Description
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are festive, colorful treats featuring swirls of red, green, and white dough layered with holiday sprinkles. These buttery, soft cookies are perfect for the holiday season and visually appealing with their spiral pattern. Chilling the dough ensures clean, vibrant swirls and a delightful texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coloring and Decoration
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
- ½ teaspoon green food coloring
- ½ cup holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate large mixing bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter with light brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes, using a mixer or by hand.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and pure vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring gently until no streaks of flour remain and the dough comes together.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into three equal portions. Add red food coloring to one portion, green food coloring to the second, and leave the third plain (white). Mix each portion until colored evenly.
- Roll Dough Sheets: On a lightly floured surface, roll each colored dough portion into a roughly 12 by 8 inch (30 by 20 cm) rectangle.
- Layer Dough: Layer the dough rectangles carefully, starting with green on the bottom, then white in the middle, and red on top.
- Roll and Shape Log: Starting at the long edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log shape. The log may lengthen slightly as you roll.
- Coat with Sprinkles: Roll the log in holiday sprinkles so they stick to the outside.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. This firms the dough making it easier to slice cleanly.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C if using a fan oven. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice Cookies: Remove the chilled dough log and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds. Place each cookie cut side down on the prepared baking sheets, leaving small spaces between.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly puffed and lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Rotate your baking sheets halfway through the baking time for even cooking and browning.
- The recipe yields about 36 cookies, depending on how tightly you roll and slice the dough.
- Keep the dough well chilled before slicing to maintain distinct color swirls and prevent spreading.
- Extra dough trimmings can be re-rolled or baked separately for colorful swirled cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
