There’s just something so joyful about the swirl of colors in a cookie, isn’t there? The Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe is one of those treats that brings both charm and festive flair right to your kitchen. Crispy edges, buttery dough, and those vibrant red and green spirals make this cookie a holiday hit that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I honestly can’t get enough of how festive these pinwheel cookies look on a holiday platter. They’re not just your average cookie – they bring that extra “wow” factor to any Christmas gathering. Plus, making them feels like a mini craft project you get to eat!
- Colorful and Festive: The red, green, and white layers create a perfect holiday swirl that’s impressive but surprisingly easy to achieve.
- Buttery and Tender: These cookies have just the right balance of softness and crispiness, making each bite delightful.
- Great for Gifting: They store well and look elegant, making them a sweet edible gift idea for the season.
- Fun to Make with Family: Rolling the dough and layering the colors makes for a festive and interactive baking experience.
Ingredients & Why They Work
This recipe relies on simple pantry staples, but each ingredient plays a key role in texture and flavor. Using good quality butter and fresh vanilla really elevates these cookies.
- All-purpose flour: The backbone of the dough, providing structure to hold the pinwheel shape.
- Baking powder: Gives a subtle lift so the cookies aren’t too dense.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: Adds rich flavor and tenderness; make sure it's softened for easy mixing.
- Light brown sugar: Offers moisture and a hint of caramel flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with crispness along the edges.
- Large egg: Binds the dough and helps with texture.
- Vanilla extract: Brings warmth and depth to the flavor.
- Red and green food coloring: These create the classic Christmas hues for your pinwheels.
- Holiday sprinkles: A fun finishing touch to brighten up the cookie log before chilling.
Make It Your Way
One of my favorite things about this Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe is how easy it is to put your own spin on it. I like to swap sprinkles based on what I have or even try different color combos for other holidays or birthdays.
- Variation: Once, I mixed in some peppermint extract instead of vanilla — it gave the cookies a perfect holiday kick that everyone loved!
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Mix Your Dry Ingredients
Start by combining your flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. This step helps distribute the baking powder and salt evenly so your cookies bake up perfectly balanced.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars
In another bowl, beat the softened butter with both brown and granulated sugar until creamy and smooth – about 2 minutes. This is the secret to that tender crumb. Then, add your egg and vanilla for flavor and structure.
Step 3: Combine and Color the Dough
Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no streaks remain. Divide the dough into three parts and add red food coloring to one, green to another, and leave the last white. Knead each one gently until evenly colored.
Step 4: Roll, Layer, and Roll Again
Roll each color dough into rectangles about 12×8 inches. Layer green on the bottom, then white, then red on top. Tightly roll the dough from the long edge into a log, then roll it in holiday sprinkles. Wrap and chill the dough for at least 3 hours — this step is key to keep your pinwheels crisp and defined.
Step 5: Slice and Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 160°C fan). Slice your dough log into ¼-inch thick rounds and bake them on parchment-lined sheets for 8–10 minutes. I find rotating the trays halfway through baking really helps with even color and crispness. Let cool before moving to a wire rack.
Top Tip
After baking these cookies several times, I realized a couple of tricks make all the difference between good and great pinwheels.
- Keep the Dough Chilled: Chilling for at least 3 hours firm ups the dough for clean slices and keeps colors bright.
- Roll Tightly but Gently: Rolling too loosely makes the pinwheel come apart, but squeezing too hard squeezes out the layers.
- Use a Sharp Knife: A sharp blade ensures neat, even slices — dull knives can squish your beautiful dough log.
- Rotate Your Baking Sheets: Oven heat can be uneven, so rotating your trays halfway through baking keeps cookies golden all over.
How to Serve Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
I usually keep garnishes simple since the cookies themselves are already colorful. Sometimes I dust just a touch of powdered sugar for a snowy effect, or add a few extra sprinkles on the plate for a festive vibe.
Side Dishes
Pair these cookies with a cozy cup of hot cocoa or peppermint tea — the flavors really complement each other and create an inviting holiday treat spread.
Creative Ways to Present
I love arranging the cookies in a circle on a festive plate to mimic a Christmas wreath. Adding a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or holly around the edges makes the presentation pop — it’s a simple touch that guests always notice.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
After they cool completely, I store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh and crisp for up to a week (if they last that long!).
Freezing
I also freeze the dough log before slicing — that way, I can bake fresh cookies anytime. Just slice from frozen and add a couple extra minutes to the bake time.
Reheating
If you want warm cookies, pop them in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes. It brings back that fresh-baked feel without drying them out.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can absolutely skip the food coloring if you prefer natural tones, but the fun of pinwheels lies in their vibrant colors that really bring that festive punch to the cookies. Using natural colorings like beet powder or matcha is a great alternative!
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these pinwheel cookies typically stay fresh for up to one week. For longer storage, freezing either the baked cookies or the dough log works wonderfully.
Definitely! This recipe is versatile for any celebration. Swap the red and green food colors for pastels for Easter, or team colors for a game day party — the pinwheel pattern is always a crowd-pleaser.
Chilling the dough firms up the butter and helps the layers hold together when slicing, giving you clean and defined pinwheel shapes. Skipping this step can cause the dough to spread too much and the pattern to blur while baking.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, this Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe has become a holiday staple in my home for a reason. The colorful spirals and buttery taste just scream festive cheer. Once you try these, I bet they’ll find a spot on your cookie trays year after year. Give them a go — I’m cheering you on from my kitchen, and you’re going to love the smiles they bring!
Print
Christmas Color Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These festive Christmas Pinwheel Cookies feature colorful swirls of red, green, and white dough rolled with holiday sprinkles, creating a delightful treat perfect for the holiday season. Soft and buttery with a crisp edge, these cookies are both beautiful and delicious, making them ideal for sharing or gifting.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 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 flour, baking powder, and salt; set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate bowl, using a mixer, cream the softened unsalted butter with light brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients with Wet: Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir gently until there are no visible streaks of flour remaining and the dough is uniform.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into three equal portions. Add the red food coloring to one portion, the green food coloring to the second, and leave the third portion plain white. Mix each dough portion thoroughly until the coloring is evenly distributed.
- Roll Dough into Rectangles: On a lightly floured surface, roll each colored dough into roughly 12×8 inch (30×20 cm) rectangles.
- Layer the Dough: Place the green dough rectangle on a flat surface, then layer the white dough on top of it, followed by the red dough on top of the white, creating a stacked set of dough layers.
- Form the Pinwheel Log: Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log shape. As you roll, the dough may lengthen slightly.
- Coat with Sprinkles and Chill: Roll the log in the holiday sprinkles so they coat the outside evenly. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to chill and firm up the dough.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the 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 and Bake Cookies: Remove the chilled dough log from the fridge and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds. Place the slices cut side down on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly puffed and lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Rotate baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking and browning.
- This recipe yields approximately 36 cookies, but the total count depends on how thinly you slice the dough log.
- Keeping the dough well chilled is crucial to maintain distinct, firm color layers for the pinwheel effect when slicing.
- Cookie dough scraps from trimming can be re-rolled together and baked for pretty, multicolored swirl cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 40 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 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
Leave a Reply