THE WINNERS Cranberry-Chai Swirls (Best of Show)
Makes about 5 dozen (1⁄4-inch thick) cookies
Layers of gingerbread colors and chai spices spiral around a tart cranberry jam in this oh-so-pretty, flavorful cookie, created by Mike Behringer of Milwaukee, that snared the No. 1 spot in the contest (and won the Layered Wonders category). It's a long recipe but worth the effort. For the best color contrast, use bleached all-purpose flour. Gingersnap cookie dough:
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons molasses
2 1⁄4 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
Orange-cardamom cookie dough:
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 ⁄4 cups flour
1
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from 2 medium oranges)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
⁄2 teaspoon ground 1 coriander
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Cranberry jam:
3 cups fresh cranberries
⁄4 cup granulated sugar 3
3⁄4 cup water
1⁄4 cup orange juice Make gingersnap dough: In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses until fully combined.
In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add to butter mixture in small batches, mixing slowly until all dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Divide dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Gently flatten into a disc and refrigerate 1 hour, or until other components are ready to assemble.
Make orange-cardamom dough: In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Beat in egg and corn syrup until fully combined.
In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add to butter mixture in small batches, mixing slowly until all dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Divide dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Gently flatten into a disc, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until other components are ready to assemble.
Make cranberry jam: In a food processor, pulse cranberries into rice-size pieces or smaller. Empty into a large saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.
Once mixture has reached a rolling boil for at least a minute, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer. Continue stirring intermittently until the jam has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir every few minutes to help the jam cool. Drain off excess liquid, if necessary, or save as a syrup for
another dessert. (Makes about 2 cups jam; you will use about half.)
To assemble: Once doughs and jam are cooled, remove one disc of each dough from the fridge and allow a few minutes to warm up slightly.
Unwrap and roll out one disc at time on parchment paper with a floured rolling pin. Be mindful of the rolling pressure and rotate the parchment with the dough frequently to create an even surface. Roll each to a 15-by-12-inch rectangle.
Slide the parchment with the dough onto a mobile surface, such as a baking sheet or cooling rack, and set to the side. Repeat the process for the second disc.
Place sheets of dough parallel to each other, aligning on a longer edge. Depending on the tools available, flipping one sheet of dough over the other may be easier but can be dangerous, as the dough is prone to tearing.
If using two flat surfaces, such as cooling racks, folding the sheets together as if quickly closing a book might allow more accurate aligning. Once both sheets are successfully combined, roll floured pin over dough gently to help bind the layers. Cut off about an inch of dough from all sides to ensure straight edges and even thickness.
Using a spoon or offset spatula, dollop bits of jam around the dough. Keep a 1- to 2-inch margin along one of the longer edges clear, so that the cookie dough — when rolled — can seal against more dough. Spread the jam in an even layer, and scrape off any excess. The jam layer should be thinner and appear almost translucent.
Once the jam is covering the dough, position the sheet so that the clean edge is farther away from you. Using small and gentle movements, begin lifting the longer jam-covered edge, pushing the dough up and over to create a subtle tuck that will be the beginning of the spiral. Slowly and evenly, lift the parchment paper along the starting edge, gently encouraging the dough to roll forward away from the parchment until it reaches the clean margin of dough. If the spiral at any point falls too far forward or becomes loose, pull the roll back along the exposed jam to tighten.
Using a small amount of water, wet the clean margin before completing the roll to help the dough bond to itself. Continue to push the roll forward over the clean margin and, with a free hand, place the parchment paper back on top of the roll. Continue rolling to fully wrap the completed roll with at least one layer of paper. For more support, wrap with more paper before sealing with a layer of plastic wrap. Place the roll in the freezer on a flat surface to set overnight, and repeat the process with the second set of dough.
To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one dough roll at a time from freezer. (Note: Some slumping of the roll is to be expected, but do not try to restore the dough’s shape yet, or the spiral may break.)
With a serrated knife or sharp chef’s knife, make slow and gradual sawing motions to gently cut cross-sections of the roll, about 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch thick. Place the cookies about 1 1⁄2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cookies then can be gently reshaped, if needed, for a more aesthetic spiral.
Bake cookies in preheated oven about 15 minutes, until the lighter layer of dough just begins to color (begin checking after 11 minutes). Cookies should have crisp edges and be entirely set at the center but still tender. Let cool on the sheets a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.