#4 Chocolate Therapy Pinwheel Cookies

The next addition to the Ben & Jerry's Cookie Challenge Saga is Chocolate Therapy. The original ice cream description is "chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies & swirls of chocolate pudding ice cream." I was hesitant to cook with pudding (when not involved in cake or pudding cookie recipes), so I substituted pudding with hot fudge topping. The pudding concept is still present in the cookie because of the topping's thick, pudding consistency. Feel free to use this chocolate cookie as a base for ANY chocolate pinwheel cookie, because when researching ,the only pinwheel cookies i could find incorporated two kinds of dough (which wasn't what I was looking for). Hold on to your chocolate taste buds!

Tips:

Chill - It's very important to chill this dough long enough so that the pinwheels hold their shape and are easier to cut.

Switch a cookie - I know that there are SO MANY varieties of cookie out there and I think this would be a fun recipe to test the boundaries with.

Parchment, Parchment, parchment - I highly suggest using parchment paper for this recipe, because the hot fudge can create a sticky mess.

Flossing is important - For a quick and clean way to cut these cookies, use some unflavored dental floss to cut into 1/4 slices. Slide the floss under the log; bring each end of the floss to wrap around and pull the ends the opposite direction to slice through the dough. 

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Chill Time: 2.5 hours - overnight

Cook Time: 10 - 12 minutes

Servings: 3 - 4 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup baking cocoa 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup of hot fudge ice cream topping

1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, finely crushed

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and set aside. 

2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Add egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.

3) Gradually beat in the flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. 

4) Divide the dough into two portions. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

5) Cover rolling area with plastic wrap or waxed paper. After chilling, roll out each portion of dough out into a 12"x 7" rectangle. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.

6) Spread each rectangle with 1/2 cup of hot fudge topping. Sprinkle fudge with 1/4 cup of crushed cookies.

7) Rolling from the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log and pinch the ends to seal the cookie filling. 

8) Repeat Steps 5-7 for second portion of dough. 

9) Wrap each log with waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 2 more hours.

10) Unwrap each log and cut into 1/4 inch slices. 

11) Place slices onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

12) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fudge is beginning to bubble. 

13) Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.