Description
These festive Christmas Pinwheel Cookies combine colorful red, green, and white layers of buttery dough rolled into a swirl pattern, coated with holiday colored nonpareils. Perfect for holiday gatherings, these cookies are soft, visually striking, and delicious with a hint of vanilla and optional extra flavorings like lemon zest. Chilled and baked to perfection, they’re a delightful treat to celebrate Christmas.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (353g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Optional: 1/2-1 teaspoon of additional flavoring extracts or lemon zest
Coloring and Decoration
- Red gel food coloring (5-10 drops)
- Green gel food coloring (5-10 drops)
- Holiday colored nonpareils
Instructions
- Make the Dough Base: Combine the softened salted butter with granulated sugar and powdered sugar in a mixer bowl. Beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy, which ensures a smooth cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Flavoring: Incorporate the eggs, vanilla extract, and optional additional flavoring extracts or lemon zest into the creamed butter mixture. Scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides to mix everything evenly.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix to keep cookies tender. Divide the dough into three equal portions.
- Color the Dough: Return one portion of dough to the bowl and mix in red gel food coloring evenly. Repeat this process with another portion using green gel food coloring. Leave the third portion uncolored (white).
- Chill the Dough: Flatten each dough ball into discs and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up the dough for easier handling.
- Roll and Layer Dough: Roll out each chilled disc on parchment paper into rectangular sheets of similar size. Stack the dough layers with white dough in the middle, red on one side, and green on the other. Trim the long edges to even out the layers.
- Roll into Log and Chill: Using the parchment paper underneath, carefully roll the stacked dough into a tight log to create the pinwheel effect. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours to set the shape.
- Apply Nonpareils: Spread holiday colored nonpareils on a baking sheet. Roll the chilled dough log in the nonpareils, pressing gently but firmly to thoroughly cover the outside with sprinkles.
- Slice and Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough log, trim uneven ends, and slice into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Arrange cookies spaced 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are set but not browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough thoroughly is essential for clean, sharp pinwheel shapes.
- You can customize the colored dough with different extracts like almond, peppermint, or lemon for added festive flavor.
- If dough becomes too soft while rolling, refrigerate again briefly to make handling easier.
- Store sliced dough logs wrapped tightly in the fridge for up to a week to bake fresh cookies as desired.
- Use a sharp knife for clean cookie slices to maintain the swirl pattern.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
