Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies – Cooking Light Recipe

26 Jan

Posted by Suburban Grandma in All Recipes, Cakes, Cookies, Culture, Desserts, Health, Life

As you already know, I love trying new recipes. Most of the time I try a recipe based on a sample I enjoyed, made by someone else. Other times, I just try a recipe based on the ingredients, and a picture of the finished product.

This time I was looking for some “light and healthy” cookie recipes, to cater to some of my guests who are dieting, yet wish to satisfy their sweet tooth.

The Ginger-Lemon Pinwheel Cookies in this post, were one of the ones I decided to try.

The picture looked very appealing to me, and the ingredients did not call for anything out of the ordinary, so it sounded like a great choice.

Normally I only share successful recipes, but even though I was slightly disappointed with the final result of this recipe, I will share it any way, because it might appeal to someone who is looking for low calorie cookies. Actually, I will probably make these again, and play with the recipe a little.

This recipe yields about 40 cookies @ only 81 calories each.

Ingredients for Ginger Dough:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses (I used dark molasses)
1 large egg yolk (save the white for the Lemon Dough)
1- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt – (I used 1/8 tsp)
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground allspice

Directions for Ginger Dough:

In a medium mixer bowl, combine butter and brown sugar.
Mix about 3 minutes, at medium speed.
Add molasses, and egg yolk, and beat until blended.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and all the spices.
Gradually add to the butter mixture, and beat at low speed until combined.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Lemon Dough:

8 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white (saved from Ginger dough)
2 tsp. ground lemon rind
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt (I used 1/8 tsp)

Directions for Lemon Dough:

In a medium bowl, mix butter and sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add egg white and beat until blended.
Beat in lemon rind and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix flour with all the dry ingredients.
Gradually add to butter mixture, and beat at low speed until blended.
Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Unwrap ginger dough, roll between two sheets of plastic wrap, into a 13×8 rectangle. Dough will be quite thin (3/16 inch).
Chill for 10 minutes.
Roll the lemon dough in the same way, and chill as well.
Once chilled, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap from the Ginger and Lemon Dough.
Stack Lemon Dough on top of Ginger Dough, leaving 1/2 inch border along the long side of the Ginger Dough.
Remove the remaining plastic wrap.
Starting with the long side without the border, roll up dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion. If you do not roll tightly, you will end up with a whole in the middle of your pinwheel.
Seal edges (do not seal ends of roll).
Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Unwrap dough roll.
Cut with a sharp knife, into 40 slices, about 1/4 inch thick.
Reshape rounds.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper (wax paper will scorch – do not use).
Arrange cookie slices 1 inch apart.
Bake one batch at a time, for 8 minutes, or until set and slightly browned.
Cool on wire racks.

If anyone tried these cookies before, please share your comments.

Some of my guests actually enjoyed them, even though these cookies are on a denser side, more like biscotti, or as I call them “dunking” tea cookies.

If you are watching your diet, you definitely would have no guilt having a couple of these, instead of any of my other ones, which are scrumptious, but not so low in calories.

TIP: This would be a good cookie for Phase III in The Fat Smash Diet.

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