Cranberry-Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cranberries, thawed if frozen
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/4 cups (405g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel (optional)

Instructions

1. Filling: In a food processor combine the cranberries, pecans and dark brown sugar. Whiz until finely chopped but not a paste! Set filling aside. (This can also be done by hand, simply finely chop both the cranberries and the pecans and stir together with the brown sugar.)
2. Cookie Dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds until fluffy.
3. Add the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Add the eggs (and the orange peel, if using) and beat until combined.
5. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, then fold in the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
6. Divide dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour or until easy to handle.
7. Between sheets of wax paper (I ended up pulling off the waxed paper and working on a floured surface, but you do what's easiest for you), roll each half of dough into a 10 inch (25 cm) square. Spread half of the cranberry-pecan- brown sugar filling evenly over the first square of dough leaving about a 1/2 inch margin free at the top. Roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Moisten the bare edge, press and pinch to seal.
8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
9. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
11. Cut each roll into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) slices. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheets spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
12. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm, cookies are golden and the bottoms of the cookies are light brown.
13. Remove from the oven, allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute before transferring them to wire cooling racks. Allow to cool.