Twisted Cookies ~ With Rolled-In Sugar
My Mom and I made Twisted Cookies for the first time in 1959 from a recipe printed on the inside of a cake yeast wrapper. My Mom made bread from scratch, without a recipe, and this tricky and unique recipe using yeast was right up her alley. When I left home and married, this recipe went right along with me. You might say I have been leaving a trail of Twisted Cookies behind me for the last 48 years. This is our family cookie and I only make them at Christmas time. If I ask my older son (age 42) what he wants for Christmas, he always says, “You know what I want, Mom.” And my older daughter and grand daughter have taken up the baton and are making their own Twisted Cookies now, carrying on the tradition.
My two older beautiful red heads, David and Anna, as teenagers at Christmas in 1986 with their gift cans of Twisted Cookies
In fact, originally I was going to call my blog Twisted Cookie. I even have a photo file on my computer called Twisted Cookie pics that I took in anticipation of my blog launch. I looked online to see if the domain name was free and it was! The next day I went to purchase it and someone had bought it and was offering it for sale for $16,000. I was furious and I cried. I had never thought of calling my blog anything else, so I had no Plan B. My blog was ready to launch and had no name. It took me 6 months to come up with a new blog name I felt I could live with. But that is a story for another post.
The Twisted Cookie Affair Menu in 1992
In 1992 I took my third hands-on cooking class in culinary school at UCLA. At the end of the quarter, we prepared a banquet for about 100 friends and relatives. It was held at historic Castle Green in Pasadena. If you go to their website and look at photos 10-12 in the gallery, you will see the gorgeous dining room we were so lucky to use. During the quarter, all the students brought different dishes we thought might go on the menu, and one of mine was my Twisted Cookies. They liked them so much, they decided to call our event The Twisted Cookie Affair. The other recipes that were mine were the Potato Blocks and the Chocolate Praline Terrine, both of which may appear on this blog at some point. In retrospect, I cannot fathom why the potatoes were given such a pedestrian title. Couldn’t we have called them Potatoes Lynnaise or something. Lol. Oh well, I was younger then.
I have already told the story of my second culinary school banquet in 1995 in my post titled Mini Lemon Tartlets and a Culinary School Banquet, which you can read here. That was the class where I had to seduce the other students into using my recipes, one of which was my Twisted Cookies. You can see one on the plate above at that banquet sitting proudly with the Mini Lemon Tart, Sabayon and Berries.
The Twisted Cookies photographed for this post were made at Christmas 2011, and the whole batch went to my older son for one of his gifts. It made him very happy. Here is how you make them:
After the dough is made, it is divided in two, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated.
The dough is rolled out over half the vanilla sugar and the excess around the edges is scooped up and rolled in on top.
The dough is folded in thirds and rolled out, and folded and rolled two more times.
The edges are trimmed to form a neat rectangle.
The dough is sliced in half, and each half divided in two. Just eyeball it.
Each of the four slices is divided in two to form 8 1-inch strips.
The cutting board is turned so the long side is facing you and the strips are cut in half, and each half divided in two to form 32 4×1-inch strips.
Each strip is twisted 2 times and placed on an ungreased foil-covered sheet.
They are baked to a golden brown and the sugar on the bottom caramelizes. The sugary top is crispy, and the yeasty pastry dough inside is soft and layered. I bet you have never had anything like this.
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Twisted Cookies ~ with Rolled-In Sugar
Yield: 64 cookies
2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (1 pkg) (NOT Rapid Rise, Pizza Crust or Bread Machine)
¼ cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees F)
½ teaspoon sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 1 cookie sheet with foil. Double pan to bake.
1. In a warm medium bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Proof until frothy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut butter into flour until rice-size with two knives or pastry cutter.
3. In the medium bowl, mix eggs, sour cream and vanilla into the yeast mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour. Stir thoroughly with a fork to make a dough.
4. Divide the dough into 2 patties, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. Place patties side by side, not stacked to assure even cooling. My patties were 18.5 oz each.
5. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar and vanilla until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap so the sugar doesn’t dry out.
6. On a dry surface, place ½ of the vanilla sugar. Place one patty of dough on the vanilla sugar (leaving the other patty in the refrigerator) and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle. Scoop up all the sugar from around the edges and spread evenly over top of dough.
7. With the long edge toward you, fold both edges toward the center, making 3 equal layers. Turn one quarter around and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle. Scoop up any extra sugar and smooth onto the dough. Do not discard any of the vanilla sugar. Use it all.
8. Fold and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle 2 more times. The dough should be about 1/4-inch thick.
9. Trim the edges slightly with a sharp knife to as perfect a rectangle as possible.
10. With the knife, cut the dough the long way into eight 1-inch wide strips. Cut each 16 x 1-inch strip into 4 equal pieces, each 4 inches long.
