Mint Swirls (Approx 50 cookies)

This recipe is particularly enticing to any of you whom are fans of the mint chocolate combination. It is also somewhat time consuming as there are 4 parts to this recipe. Do yourself a favor and make it your first batch of the day or you might run out of patience with it.

3/4 cup of butter (That's a stick and a half)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (large)
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
2-3 drops of green food coloring
2+1/4 cups of all purpose flour
4 finely crushed Oreos
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (optional)
1 teaspoon shortening (optional)

PART I:

1. In your handy Kitchen Aid mixer, beat butter on medium-high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder until combined.

2. Beat in egg, mint, extract, and food coloring. Next, beat in as much of the flour as you can.

Helpful Hint: Beat in flour 1/2 cup at a time; always start on lowest setting (or you will have flour on the floor, the table, yourself and whatever else is in an 8 inch radius).

Use a wooden spoon to stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Helpful Hint: I like to put the halves in separate sections of wax paper rather than halving them in the mixing bowl.

PART II:

3. Between 2 sheets of wax paper, roll one portion of dough a time into an 8x7in rectangle. No cutting corners here! Make it as neat an accurate as possible! Sprinkle half of the crushed sandwich cookies evenly over dough to within 1/4in of the edges.




4. Starting from a short side, roll up dough into a spiral, removing bottom sheet of wax paper as you roll. Wrap the entire spiral in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill four at least 4 hours. (I usually let it sit overnight).

Helpful Hint: This is not going to be flawless. Try to smooth out the edges as you go along. Don't apply too much pressure or it will tear apart.

PART III (This is by far the easiest part):


5. Cut rolls into 1/4 in slices. Place slices about 2 in apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 8-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to wire rack.

Do not be alarmed if some oreo cookie stuffing falls out. This is bound to happen.

Helpful Hint: When you bake cookies, make sure there are two racks in your oven. Instead of waiting 8 minutes for you cookies to cook on one level, start them on the bottom rack and move to the top after 4 minutes. This will allow a more even cooking and let you cook more at once.

PART IV (optional but recommended):

6. In a heavy saucepan microwave cook and stir chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat.

Actually, just don't bother using a saucepan. This year I attempted to do this with a sauce pan and my chocolate never became smooth and actually started burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan!

Next, get out a saucepan that is larger than the bowl you put in the microwave. Put a little water in it and keep it between warm and low on your stove top. Then put the bowl with the chocolate/shortening mix inside the saucepan. This prevents the chocolate from sticking and burning to the pan and allows it to reach consistency at its own pace.

Helpful Hint: Drizzle with the wrist. Don't attempt to coat the entire top of the cookie in chocolate. It takes away from the look of the final product.