Day 243 - Jelly Roll Sugar Cookies aka, Jelly Blobs and Prayers for Katie

We heard the news last night before we went to bed.
The kids were checking their social networks, one was Tweeting in conjunction with her texting, and our son was on his Facebook page.
Neither of the kids know her personally, but her older brother is in class with our daughter.
Word was quickly spreading throughout the kids at the high school that 15 year old Katie, a sophomore, had just been diagnosed last night with stage 4, rhabdomyosarcoma cancer totally unexpectedly.  It is a cancer (malignant) tumor of the muscles that are attached to the bone.
As you can imagine, everyone is devastated to hear that this beautiful, vibrant 15 year old with so much life to live, will now have to fight for her life, enduring radiation and chemo. treatments.
There are so many questions for which there are and probably never will be answers.
I cannot possibly imagine what this family is going through.
When our daughter was ages 3 and 5, she had to have several hip reconstructions with extended hospital stays.
Countless times my heart went out to those children and their families in the hospital who were having to deal with cancer or a terminal illness.  It was heartbreaking and definitely put things into perspective.
So, if you're a praying person or even if I could just request your positive thoughts, please lift Katie, her mom, dad, and two brothers up as they deal with all of this.
The outpouring of support has been amazing and her fellow students have all rallied together, praying, donating and organizing car washes.
Our community youth has truly been inspirational.
If you would like to say a prayer or send positive thoughts to Katie, we'd love just a comment as to where you're located so that we can let Katie know where all of her wonderful supporters are located.  Her church has started this and it's been wonderful to see people from different parts of the country giving their locations. How neat would it be if she knew people all over the world had her in their thoughts?!
Thank you, readers.
Hug the ones you love just a little tighter and make sure you tell them you love them.
You just don't know what tomorrow will bring.

I adapted this recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition
Jelly Roll Sugar Cookies - makes 27 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup strawberry jam

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add sugar.  Beat until light.
Add egg, vanilla, and milk.  Beat thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder.
Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Cover and gently pat into a rectangle.  This will make it easier to roll out later.

Refrigerate for at least one hour.

On a piece of lightly floured parchment, roll dough into a rectangle approximately 13 1/2 X 12 and about 1/4-inch thick.
You will definitely want to use the parchment instead of just a floured surface.  If it should come apart as mine did, it is MUCH easier rolling it if it's not sticking to a counter covered in jam.
Just sayin'.

With an off-set spatula, spread jam over dough as evenly as possible, leaving one inch free at the top of the rectangle.

Begining at the bottom long end, roll the dough up and over onto itself by lifting up on the parchment for assistance.
Roll completely up to the plain edge of the dough, wrapping the sugar "log" with the parchment.

Yes, make sure you flour the parchment so yours doesn't end up looking like THIS!

Transfer to a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment.
Remove from refrigerator and while still in the parchment, roll the log until it is as uniformly round as possible.
Slice cookies 1/4-inch thick and place cut side down on the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

THEY WILL SPREAD, HENCE THE AKA JELLY BLOBS!
Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Jelly Blobs or Jelly-Roll Sugar Cookies earned 2 1/2 rolling pins.
Good grief!
I had this picture of a perfectly round sugar cookie rolled so nicely with the jelly in the middle,
BUT,
what I saw in my head and what actually came to fruition (LOVE that word! And it's apropos since I used strawberry jam.  Get it, FRUIT-ion? Ok, yeah, I should go to bed.) Were two different things.
I hate when that happens.
I would decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup since I didn't take into account the sweetness of the jelly elevating the sweetness of the cookie.
I also used 1 cup of the jelly instead of the 3/4 cup I posted, but it was WWAAYYYY too much and came squishing and oozing out the sides, ends, holes I created while rolling.
It was an ooey gooey mess and I really almost scratched it.
I haven't done that yet, been mid-recipe and decided to toss it.
No, I'll go all the way through with it, but it'll get a 1 rolling pin in the review.
HaHa
They tasted ok, but if I'm going to make them, those changes need to be made.

Thanks for reading!
And remember, we'd greatly appreciate your prayers and thoughts for Katie.  Also, be sure to leave me a comment saying where you're located so we can let her know.  Thank you!
I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!