11. Twist half (16) of the 4 x 1-inch strips 2 times, over-twisting to stretch the dough in the middle. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure the dough twist lies flat on the sheet. You may need to fan out the layers on the ends somewhat to make sure each is touching the sheet. Press down a little to help it adhere.
12. Double pan. Bake at 375 degrees F, 15 – 20 minutes or until a rich golden brown. With a spatula, remove from sheet immediately before the caramelized sugar hardens and sticks to the foil. Cool on a rack.
13. Discard foil on cookie sheet and replace with new foil. Repeat with remaining 16 dough strips.
14. Start over with the second dough ball and remaining half of sugar.
Note: Store in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Freeze in ziplock freezer bag for 2 weeks. Defrost at room temperature with top of bag unzipped, so that moisture can evaporate and not melt sugar or make cookies soggy. When room temperature is achieved, re-zip bag.
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Welcome to Cook & Be Merry
Hello! My name is Lynne Hemer, and I am a woman obsessed with food and cooking, in search of new, unusual, exotic, and sublime ingredients and recipes. I love reading cookbooks, taking cooking classes, going to restaurants, photographing food, and blogging about it all! I hope you enjoy my website as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Feel free to contact me at lynne@cookandbemerry.com
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Those cookies are nothing short of a masterpiece! I love your story that wraps around them. I know what it is like to lose a domain name for the same reason. But if it is any consolation… I love the name of your blog!
Could you explain how the finished cookie is at least 8 layers but you only have about 23 layers when you put them on the tray. I really want to try these, they look scrumptious.
These look amazing….I am going to try them. They look much different than any thing I have ever seen. I love working with yeast doughs. Thanks for sharing the recipe and showing how it is all done. Thanks!!
Wow! They’re so beautiful! If I were a man, I would wear one as a bow tie with my tux to a formal affair—one that would never allow a pedestrian-titled potato.
Your blog is beautiful! I’m so going to make these twisted cookies, just my kind of thing! Absolutely gorgeous, and so artistic looking. Hats off to you!
My grandma and mom have made these since i can remember, about 61 years ago. I have made them since i was 12~~~We called them sour cream twists. They are and have always been my favorite cookie. They aways looked so nice with the sparkling sugar showing throughout..
I love reading your blog and I enjoy looking at the pictures. Wonderful recipe. Have to try this sometime…my version of these twisted goodies!
I’m confused… How can you fold and roll them repeatedly and still have separate layers at the end? I know with croissants (which I have not made), you put butter between the layers so it keeps the layers from merging. Does the sugar form the same function here? I truly don’t get how the layers don’t merge, but give you that lovely fan effect. I want to make these. I’m just scared my layers will merge and I will be crushed! And please forgive my ignorance. 🙂
These cookies look gorgeous. Would love for you to share this with us over at foodepix.com.
Great pictures! And such a great recipe. This is a new recipe to me – using yeast in cookies in unusual, at least in my experience. I’m not the big cookie baker in our family (my wife is), but these look really tempting – I’ll probably be giving these a try. Thanks so much.
Hi, I’m sare, from Türkiye.
I love them. I’ like to ask you only used the butter in the dough not for folding, tank you.
Your writing, photos and the recipe are very nice. I’like to follow your blog.
See you again.
what do you mean by ‘double pan’? place one pan on top of another? i don’t have 2 the same size.
Hi Shannon ~ Double pan does mean one pan on top of another. Usually two pans of the same size. Do you have a smaller pan that will fit inside a larger one? The purpose is to keep the bottom of the cookies from getting too brown before the top is done. The bottom pan insulates the top pan from the direct heat. I hope you find a way to make this work. Lynne xo
Hi Sare ~ The butter is in the dough, and the sugar is in between the layers. Please let me know if you have any other questions about this recipe, I will be happy to explain it to you. Thank you so much for following my blog. Lynne xo
Hi Susanna ~ Trust me, you will have layers just like my photos. What happens is the sugar partially liquifies, allowing the layers of thin dough to slide over each other. After you twist the dough and put it on the cookie sheet, you can even fan it out a little more to make it prettier. Just be sure you get a goodly amount of the sugar on top of the dough before you fold it the first time. You’ll be fine. The yeast in the dough forms gluten which holds the thin layers intact. It is a pastry dough, not a cookie dough. I’m so glad you asked this question, as others may have been wondering the same thing. If you make them, I hope you let me know how they turned out. Lynne xo
Hi Sami ~ I also think this layer business is interesting. I think what happens is that because the layers are so very thin after the last rolling-out that some of them have adhered together. Also, I think when I have made them when it is colder in the kitchen, the sugar doesn’t liquify as much, so the layers stay separate better. And thus more layers are visible. I hope you will let me know how your cookies turn out. Lynne xo
What a great post…and these cookies are nothing short of gorgeous!
Yum! These look so beautiful – can’t wait to try them. Your story is so sweet too.
