Cinnamon Cookie Wreaths Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter and mix until it becomes a spreadable paste.
• Roll out the pizza dough and evenly spread the cinnamon filling over it.
• Roll the dough back up into a tube.
• Cut the tube in half lengthwise.
• Twist the dough to form one long braid.
• Bring both ends together to create a circular shape.
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, melted butter, and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon wreath.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows, and cook until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the food coloring, vanilla, and cornflakes.
• Quickly drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper, and form into a wreath shape with lightly greased fingers. Immediately decorate with red hot candies. Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from waxed paper, and storing in an airtight container.

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast and then a pinch of granulated sugar. Set aside undisturbed until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the salt, nutmeg, 2 3/4 cups of the flour and the remaining granulated sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat together the melted butter, vanilla and egg yolk in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium high until combined. Add the yeast mixture and continue to mix on low until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until a thick and slightly sticky dough forms. Once the dough comes together, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed, to make a soft, smooth ball that sticks to the hook, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Coat a large bowl generously with cooking spray. Add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (The dough can also be tightly wrapped and refrigerated overnight. Let it come to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
• For the filling: Combine the butter, granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Set aside.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the butter mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log. Pinch to seal at the seam and then put on the counter seam-side down. Form the log into a circle, pinching the ends together. Squeeze and roll the dough if needed so it is an even width throughout.
• Transfer the log to a parchment lined-baking sheet. Cut 16 slits across the log, about 1 inch apart; each slit should go about three-quarters of the way through the log so that it is still completely intact. Bend about a quarter of the log by turning some of the newly cut "tabs" out so that the pinwheels of filling are facing up. Continue turning the "tabs" out and bending the log until you have a ring. Butt the ends up against each other. Loosely cover the wreath with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the wreath is golden brown and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack until just warm, about 10 minutes.
• For the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick but pourable glaze, adding a little more confectioners' sugar if needed to get the right consistency. Drizzle over the wreath and let harden before serving. To serve, decorate with candied cherries and mint leaves to resemble holly sprigs.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and salt. Toss with your hands to mix.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the milk and remove from the heat. The mixture should register 125 to 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, so let it cool or warm it as needed. It should feel warm to the touch, but not be hot. Pour the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture, along with the beaten eggs. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed, and knead until the flour has been fully incorporated and you're left with a smooth, supple dough that's firm to the touch, about 5 minutes. (When you press it with your thumb, the dough should spring back gradually.)
• Gather the dough and shape it into a round ball in your hands, then transfer to a large, lightly buttered bowl, turning over a couple times to coat with the butter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• While the dough is rising, prepare the filling: Place the raisins in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to plump, then drain, and return to the bowl. Add the almond extract and toss with a spoon to coat. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt mixing with a fork or your hands to remove any clumps. Set aside.
• Fill and assemble the dough: Lightly flour a clean working surface, and a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper nearby. Cut the risen dough in half with a pair of kitchen shears. Place one half of the dough on the floured surface, keeping the other half covered in the bowl. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to a 12-by-9-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick), picking up the dough to stretch and turn it with your hands to make the edges as straight and even as possible. Spread 4 tablespoons of butter evenly over the entire surface using the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle over half the almond mixture, spreading with your hands to cover every inch. Firmly pat the mixture down to help it adhere to the butter. Evenly sprinkle over half of the raisins, pressing down firmly to help keep them in place.
• Starting with one of the longer edges, tightly roll the dough into a log ending with the seam side down on the counter pressing the log down firmly to help seal the seam closed. The log will feel very stuffed. Wipe down and re-flour the work surface, then repeat with the other half of the dough and the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, almond mixture and raisins.
• Carefully transfer the two rolled logs, seam side down, to the lined sheet pan and arrange together to form an oval or circle with their ends barely touching. Using kitchen shears with the point of the shears facing down toward the counter, cut slits into the ring roughly 1 inch apart, being careful not to cut all the way through the ring by leaving a 1/2 inch dough still attached at the bottom. One by one, lean every other rolled piece outward away from the center of the ring, creating a staggered look. Make any final adjustments to the shape that you like, turning some rolls up slightly to create air between them and filling out the baking sheet, being sure to keep a rough circular or oval shape.
• Loosely cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter until slightly puffed, 30 to 40 minutes. (At this point, you can refrigerate the dough overnight: Wrap the entire pan of slightly proofed rolls very well in plastic wrap, being sure not to squish the rolls, but ensuring the wrapping is airtight. Chill for up to 12 hours. Remove the pan from the fridge and place them on the counter for an hour or so before you're ready to bake them, so they come to room temperature.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir the milk and the granulated sugar with a spoon until the sugar dissolves. Uncover the risen rolls. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the rolls with the milk wash.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the wreath is deeply golden brown on top and the edges of the rolls are puffed and cooked through. Remove the rolls from the oven and place the sheet pan on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
• When the rolls are almost done cooling, make the icing: In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix the cream cheese and butter. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and most of the clumps of sugar are gone. Add the vanilla and milk and mix. The icing should be thin enough to drizzle. If it isn't, mix in another tablespoon of milk.
• With your serving platter nearby, carefully lift the wreath using the parchment and lower onto the platter with the paper. Tear the parchment down the center and along the edges, then carefully pull out the paper without disturbing the wreath. Decorate the finished wreath with the icing: Drizzle it over the top with a fork or transfer to a piping bag with a small tip or a resealable plastic bag with a corner cut open to pipe thin lines along the tops of the rolls. Or smear the icing all over the tops of the rolls using a butter knife. Decorate with a ribbon, or dried or sugared fruit. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200°F. Cut apples lengthwise from stem end through core into 1/4-inch slices. Dip apples into lemon juice to prevent browning; place on wire racks. Carefully place wire racks on oven rack. Bake 4 hours.
• Remove wire racks from oven and place on heatproof surface. Let apples stand about 2 hours or until completely dry. Place dried apples on waxed paper. Coat each side with 2 light coats of spray varnish, following manufacturer's directions.
• Tie 10-inch cinnamon sticks together. Attach to front of wreath with 6 inches of the ribbon. Glue dried apple slices and 3 1/2-inch cinnamon sticks to front and side of wreath, using glue gun. Attach leaves to ribbon on 10-inch cinnamon sticks. Make a bow with the remaining ribbon, and attach to wreath. Attach wire hanger if desired.

Steps:

• Microwave marshmallows and butter on High for 2 minutes. Stir, then microwave on High for 2 minutes more. Stir. (This can be done in a double boiler if one doesn't have a microwave.)
• Add and mix quickly the coloring, extracts, then cornflakes. Drop by spoonfuls in clumps on greased wax paper and decorate with 3 red hots each.
• Once cool, transfer to lightly greased serving/storage tray with lightly greased fingers.

Steps:

• Beat the butter, muscovado sugar, caster sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon together with an electric whisk for 2-3 mins until well-combined. Add the egg, flour, baking powder and raisins, if using, and continue to beat until the mixture becomes a uniform dough. Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls between the palms your hands (you should have 12-15). Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs until firm, or overnight. The unbaked dough balls will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months (see tip, below).
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Place the dough balls 3-4cm apart on the prepared baking trays to allow the mixture to spread without touching. Bake for 10-12 mins until lightly golden at the edges but still soft and gooey in the centre. Leave to cool completely on the baking trays.
• Mix the icing sugar with the remaining cinnamon, then dust over the cookies. Will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.