 1 1/2” circle cutter.  Place circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick cookies three times with a fork, or gently just stamp (don't cut) with a shaped cookie cutter.
4. Bake at 375°F for 8-11 minutes until lightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool before frosting.
5. Beat ½ cup butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and the 1 ½ T cream. Adjust cream and powdered sugar until frosting gets to a nice spreading consistency. Add food coloring, if desired. Scoop frosting into a sandwich or quart size zip top bag, and cut about a ¼ inch tip off.
6. Squeeze some frosting onto the bottoms of half of the cookies and place the remaining cookies on top to make sandwich cookies.
Makes about 30 cookies.

Vanilla Bean Swedish Cream Cookies*

*For the vanilla bean frosting, warm two tablespoons cream with the vanilla bean seeds scraped from a two-inch segment of a whole vanilla bean.  Whisk to disperse vanilla bean seeds.  Pour into a small bowl/cup, cover, and refrigerate.  Use this vanilla bean cream in place of the heavy cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract.  I pour off about a half a tablespoon into another container and use the remaining vanilla bean cream in the frosting, making sure to scrape all of the vanilla bean goodness into the butter/powdered sugar mixture.  If I need more liquid in the frosting, I add what I poured off into another container.

These cookies won a blue ribbon at the 2008 Iowa 

State Fair Midwest Living Cookie Competition in the Frosted Cookie-Other Than Named class.

I think part of the fun is all the different color combinations.