These are nothing short of amazing. I’ve made croissants (once) and while I won’t make them again, was an all day experience, I love that you can make this dough the day before then roll and bake the next day. Definitely added to my must make list! So glad I found these and you, on Pinterest!
Hi Lynne,
Your twisted cookies look amazing, and so much fun to make too! I’m definitely bookmarking this to try on the weekend. I’ll let you know how they go. Thanks! 🙂
twisted-cookie.com is available for $9.99 from GoDaddy.
These are magnificent! This is something I’d love to try. The layers are so pretty, and I can just imagine how good the vanilla sugar tastes! 🙂
Hey Mom! These are and will always be my favorite to make and eat! I’m glad you are sharing this with everyone! Love you!
Bookmarked! Definitely going to try these during my upcoming vacation time 🙂
Love your blog – foodgawker frequently brings me here.
Hey! I made these today. While baking, the twisted cookies unfolded themselves. I have semi straight looking cookies. Delicious, but not as beautiful. Any recommendation to prevent them from unfolding? I did twist it twice.
Hi Wendy ~ I am so sorry your cookies untwisted. I take full responsibility as I didn’t explain in enough detail how to twist them. I have amended the directions and hopefully this will ensure success. The dough strips have to be over-twisted to stretch the dough in the middle. They have to lie quite flat on the sheet and the ends may need to be fanned a little and pressed into the sheet to help adhere. Thank you so much for letting me know about this. I’m glad they tasted good! Lynne xo
[…] twisted cookies with rolled-in sugar are so cute! I want to take each one apart ever so slowly and eat every single layer…or […]
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I found this post through Tastespotting and made the cookies today, and now I have to send a good portion to work with my boyfriend or else I’ll eat them all on my own! What a gem to be able to pass down through the generations.
Those look gorgeous and delicious!
You’ve brought back a childhood memory. My aunt used to make these delicious cookies at holidays.
Lynne! These cookies are so adorable I’m not sure I could bring myself to bite into one. But they do look delicious!! I hope they teach us how to make deserts as amazing as yours at my culinary school (Kendall College in Chicago). Happy baking!!
I making these cookies today. My dough is in a refrigerator now, but i’m a little worry..
Should the dough rising?? It’s very soft and looks like…classic yeast dough. Should it be?
Thanks for help 🙂
Aw, what a cute history with the cookies 🙂 They do look delicious!
I am curious about the specific instructions regarding the yeast. The rapid rise should be interchangeable with the active dry yeast, minus the proofing step. Have you used the rapid rise and had it not work?
Just curious because I only buy the rapid rise and haven’t proofed yeast in 10 years or so!
these look amazing. about to make these!
do I use an egg-wash before placing the cookies in the oven?
Hi CV ~ There is no egg wash on these cookies. The tops are already coated with the vanilla sugar, which helps make a crystallized coating over all. I would love to know how your cookies turn out! Lynne xo
Hi Rachael ~ The Rapid Rise is not interchangeable with the Active Dry Yeast in this recipe. The recipe is formulated to restrain the yeast, hence refrigeration, salted butter and the sugar being rolled in, not added to the dough. The goal is not big puffy cookies, but controlled layers, slightly risen. Active Dry Yeast is a different strain of yeast than Rapid Rise which also contains ascorbic acid, resulting in increased volume in rising. And again, larger volume is not what we’re after. Rapid Rise may be good for bread, but not for the optimal result of this recipe.
However, if you want to try the Rapid Rise, you need to add the 1/2 cup hot water to the egg/sour cream mixture and the yeast to the flour. This will keep the liquid/dry ingredients at the same ratio. If you try this method, I would really like to know how your cookies turn out. It will be a scientific experiment! Lynne xo
You have some sweet memories around these cookies, Lynne, and how very sweet of you to share this treasured recipe for Twisted Cookies. Isn’t that ironic in timing that someone snagged the domain name? Makes you wonder that there wasn’t some type of monitor monitoring what domain names were being searched on.
Beautiful images of the finished cookie and the supporting images in prep. I will definitely be making these!
Hi I`m Nejla from Turkey,
You`re cookies are WOW!!! I soooo must make these.. Let you know of the end result..
Nejla
Thank you for this recipe. I tried it twice now. The twisting was not very successful on the first one but the second time I made it was better. For the taste it was very good both times. You’re instructions are perfect.
Libby
they’re beautiful. i will definitely try making these.. thank you for sharing! i’m crossing my fingers that mine will look as beautiful as yours.
