Speed Up Holiday Baking With Convection Ovens

TEMPE, AZ--(Marketwire - Dec 8, 2011) - Baking for the holidays is a tradition that, for many, skipped a generation. With Westar Kitchen & Bath Chef Rachelle Boucher's simple five-in-one sugar dough, ornamented with five variations of toppings, mix-ins and icings, and made easy with the even, multi-rack baking of a convection oven, the busy home chef can spread holiday cheer with heaps of fun with much less work.

Five-in-One Cookie Dough
To speed up holiday baking, follow Chef Rachelle's recipes for plain Sugar Cookie and five variations for Chocolate Hazelnut Filled Cookies, Cinnamon Pinwheels, Thumbprint Cookies, Orange Glazed Cookies and Macaroon Cookies, baked in a convection oven such as a KitchenAid®.

With a hand-held or stand mixer beat together 1/2 cup of room temperature butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Scrape the bowl and beat until light and aerated. Turn the mixer to low and add flour in 3 parts, mixing until just blended. Chill until needed or freeze and thaw as needed.

Thumbprint Cookies
Scoop 1 tablespoon of chilled dough and roll into a ball. Place onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, press a thumb-sized well and fill with jam (about 1/3 cup total). Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Orange-glazed Cookies
Add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the dough and form it into a log or rectangle, sliced, baked and dipped into a glaze made of 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoons zest, mixed with 2 tablespoons orange juice.

Cinnamon Pinwheels
Roll dough into 1/4 inch thick log on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, roll into a log, chill, slice and bake.

Chocolate Hazelnut Filled Cookies
Roll dough into 1/4 inch thick log on a lightly floured surface. Cut and bake, cool and fill with 1 1/2 cups of jarred chocolate hazelnut spread.

Macaroon Cookies
Roll dough into 1/4 inch thick log on a lightly floured surface. Cut, chill, and top with a mixture of 1 whisked egg white, 2 cups of shredded, sweetened coconut and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and bake until golden.

For more recipes from Chef Rachelle Boucher, please visit www.chefrachelleboucher.com.

Westar Kitchen & Bath (www.westar-sw.com) is the Southwest's premier provider of quality appliances for the trade professional and for residential clients. A division of Sears Holding Corporation, Westar Kitchen & Bath has been in business for more than 30 years and has four showrooms throughout Arizona and Nevada.