In case you missed the 24 hour news coverage, New York got a little bit of snow for the first time this year. At some point during yesterday’s shift at my pastry internship, the pastry chef, sous chef, and I poked out heads out of the bulkhead from the basement kitchen and watched with delight as the first flakes fell down onto the sidewalk above. I spent the rest of the shift fantasizing about an evening holed up at home in my PJs, drinking red wine and watching the storm from the comfort of my couch.

After a long week, it feels really nice to be forced to hit the pause button and seal yourself away inside to hibernate and wait out the storm. I used this time to try out this pretty recipe, since neither rain nor snow is going to keep Christmas from coming, and I’ve got sweet (chewy, coco-nutty, fruity) promises to keep.

These cookies may look a little complex, but I promise that after you shape the first one or two you’ll get the hang of the folding coordination, and the rest will be a cinch. The addition of cream cheese in the dough makes them a little fussy to work with, so be sure that you keep the dough squares cold whenever you are not working with them. The pinwheels will hold their fun, ninja star look best if you allow them to chill right up to baking.

I chose to sacrifice a little of the beauty for flavor by applying the coconut layer on top of the pinwheel, rather than tucked under the points in the center, as the original directions say to do. Indeed, they look a bit more sloppy on top with the coconut and jam piled high, but doing it this way allows the outer coconut to toast in the oven, a flavor that I find irresistible.

You can make a very colorful plate with just these cookies alone when you use several kinds of jam, but they also are a welcome addition to a collection of cookies, delighting those who love the combination of coconut and fruit on your cookie tray.

Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies

For dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For filling:

3 ounces cream cheese
3 Tblsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

For finishing:

Egg wash (one egg + one yolk + pinch of salt)
Raw or sanding ugar for sprinkling
1/3 cup fruit jam

Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cream butter and cream cheese on medium-high until fluffy and very light in color. Add egg and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low, then add flour mixture. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.

Divide the dough into half, then pat into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Mix cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Fold in coconut and white chocolate.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out about 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. This dough is very fragile and fussy. I found it most effective to make only a few at a time, returning the unused dough to the fridge each time to firm up. Cut dough into squares using square cookie cutter (preferably fluted cutter) or a knife. Place the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cut four diagonal slits, one at each corner of the square, leaving a circle of dough in the center of the square with no cuts. Fold alternating points of these cuts into the middle of the square, forming a pinwheel. Place the shaped pinwheels on parchment -lined baking sheets. Spoon a small amount of the coconut filling on top of the center of the cookies and flatten it out with a spoon.

Lightly brush tops of pinwheels with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 6 minutes.Remove the trays from the oven and use the back of a spoon to create small wells in the coconut filling. Spoon a small amount of the jam into each well. Return to oven and bake for another 6 minutes until edges are golden and cookies are slightly puffed.

Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Last night I baked a few too many sweet potatoes which I put away in the fridge with every intention of reheating for tonight’s dinner.

Then tonight, after toweling off from getting caught in the rain on the way home from work, I was overcome by a pickle craving. One thing let to another, and there I was, eating a tuna sandwich (full of delicious pickles) and neglecting my leftovers.

When the last bite of sandwich had disappeared, I was bored and home alone, which led to an inevitable case of baking itch (ew!), and began taking inventory of my ingredient options. And there they were again, my lovely baked sweet potatoes, all cold and wrapped in foil. 

They made me think of the sweet potato pound cake that we used to get at our county fair each fall when I was growing up. Mmmmm that sure would have been amazing, but alas, I was down to a lone egg, a stick of butter, and a package of cream cheese. Hard times in the East Village Kitchen.

When life hands you leftover sweet potatoes, a stick of butter, an egg, and some cream cheese, well, it becomes quite plain that one must suck it up and make: these.

I love cheesecake and cake blended together, especially when the cake is super-dense and moist, like in a cheesecake swirl brownie. And I figured, well, chocolate is sweet and dense. Sweet potatoes are (obviously) sweet, and dense… and there was just one way to test my hypothesis. 

The microwave made my task incredibly simple. I sliced the sweet potatoes in half and nuked them for a minute to soften them up a bit, and to my surprise, they slid right out of their skins! It also came in handy for quickly melting the butter, which I combined with the mashed sweet potatoes and whisked with a fork.

From there on, it was as simple as making brownies, and it was fun artfully swirling the cream cheese, egg, and sugar mixture on top of the batter before popping it into the oven. They smelled so amazing as they baked, I could hardly wait for them to cool so I could try one. It was totally worth the wait, the results were heavenly! The mellow sweetness of the dense, moist, and rich sweet potato cake is offset by a light delicious pillow of creamy, tangy cheesecake in every bite. In the grand tradition of adorable bar/cookie/dessert names (the brownie, the blondie, etc.) I’m calling this creation “the sweetie”. I can’t wait to unveil them for my friends this weekend!

Cheesecake Sweeties

For sweet potato bottoms:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted, unsalted butter, plus a bit more for the pan

1 and 1/2 cups whisked, cooled sweet potato

1/2 cup light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

For cheesecake swirls:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 inch square pan with 2 inch high walls with butter. Trim two pieces of baker’s parchment so they can sit flat on the bottom the the pan and so they are long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Butter the paper.

Microwave your sweet potatoes. If you are using leftover baked sweet potatoes, remove them from foil, cut them in half and microwave them for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on thickness. If you are starting with raw sweet potatoes, poke holes in the skin with a fork and microwave on high for 4 to six minutes, or until they are soft and easily mashed. Discard skins and mash and whisk with a fork until they are smooth. Microwave the butter completely in the microwave (for about 30 seconds), and whisk into the mashed sweet potatoes until the mixture is smooth with very few bumps.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer or a whisk, add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until they are fully integrated. Add flour and salt and mix just until the liquids have absorbed them. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.

In a separate bowl, using a whisk or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and uniform. place 6-8 large dollops of the mixture on top of the batter in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter. Rap the pan flat against the counter a few times to level, then place in the preheated oven, on the middle rack. 

Bake until the cheesecake swirls are starting to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted into the batter part comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Use the parchment to pull the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.