These tasted amazing, thank you so much for sharing! I found that overnight refrigeration of the dough instead of the minimum four hours helped me roll the dough out precisely as you specified. I do have a question however. My kitchen gets pretty warm as I bake the batches through and as the strips sit on my counter they get very warm and gooey. Would you suggest I place the cut strips into the fridge as I bake the batches so they “twist” better and hold their shape?
milk_chocolate84 ~ Yes, the dough initially starts to rise and is soft like classic yeast dough when first placed in the fridge. Then as it gets cold, the yeast stops rising and the butter hardens, causing the dough ball to become firm. Thanks for trying my cookies! Lynne xo
Enny Lu ~ While you are baking the first 16 cookies, you could twist the second 16 and place them on aluminum foil the size of the cookie sheet. Put this on something flat, maybe another sheet, and place the whole thing in the fridge. When you bake the cold twisted strips, give them an additional 30 seconds of baking time. I wouldn’t place the untwisted strips in the fridge as they would be too firm to twist. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Lynne xo
This is so my kind of cookie, Lynne! They are so pretty and they look so light. I am going to have to put these on the top of my “to-do” list.
They look absolutely wonderful. Who would have thought to look at the inside of a wrapper for this dish 🙂
Love your story and the recipe! Have to make these cookies soon! 🙂
These look wonderful, and I am going to try them for the first spring bbq tomorrow. My question was also about the double pan, but I see that it has already been explained. Thanks for sharing, and I will let you know how I do. Lovely blog…..I will definitely be following you.
[…] you are interested, recipe. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. 18 Mar This entry was […]
Inspiring….gotta try these!
These look delicious! I am having some trouble understanding the recipe. Can you please do a youtube video on how to make them? Videos are really helpful and easier to understand.
Thank you
Wow! These sound spectacular! I absolutely want to give them a try. I do have one question, though. One of my boys is allergic to egg. Do you have any suggestions on making these without egg? Thanks!
Hi Geeta! There are two well known egg replacement products made by EnerG and Bob’s Red Mill. Here is a link with more information:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/eggsubstitute.htm
I hope this helps you out. If you make Twisted Cookies, I would love to hear how they turned out. Lynne xo
Hi, Lynne. Thank you for your feedback. I have used the EnerG egg replacement when baking cakes. I just wasn’t sure if it would translate to your cookie recipe as well. I will give it a shot and let you know how it works out! Geeta
PS. My heart broke for you when I read about how you intended to name your blog The Twisted Cookie.
I am going to try making these today. Has anyone ever tried replacing the vanilla sugar mixture with cinnamon sugar? I’m thinking i may make half the batch cinnamon and half vanilla.
From an email:
Wow, my daughter was on pinterest and emails me the picture of your twisted cookies and says aren’t these grandmas? My mom has made these my entire life. She found the recipe in a yeast packet, too and it has always been her specialty. My niece has the technique now, but I find them too time consuming for my patience!
It was fun to see the happiness these wonderful cookies brought to your family, also.
Joni Somers
These are delicious! They are a little time-consuming, but your instructions were PERFECT. Very easy to follow!
Hi,
I finally made these cookies but they are nothing close to yours.. See my link http://www.devri-alem.com/mayali-kurabiye/ Could you please tell me what I possibly could have done wrong?
Thanks!
Nejla
Hi Nejla! I think you did nothing wrong, but there may be a difference in the yeast, flour, or other ingredients. I see that your method is perfect, but the raw twisted cookies are starting to rise before going in the oven, so your kitchen may be warmer than mine. Your cookies look somewhat different than mine, but yours are beautiful and delicious-looking. Perfectly colored. I hope they tasted good! Lynne xo
Well sure there are a lot of differences in ingredients.. As I live in Turkey I couldn`t find sour cream for example and used the usual cream here in Turkey.. Whatever! It tasted great and thank you very much for this recipe.. I certainly will give it shot again..
Nejla
I’ve been looking for a reason to make these, and as I can’t find one, I’m going to make them anyway. I have no need for so many, though, and not enough freezer space to store them. How do you feel about halving the ingredients?
Carrie ~ I think it would work using half the recipe. But don’t you have friends, neighbors or co-workers to give them to? You could hang little bags on all your neighbor’s doorknobs during the dark of the night. People would think the cookie fairy had been around. Oh, all right, make half. Let me know if they turn out. I’m really glad you’re going to give them a try. xo
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This looks like a recipe my mom made when I was a kid in the 1950’s and 60’s. I found her recipe in a Pillsbury bake off cookbook–the kind you find at the grocery store checkout–it was marked 25 cents! Anyway the cookies are called Starlight Sugar Crisps. In this recipe there isn’t any sugar in the dough but the other ingredients look about the same. It has always been my favorite cookie.
Lynne, What a lovely lady you are, and what a wonderful memory this blog, and recipe brings back. My mother made these on every Christmas also. We called them Starlight SugarCrisps. They are DEVINE! You have been making them for 48 years, I was born in 1948. anyway, what a blessing to see the lovely tantalizing photo of these cookies. Iam not much of a baker. I do art, but may try this this Christmas or request my baker sister to make them:) Thank you.
Oh, wow, thank you for this! My mom used to make these and we called them German Sour Cream Twists, but they were actually little knots, I believe….kinda like a pretzel. I LOVE the taste of these and have always wanted to make them. My mom tried to tell me how, but your step by step instructions are so much better! Thanks so much! Next time I’m off the diet, these are on my ‘fat list’, LOL!
