Pinwheel Cookies (or Bill de Blasio's Trash is My Treasure)

In my neck of the Brooklyn woods, it's hard to walk a block on the weekend without bumping into a stoop sale. For those not willing to spend the day haggling over the price of their used Brita filter or old record albums, there's another option -- just leave unwanted items outside, available for the taking by any interested passerby.

And that's just what Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, did on Sunday when he (or perhaps a family member) set out a whole lotta stuff in front of their house, with a "Free" sign affixed to the front gate (see photo below).  I suppose they are just cleaning house as they (finally) make the move from Brooklyn to Gracie Mansion.

The mayor lives just down the street from me, and I pass by his house often.  But this was a first for me (though apparently not for him). The DH and I looked over the items up for grabs -- might we find something of future value, considering its provenance?  There were lots of books for toddlers, well-used Halloween decorations, old clothing and the like. Except for a marijuana poster (which I regret not taking), there was little of interest.  That is until I spied a shiny aluminum baking sheet, which I immediately scooped up, under the watchful eye of the New York Police Department officers who guard his house 24/7.

UPDATE: Since the reference to the marijuana poster has created even more media interest than these cookies, I've added a facsimile of the poster below.  It's from a 1942 anti-pot film, Devil's Harvest.  Aides to the mayor have said that the poster was a gag gift that was kept in the basement.  I believe that; most of the items at the sale appeared to be part of a basement clean-out.

The photo below shows the few items remaining the next day.

That's a long way to get to these black and white pinwheel cookies, baked on the mayor's former baking sheet.  But we've arrived.  The recipe, probably from the 1960s, came from a collection I purchased on eBay, and advertised as from the estate of an Amish family.

These pinwheel cookies are a bit labor intensive, but quite good. Mix up the batter; it will be sticky!

Place it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours, or longer.

Prepare the chocolate filling -- just melt chocolate chips, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and orange juice.

Roll out the cookie dough and spread with the chocolate filling.

Roll it up tightly.  I used a bench scraper, at right, to help it along.

Cut the log into 1/4 inch slices and place them on the mayor's cookie sheet (or any you might have at hand).

Bake and then cool on a wire rack.

The pan, below.

Production notes:  I halved this recipe (it's a small baking sheet, after all!) and used lemon (rather than orange) zest.  I cheated and placed the dough in the freezer for about an hour. It was very sticky and difficult to work with, but I soldiered through.  Next time, I'd follow the instructions exactly.

I made a different, older version, of these cookies last year.. That recipe, which features ground nuts and uses a different method altogether, is here.

Pinwheel Cookies

I was looking for a 1960s era dessert for Mad Men devotees, and this one fits the bill.  Though you may not be able to complete these in time for tonight's season premiere, unless you start RIGHT NOW -- these cookies require at least two hours to firm up in the refrigerator.

Pinwheel cookies, as you might imagine, are a bit labor intensive.  Betty wouldn't tackle them, but might direct her household staff to whip up a batch.  Trudy Campbell might make them; I can certainly picture these on her dining room table.

These cookies are perfect for those who think sugar is the devil -- they call for only 1/2 cup, so the sweetness does not overwhelm the sandy texture, which is contributed by the ground nuts.  These were such a hit at my house today that I doubt any will be left when Mad Men begins.  (I hope it gets me out of making dinner, as everyone will be full from cookies.)

Below is *some* of the mis en place.  Even though one should measure out and prepare all ingredients before starting a recipe, I never do.  Usually, it's fine.

Beat the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk.  When combined, mix in the nuts and flour.

Divide the dough in two portions and add one ounce of melted chocolate to one.

Et voila, as Megan Draper would say.

Refrigerate for at least one hour.  Next, roll out each dough and then place the chocolate atop the white one. Run your rolling pin over this to combine.

Roll like a jelly roll, staring from the long end.  It won't be perfect, at least mine wasn't.  I strongly advise eating the scraps.

Cut the roll with a sharp knife, so you have something that resembles the cookie below. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet; they can be fairly close together, as they don't spread much.  Bake for about 11 minutes.  Bon appetite!

Recipe below. Some production notes: I used butter for the shortening and walnuts for the nuts.  This makes about 36 cookies.  I baked them for about 11 minutes.

When Politics Trumps Baking

In my last post about Pinwheel Cookies -- baked on a cookie sheet I took from Mayor Bill de Blasio's stoop giveaway -- I added a throwaway line about regretting not taking a "marijuana poster" that was among the stuffed animals, books and other detritus in front of his house.

Well, that caused a flurry of media (and social media) activity here in New York, giving new meaning to words "slow news day."  On the other hand, the mayor is new and anything he does is news, especially when he does something so "of the people" as putting out his unwanted items for others to take, a well-established practice in Brooklyn.

So last night, instead of lighting my oven, I did a bit of internet research and found a facsimile of the poster, pictured above. Turns out it's a 1942 movie poster for an anti-pot film, in the spirit of the classic Reefer Madness.  (See detective work below.)

Thanks to the DH for enlarging the photo taken at the stoop sale (left), and Crain's NY political reporter Andrew J. Hawkins (@andyjayhawk for creating this educational illustration.

Now that that's out of everyone's system, I will return in a few days to the mission of  ACakeBakes, recreating desserts from hand-written recipe cards -- the material culture of housewives who baked in the early to mid 20th century.