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
Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.
Sift together flour and salt.
Cut in butter and shortening.
Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of lemon extract, and sour cream.
Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.
Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).
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.
Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.
Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.
Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.
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
Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
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.
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.
Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
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
Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.
Sift together flour and salt.
Cut in butter and shortening.
Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of coconut extract, and sour cream.
Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.
Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).
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.
Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.
Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.
Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.
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
Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
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.
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.
Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
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
Put the yeast in lukewarm water and set aside.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt.
Cut in butter and shortening.
Add yeast mixture, eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, and sour cream.
Mix with hands until dough forms do not over mix.
Let dough rest for at least two hours or overnight (Note: for best results let the dough rest in the fridge overnight).
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.
Cut the dough ball in half and put the other half back into the fridge.
Coat surface with half a cup of the sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 16 in long and 8 in a wide rectangle.
Coat the dough with 1 Tablespoon of sugar mixture and fold into thirds.
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
Let dough rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
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.
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.
Twist the strips by taking both ends and turning them to create a spiral shape.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Repeat steps 9 through 16 with the other half of the dough.