Lynne (and Lynn) I can repeat your stories as well..It was around 1959 my mom began making these and we call them Starlights as well. I make them every Christmas too! A few shortcuts I have used are making the dough in the food processor. Usually I make up a few batches and wrap them and put them in the fridge till I am ready to roll them out. I have found they will begin to ferment after a few weeks and that makes them tastier. I’ve never known anyone else to make these.
Carol
Hi Lynne,
First, thanks for this great recipe! These are like the cookies we used to buy from the bakery when I was a kid. I still remember the taste! Now I can bake them myself! Great!
I made the dough last night and wanted to roll it today. But, the dough was very sticky and it sticked to my surface and rolling pin and all my fingers! I put it back in the fridge for an hour, but still sticky. I added the sugar to the surface, but it did not work. Do you know what was the problem? I did exactly as you said, except that I added the yeast mixture to the butter/flour by mistake and then added the sour cream and egg to the batter. Do you think that this is the reason?
Thanks again,
Hannah
Hi Hannah ~ I am wondering if you proofed your yeast with warm water and saw bubbles frothing. I don’t think adding the wet ingredients in two batches would make that much difference in the end. Did you use butter, not margarine? Did you mix up your 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup by mistake? So now you have some sticky dough, which at this point I would divide into four parts, roll out on a floured surface about a half inch thick and cut into squares with a knife. Or if it is really sticky, use a small ice cream scoop to place on a baking sheet. It would be a shame to waste your ingredients. I hope you will let me know what you think happened. Lynne xo
Thanks Lynne for your quick and great response! I did all the things that you said. Maybe because it was my time cooking any kind of cookies, they did not turn out good!
The only thing that I forgot to mention was that I used unsalted butter instead of the salted one. But I remembered to add more salt to the dough to make it up.
As you said, I divided the dough in four parts and add more flour to my surface. I could just roll it one time. I cut them and put them in the oven. They did not look like your cookies, obviously! But they tasted great! Thank you!
Here is a link to my cookies: http://i46.tinypic.com/2ywh7cg.jpg
Well I made the whole batch today and the first twists from the first dough patty came out a little, uh, not-so-perfect. But I learned by the second patty and they looked great (yours are better!) and tasted great too! I look forward to adding these to my annual Christmas cookie trays – thanks again for all the info!
These are my favorite holiday cookie! We have been making them for years and learned the recipe from my Great Grandmother. Mine don’t turn out as pretty, so i will be taking a closer look at your directions to see if I can make mine look better.
Thanks!
Ronnie
Lynne,
One of the great memories I have from Christmas when I was little(late 50s). My German great aunt always made these cookies. My mom said she remembers her making them when she was younger also. My sister even called to see if I had the recipe this year. She said she remembers they were always her favorie at Christmas. Great memories last forever. Thank you
From an email:
Dear Lynne,
For years I have searched for the recipe for cookies made with yeast which my Aunt made every year at Christmas.I have searched so many cook books, and so many cooking sites without any luck. I searched again last Christmas without success, so I really had no hope of finding it as I searched today – just decided to try again, when amazingly I found your blog and the recipe for the Twisted Cookies! I am so excited, and so thankful to you for posting it. My daughter and I will make them when she comes home for Christmas. Love your blog and will be happy to share it with my daughter- she has introduced me to so many :).
Thanks for the wonderful gift!
Wishing you a very merry Christmas,
Susan Mahnken
Those cookies look so good, I cannot wait to make them tonight for my family, thanks for the recipe at http://www.castlecatering.net
[…] Very slightly adapted from Cook & Be Merry […]
Nagyon finom lehet ez csavart sütemény,kicsit bonyolult,de azért megpróbálkozom vele!!!Eltettem a receptet a könyvtáramba!!!Köszönöm!!!
Hungarian tranlation: These delicious cookies can twist a bit difficult, but give it a spin! Put the recipe in my library! Thank you!
any chance you could be talked into a youtube video the next time you make these beautiful looking cookies?
From an email:
Hi Lynne,
I was brought to your blog by a picture of the Twisted Cookies on Pinterest. When I started reading the story of the cookies, I thought I was reading about my in-law family. My husband’s mother has made what they call “Sugar Twists” since the kids were little – and only at Christmas, like your family. She had a terrible time hiding them away from her boys. One year, she found only empty cannisters when she looked for the cookies.
She is in the first stages of Alzheimer’s now so her baking days are over. She and most of Dean’s family live in northern Minnesota, a good 5 hour drive from our home in the Twin Cities. Last year my sister-in-law brought her down to our home, where she spent the weekend baking, under the supervision and with the help of Dean and my sister. I’m in a wheelchair, so I’m not of much use, but I can peel and chop!
Dean is hoping that she will be well enough to make the trip again this year, because he and his brother and sisters were all very happy to see Mom’s Sugar Twists one more time.
