Christmas cookies dough leftover

I just came up with the idea for this page when baking Pinwheel Christmas cookies with my daughter. There are always leftovers from cutting cookies and these would normally end up in the bin. But last time my daughter collected all the small pieces together and shaped them into a log. "Could we bake this?" she asked. Of course a lump of dough of this size wouldn't be baked through evenly so I decided to cut it into small pieces. I did that and suddenly realised that cookies look totally cool and funky. There is a marble pattern which differs slightly from one cookie to the other. I baked them and got small cookies which have a great yummy taste and fit perfectly onto a saucer just beside a coffee cup.

Honestly, it is a shame to throw away all dough leftovers when you can bake more yummy cookies. They don't look as pretty as Pinwheel cookies, but hey with their unique marble patterns and yummy taste the cookies are pretty decent and team with coffee really well. They could be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks, and when you run out of Pinwheel cookies these marble cookies will replace them perfectly :)

Method (step by step) how to use Christmas cookies dough leftover recipe:

STEP 1:

When you bake Pinwheel cookies you need to roll (4mm/0.157in thick) both halves of dough separately on a baking parchment to prevent sticking. In case that you don't have the paper just flour a working surface well.
Don't forget to flour the rolling pin too.

STEP 2:

Then you need to put one dough at the top of another and trim the edges to form a rectangle-like shape. The leftovers can then be used for baking marble cookies.

STEP 3:

Collect small pieces which are left from trimming and shape them into a log. Before baking wrap the log into a plastic wrapper and leave it in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The surface of cookies will be much smoother if you cut a log straight from the refrigerator.

STEP 4:

After 30 minutes of cooling start cutting the log. Use metal spatula or thin, sharp knife. Both should be floured before use to prevent sticking.
Marble pattern is differs from one end...

STEP 5:

...to the other.
The thickness of cookies is entirely up to a particular taste. Thin sliced will be baked into thin, crisp cookies. Thick sliced will be baked into thick and softer cookies.

STEP 6:

Every cookie has a slightly different marble pattern and that is why every cookie is unique. Put them on a greased baking sheet 2.5 cm/1in apart. Bake them for 9 minutes on 150C fan/170C/gas mark 3/338F or until cookies are just golden around the edges or firm to touch.

STEP 7:

Here are the yummy baked marble Christmas cookies. Store them in an airtight container, or they will become soggy and soft.
Serve them with your favorite cup of coffee.

Our coffee choice for Christmas cookies dough leftovers:

Cappuccino

Espresso

Cafe latte

Turkish coffee

*all combinations have been tested with medium roast Arabica blend

Useful baking tips

The dough could be frozen and used straight from the freezer.
For cutting use a sharp knife or metal spatula, but both should be floured before use to prevent sticking.
Cookies are baked when golden around the edges and firm to touch.
Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh.

Good to know

You can use the dough leftovers from every cookie recipe to get a similar kind of marble effect. You just need cocoa and plain dough.