Candy Cane Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• Before you begin this recipe, please take a class from a professional on working with sugar. This is a skill that professional pastry chefs develop after years of experience. Working with sugar will burn your fingers so know before you start that your fingers will develop burn blisters. Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the sugar reaches 320 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks or the sugar may recrystallize. To do this, dip a clean brush in cold water and brush the inside of the pan clean. Pour the cooked sugar onto 3 or 4 silicone baking mats. If you want to color and/or flavor the sugar with food colors and/or flavored oils, this is the time to do so. Add a few drops of color to the sugar. Mix with a wooden skewer. To get started, push the sugar from the sides toward the center. This process takes a little while. Try to keep the sugar divided by color. Use the mat to push the firm sugar around the edges toward the center. Use a folding motion to accomplish that task. The next step is to pick up the sugar with your hands. Place each color under the heat of the sugar lamp. Pull the sugar until it becomes glossy and the color is evenly distributed. You will need to pull the colors simultaneously. Keep them under the sugar lamp but keep an eye on them. The lamp can melt the sugar so it is important keep rotating it and folding it onto itself.
• Start with 2 pieces of colored sugar. I used red and green. Pull them into a rectangular shape that is about 1 1/2-inches wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick. Place the pieces side-to-side and let them stick together on the long side. Place a piece of white sugar that is about 1/2-inch wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick in the middle. Close the red and green around it. Roll it and twist it while pulling it. When it gets to the desired thickness, use a scissor to cut the length and shape into a cane. Allow to cool completely. The white is inside and will become apparent when eaten.
• Jacques? tips: Vinegar keeps the sugar from crystallizing. You will not taste the flavor. It serves as an acid in this recipe. Sometimes candy cane recipes contain corn syrup, which makes the sugar very dry and very hot. Adding corn syrup makes it more difficult to work with the sugar at home. Remember, the sugar is at 320 degrees F, and that will burn you. The ideal work surface is a silpat placed over cool marble or granite. If you do not have marble or stone, use wood. It is a good idea to use gloves to help protect your hands from the heat and to prevent burning.
• I use a special sugar box that includes a special heat source, If you don?t have one, you can work in front of the oven. Set the oven to 300 degrees F. Open the oven door and place the silpat on the oven door. It provides a similar effect to the sugar box heater.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Unroll the crescent dough and separate the triangles along the perforated lines. Cut the triangles in half lengthwise so that you have 16 triangles.
• Overlap 2 pieces of parchment to make a 24-inch-long piece. Arrange the crescent triangles lengthwise in a long row on top of the parchment, with the pointy ends upright and the flat ends overlapping just slightly (the row should be as long as the parchment paper). Gently press the overlapping pieces of dough together so to seal.
• Spread the pizza sauce over the thickest part of the strip of dough (about 1 1/2-inches). Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of pepperoni.
• Fold the pointy ends of the dough over top of the pepperoni tucking them under the dough to enclose the filling. Gently curve the top end of the dough to the left to make a candy cane shape that is the length of the back of a baking sheet. Transfer the parchment onto the back of a baking sheet. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the dough. Bake until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Tuck the basil leaves into the candy cane to make a bow. Serve with more sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• For the red velvet cake: Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the egg whites in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and whisk using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Add the food coloring, vanilla and 3 tablespoons water and mix. Combine the egg white mixture with the egg yolk mixture.
• To a separate bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking powder and baking soda and mix. Sift the flour mixture onto the egg mixture, folding it in gently; avoid overmixing it. Fold until all the ingredients are just combined.
• Spread the mixture onto the prepared half sheet pan, making it as level and even as possible. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once out of the oven, roll the cake with the aid of the parchment paper while it is still warm. Otherwise, it will break when it is cold. Store it in the refrigerator rolled until you are ready to frost and roll it again.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, melted gelatin and peppermint extract to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and candy cane pieces. Whip again to stiff peak stage. For a more stable filling, the mixture can be refrigerated for 24 hours; however, it can also be used right away.
• Unroll the red velvet cake roll, keeping it on the parchment paper, and spread the filling on as evenly as possible. Roll it up, using the parchment paper to help you again. Freeze for 1 hour.
• For the decorations: Cut the roll in half and trim the ends of both pieces so they are neat. Dust with powdered sugar, then decorate with the White Chocolate and Peppermint Cream and top with candy canes.
• Add two-thirds of the cream to a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Heat until it begins to steam but does not boil, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place the white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Allow to stand for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth. Add the remaining cream and the peppermint extract and whisk to combine. Cover the mixture and place in the refrigerator to cool completely and for the flavors to infuse, about 2 hours.
• Whisk with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag and use to decorate the candy cane rolls.