Back to the Pinterest picture — I thought maybe you had come up with an easier method of making these great cookies, but it looks like the recipe is the same as ours.
I’ll be following your blog from now on, and will read your archives for other good recipes.
Sharon Olson
Hi Lynne,
I want to try making these to bring to a friend on a out-of-country trip in 2 weeks and I have all the ingredients except the sour cream part. I just bought a tub of “Heluva Good French Onion Sour Cream” today. If I pick out the onion parts and only use the sour cream part, would it work? I have to omit the salt ingredient too cause the savory dip should have enough salt right?
Also, the 1 tsp vanilla ingredient for the dough, is it vanilla extract?
I’d like to know what you think before I start it. Thanks so much.
Hi Laura ~ Sorry, your French Onion Sour Cream will not work. You don’t want your sweet pastry beauties to taste like onions. Invest in some new plain sour cream and you will be so happy you did. And, Yes, it is liquid vanilla extract. Thanks for making my recipe and I hope you will let me know how they turn out. Lynne xo
[…] twisted cookies with rolled-in sugar are so […]
from email:
Hi Lynne,
I took your advice and bought some plain sour cream instead of using my french onion sour cream dip, good thing I did. My 1st attempt wasn’t as smooth sailing as I hoped because after rolling the vanilla sugar, the dough started to become soft so I placed the dough in the fridge to harden a bit. Wrong move. The sugar ended up liquidity which made rolling it out difficult and it started to rip. I couldn’t twist it like yours without it puffing out of shape but I did managed to savage it by trying to shape them into palmiers. They had many layers and tasted incredible.
Since I knew what I did wrong, I just had to try it out again the next day but this time I didn’t put the dough in the fridge after rolling. It turned out quite well but I must work on the twisting part. I tried to press it down after twisting but some of them seemed stubborn and broke free so what worked best for me was to just fan them out. Is it because I baked them at 350 degrees in a conventional oven instead of 375? But 375 would burn the cookies too quickly on the outside before thoroughly baking inside.
I will definitely makes these again, next time I’ll press these suckers really hard to make them stay from fanning out and hopefully after more practice they will eventually turn out as beautiful as yours. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.
Here’s a picture of what both of my batches turned out to look like. The photo turned out a little dark…I need to also work on my photography skills. =)
~Laura~
[…] recette qui m’a immédiatement séduite, et intriguée, quand je l’ai vu sur le blog de Lynne, Cook & Be Merry (en anglais). Originaux, jolis et visiblement très (très !) appréciés car ces Twisted Cookies […]
[…] La recette à été prise sur le blog d’Alter Gusto qui lui vient de Cook & Be Merry […]
I tried these – and they turned out more like croissants than cookies. Maybe I have to roll the dough out thinner? They were very tasty, but were definitely more like pastries than cookies.
I will try again though! Yours look so impressive 🙂
Also, I used plain yogurt instead of sour cream because that was what I had on hand – I assumed it wouldn’t make a difference, but maybe it caused a slight difference in consistency of dough?
Hi Rebecca! I’m so glad you tried my Twisted Cookies. You totally made my day! Next time, try the sour cream. I think you will be happier with the results. Sour cream is 73% water and 12-18% milk fat. Yogurt is around 89% water and around 3% milk fat. The extra water in yogurt would account for the croissant-like texture, as the water turns to steam to make the layers rise. When you make it with sour cream, still roll the dough out to a final 1/4-inch. That should do it. Also the sour cream will give your cookies a better flavor. Happy Holidays! Lynne xo
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My mom discovered this recipe in a Betty Crocker holiday recipe book and has been making these cookies for over 70 years!
Hi dear my question is can I use water insted of vanila plz answer me
And 1 another question pl let me know that what kind of sugar I should use caster sugar or Granulated sugar
Hi Faria ~ I’m sorry, but you cannot use water instead of vanilla extract. The water would melt the sugar. You could use any other extract also, such as almond or lemon. Extracts are typically 40-80% alcohol, which does not melt the sugar. The dough also has vanilla extract in it, so maybe you could invest in some, and keep it on hand for this and other baking projects. The recipe calls for granulated sugar.
Thanks for visiting my website and I hope you can try these cookies. Happy Holidays! Lynne xo
Thank u so much 2night I wl try these cookies
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[…] recette dénichée sur le blog de Lynne, Cook & Be Merry (en anglais). Sans aucun doute les meilleurs biscuits que j’ai fait ! Ils sont originaux, jolis, […]
This is so cool! I love the look of your twisted cookies, how they fan out so beautifully. My grandma has made the same recipe since my dad was a little boy, and they are my family’s special Christmas cookie too, though we just call them twist cookies.
For the past few years, my sister, mom, and I go to my grandmother’s house and we have a Christmas cookie party, where we each make a batch of twist cookies. My dad always comes over after he gets off work, just so he can have some hot cookies.
