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
Scale
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
