top of page

Sugar Twists with a Twist!

“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.” - Katharine Hepburn




Yes, I like to experiment. And why yes, I do like to mix things up (baking pun fully intended). But what I really love to do is to give something that has been one way for decades and create something that is my own.


Well, I shared with all of you the sugar twist recipe that my grandmother has been using for a long time now, but today I was to share a twist on the sugar twists. I’ve chosen three different flavors to elevate and change the game for the traditional sugar twists; Lemon sugar, Coconut-Orange sugar, and Cinnamon sugar. All of these flavors pair well with the original dough recipe and don’t require any additional steps.



The lemon sugar flavor is a nod to my Italian roots, which give this surgery cookie a nice bright lift. If you are thinking tropical and want to imagine that you are someplace much warmer than where you are try the coconut-orange sugar twists. The coconut brings out the sweetness while the orange zest brings a nice xing of citrus flavor. The last alternate sugar twist is one of my favorites. Cinnamon-sugar twits. Perfect to warm up on a cold winter night, this sugar twist has some additional spices in the dough and is almost like a cinnamon bun with the cinnamon and sugar in between each layer.


I hope you enjoy these alternate recipes, have fun, and keep baking!



Sugar Twists with A Twist!


A few new takes on the classic sugar twists my grandmother made around the holidays.



For Lemon Sugar Dough

¼ cup of lukewarm water

2 ½ teaspoons yeast

3 ½ cups of flour

1 ½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of butter (one stick)

½ cup of vegetable shortening

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon of lemon extract

½ cup sour cream


For Lemon Sugar Coating

1 ½ cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of lemon zest


Steps

  1. Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.

  2. Sift together flour and salt.

  3. Cut in butter and shortening.

  4. Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of lemon extract, and sour cream.

  5. Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.

  6. Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).

  7. Prepare sugar coating: put sugar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice and zest in a bowl and mix well. Let sit while the dough is resting.

  8. Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.

  9. Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.

  10. Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.

  11. Coat the surface with sugar mixture again and roll out the dough to 16 x 8in. Then coat the dough with the sugar mixture a second time with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds

  12. Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

  13. Roll out dough on a clean surface to a 16 x 8in rectangle and use 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture to cover the dough's surface. Fold into thirds, then roll out into a 16 x 8in rectangle one last time.

  14. Cut the rectangle in half by the width. Then cut those two pieces in half longways. Cut 4 in long and 1 in wide strips.

  15. Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.

  16. Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

  17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 with the other half of the dough.



Coconut -Orange Sugar Dough

¼ cup of lukewarm water

2 ½ teaspoons yeast

3 ½ cups of flour

1 ½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of butter (one stick)

½ cup of vegetable shortening

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon of coconut extract

½ cup sour cream


Coconut- Orange Sugar Coating

1 ½ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of coconut extract

2 Tablespoon of orange zest


Steps

  1. Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.

  2. Sift together flour and salt.

  3. Cut in butter and shortening.

  4. Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of coconut extract, and sour cream.

  5. Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.

  6. Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).

  7. Prepare sugar coating: put sugar and 1 teaspoon coconut extract and orange zest in a bowl and mix well. Let sit while the dough is resting.

  8. Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.

  9. Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.

  10. Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.

  11. Coat the surface with sugar mixture again and roll out the dough to 16 x 8in. Then coat the dough with the sugar mixture a second time with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds

  12. Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

  13. Roll out dough on a clean surface to a 16 x 8in rectangle and use 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture to cover the dough's surface. Fold into thirds, then roll out into a 16 x 8in rectangle one last time.

  14. Cut the rectangle in half by the width. Then cut those two pieces in half longways. Cut 4 in long and 1 in wide strips.

  15. Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.

  16. Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

  17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 with the other half of the dough.



For Cinnamon Sugar Dough

¼ cup of lukewarm water

2 ½ teaspoons yeast

3 ½ cups of flour

1 ½ teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon of clove

½ cup of butter (one stick)

½ cup of vegetable shortening

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

½ cup sour cream


For Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1 ½ cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon


Steps

  1. Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.

  2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt.

  3. Cut in butter and shortening.

  4. Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, and sour cream.

  5. Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.

  6. Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).

  7. Prepare sugar coating: put sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla and a Tablespoon of cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Let sit while the dough is resting.

  8. Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.

  9. Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.

  10. Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.

  11. Coat the surface with sugar mixture again and roll out the dough to 16 x 8in. Then coat the dough with the sugar mixture a second time with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds

  12. Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

  13. Roll out dough on a clean surface to a 16 x 8in rectangle and use 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture to cover the dough's surface. Fold into thirds, then roll out into a 16 x 8in rectangle one last time.

  14. Cut the rectangle in half by the width. Then cut those two pieces in half longways. Cut 4 in long and 1 in wide strips.

  15. Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.

  16. Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

  17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 with the other half of the dough.

10 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page