It’s great to see another family with a similar tradition. I might have to change up the way I make them a little. We don’t cut the edges at the end, but I like how yours flare out.
Thanks for posting this! Brings back great memories. 🙂
I was looking for a pretty yeasted cookie and spotted your twists right away. My dough is sitting in the fridge waiting to be rolled tomorrow. Question is how many tri-folds total? 3 or 4? I tried to count your layers and I see 9, but I think the direction says to do it four times. I expect it’s really not that big a deal if the layers can maintain their integrity, but I’d love an answer, you know if you’re just sitting there waiting for questions.
Thank you! Your work is terrific.
Oh and a second question: Why foil and not parchment? Is that a throw back to the original recipe on the yeast packet, pre-baking parchment days? Have you tried it on parchment?
Hi Julianna ~ The Twisted Cookies are folded and rolled 3 times.What may be confusing is that it is rolled initially into a 16×8 rectangle, then it is (tri) folded and rolled 3 more times. Regarding foil vs. parchment: I have never tried it on parchment; however, I use foil because it conducts heat, and helps the sugar melt and become caramelized on the bottom. These are pretty sticky right out of the oven, but come off the foil easily. I suspect they would stick to parchment, plus it might hinder the caramelizing effect. Maybe you could do an experiment using both and let me know how it turns out for you. Thanks for giving me questions to answer, while I was just sitting here, you know, waiting. lol. You made my day! Happy Holidays. Lynne xo
Hi Lynne–I had a copy of the predecessor (>50 years old) of this recipe from my mom’s old Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook, which varies in method (you only roll and fold once) and ingredients (calls for 1/2 shortening). Both Mom and I had made them and thought they had potential but were missing something. I wanted to experiment and improve on it and found your site. Your version turns this duckling into a swan!
I’ve made a couple batches already this season and have a few observations. I used parchment and found it worked just fine, though I didn’t do a comparison batch with foil. Halving wasn’t a problem, either. I experimented with the sugar, too, mixing 1 Tbsp. cinnamon into the sugar/vanilla mixture, with good results. I couldn’t bear to discard the trimmings, so I used them to make a few “ugly” twists for my personal consumption. Fewer calories if they’re not perfect, right? 😉
from an email:
Hello Lynne,
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your great recipes, especially the Twisted Cookies which are my new favorite cookie of all time!! I discovered your recipe before the holidays and included them on all my gift cookie trays. Can’t tell you how many more times I’ve made them since —even making them a little bigger for brunches and referring to them as a “pastry” given the beautiful rise and separation of dough similar to a french pastry.
I too am very passionate about food, cooking, trying new recipes, collecting and reading cookbooks cover to cover. I also have a degree in nutrition which is the counter balance to my love of eating! It’s funny how it all works together. My husband and I work alongside chefs, photographing food here in the NW, so I’m always learning new things and appreciate those willing to share their passion with others. (Pardon the poor quality of photo above-taken with phone)
Anyhow, once more thank you again! I look forward to your updates on your blog!
Warmly,
Teresa Schafer
Rick Schafer Photography, LLC
Hi Teresa ~ I am so glad you love these cookies and I’m honored that you included them in your gift trays. Thank you for your lovely email and for taking the time out of your busy day to write to me. Lynne xo
What a fun and delicious recipe!! I made them today for the Senior Café we have at our church–a huge hit! From now on, these are absolutely going to be keepers in my family as well. Thank you so much for sharing.
Greetings from southern Germany,
Karen
PS: I also grew up in the Midwest in a Norwegian family–fun to hear of all the yummy Christmas treats that I don’t have here in Germany. Maybe I’ll have to try some Lefse and Sandbakkels this year….
How far in advance can you make the dough? If I made the dough on a Tuesday could I wait until Saturday to make the cookies?
Hi Andrea ~ You can make the dough 1 day ahead. Any more than 1 day and the dough’s flavor degrades to sourness. Sorry. I know this from experience. You could make and bake the the cookies and then freeze them for future eating. I have done this many times. Defrost in the ziplock bag with the top open so condensation can evaporate. Whatever you decide, you will be so glad you made these. Happy Holidays! Lynne xo
Hi Lynne… I will be trying twisted cookies tomorrow! Wish me luck!! I love the little bees. Your blog/site is warm, inviting, and full of joy. There isn’t a hint of “loftiness” in anything that you write or comment to. It makes me feel like trying all of these things that you make. If there is a question to be asked, there will be a kind and enthusiastic “go for it” “you can do this” type of response. Thank you!!! LEAH
These look so delicious. Do they taste like a palmier? Also, can I use instant yeast? Not rapid rise, but instant. Thanks so much!
