Quilt Cookies

If you aren't familiar with the term millefiori, it translates to a 'thousand flowers'. It is a glasswork technique of creating rods with multicolored patterns that can only be seen at either end of the rod. The rod can be cut in cross sections, or beads, and keep the pattern throughout. 

These cookies are inspired by the millefiori glasswork process but I think they look more like little quilts, hence the title 'Quilt Cookies'. The possibilities are truly endless using this technique. These will 'Wow!' almost anyone and make great gifts. There are many steps to making these cookies but they are not difficult as long as you have patience.

I mostly love this cookie recipe because it is a one bowl cookie dough! You will be kneading and mixing in food coloring later so the dough will be well mixed without sifting all of the dry ingredients separately.

Icebox Sugar Cookie
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla mixing well. Sift flour on top of wet mixture and before stirring add the baking powder.

When you start to combine the wet and dry ingredients, the flour and baking powder will incorporate well enough throughout the dough without needing to sift first.

Dump dough onto a piece of waxed paper and divide dough into six equal pieces. You can obviously use more or less colors but I chose six.

After dough is divided choose food coloring colors and mix into dough using your hands. I find that there is enough butter in the recipe that your hands don't take on the food coloring but you could use gloves if you want make sure you don't have rainbow hands when you are finished!

Once your dough is colored start mixing and making patterns that will become the final cookie. You can do something as easy as swirling the colors together or as complicated as making words and flowers.

Freeze the dough 3-4 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove cookie dough from the freezer and slice in 1/4 inch pieces.

Bake for 7-9 minutes depending on how soft or crisp you like your cookies. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet.

Color will not fade while baking.