Hi Emily~ No, I’m sorry, but you cannot use instant yeast. I use Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast Original to achieve the desired results. The instant yeast uses a different strain of yeast that works a little different and tastes a little different. Twisted Cookies do not taste like a palmier, except for the carmelized sugar on the bottom. The dough used for palmiers is puff pastry made from flour, salt, water with rolled in butter. Twisted Cookies includes those four ingredients with the additional flavors of yeast, eggs, sour cream and vanilla, with rolled in sugar, creating a taste and texture more like a pastry. Just much smaller. I hope you try these and let me know how they turned out. Happy Holidays! Lynne xo
I am so glad I chose your blog when I did a Google search for this recipe. The first time I made these was for a home economics class in high school. They were so delicious and your recipe and photos of the Twisted Cookies were inspiring and brought back the time when I first made them. Thanks for sharing:)
I started making these this morning, using my mother-in-law’s recipe. She was from Hungary, and called these Ice Kipfal. When I made them, I usually doubled the batch, as I had a huge family. I would put the twists all on their cookie sheets and just wait until I was done rolling to start putting them in the oven. So I had pans of twists sitting on table, chairs, etc. Once a young nephew, about 8 or so, was there and SAT on a pan of twists……..we sort of rescued them. When he was a young man, he asked me if I remembered when he sat in the twists! The ones I am making today will go to church on Sunday, to be served with coffee after services. Everyone loves them.
Hi Phyllis ~ Thank you so much for your dear comment. You really made my day. I have always wondered where this recipe originated, so now we have a good clue. Thanks again. Lynne xo
LOVE! these. Just fd yr site (061416), I got so lost in all yr great stories and recipes, I almost forgt y I came here. Thx 4 the great work.
Hi Lynne, Thank you so much for such a yummy looking cookie. After drooling over the photos on your site for a year or more, I finally decided to give them a go but unfortunately the first half of the recipe is a distinct failure so I have a few questions. First, after you have rolled in the sugar mixture, do you add flour on the board to keep them from sticking? Mine totally stuck to the board and the butter just kept getting softer and softer so that after only 2 tri-folds it really was beginning to leak and would never have held up in the oven. Also, do you try to keep the folds in the same direction, as for other laminated doughs like croissants, or do you turn the dough squares as you roll? I’ve got the other half in the fridge and am hoping to not lose the whole batch. But this is baking and it’s always a journey, albeit a fun one! Many thanks! I’m not giving up yet. Nancy
Hi Nancy ~ Just a few questions: Did you thoroughly chill the dough in a flat disk before rolling in the sugar? Four hours or overnight? When I make them, the sugar is just starting to melt by the time of the final roll out and cutting. However, if your kitchen is really hot, the butter may become softer faster. You can put the dough in the frig after each folding.
Flour would not be used as the sugar makes the crunchy top and caramelized bottom the of cookie.
In the directions, #7 says “turn one quarter around and roll out. #8 Fold and roll two more times.” Implying turning a quarter round each time. I’m sorry this wasn’t made clear.
I hope you didn’t throw out the first half of the dough. You can chill it, roll it out into a 8×16-inch rectangle, and cut into 1×4-inch pieces. You may not get the fancy layers, but the taste will be the same and your dough will not be wasted.
Just to confirm: you used butter and not margarine. Sorry, I had to ask. Margarine has a much higher water content that would melt the sugar, if that is the problem.
Let me know how you’re doing, ok? Lynne xo
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Made these cookies and they are delicious! The directions are so thorough and detailed. Basically, just do everything Leslie says, and the cookies will turn out wonderfully. I tried using parchment paper instead of aluminum foil. Just use the foil. I tried not double panning them. Just double pan them. I’m still working on making them fan out beautifully, but man they taste awesome!
Oops, and I put “Leslie” but I meant Lynne. Thanks for the recipe, Lynne!
I just discovered your site this week and have spent many lovely hours reading through your stories and recipes. I decided to give these delicious looking cookies a try. After rolling out and baking the first half, I had a disaster on my hands. The sugar and the flour had combined together so that when they baked there were no layers, just a melted sugar mess that looked horrible but tasted pretty good. I studied the recipe again and all the photos and noticed that you have 9 distinct layers of dough and realized my mistake. The recipe says to roll out the dough on the sugar and then fold in thirds, rotate and roll and fold 2 more times for a total of three folds. That number of turns gave me 27 layers which just absorbed all the sugar so no flakiness. For the second half of the dough I rolled and folded only two times total and then rolled them and cut them. Success! The texture is completely different- crispy, well defined layers!
Thanks for your recipe.
I have been looking on the internet for this recipe for YEARS! I had a very similar recipe and lost it. A forum friend pointed me here. I plan to make some for my daughters for Xmas. Thanks for posting this!
My great grandmother was famous for making these and the recipe has been passed down 5 generations now. My recipe is just slightly different from yours so I decided to make your version and I will have to say that yours are even better than my version. So, once again I hunted down this recipe on pinterest and will be making them for a gathering with my husbands side of the family. I really like how you’ve shown all the steps in making these cookies. Thanks so so much for sharing!