Description
These festive Christmas Pinwheel Cookies feature vibrant red, green, and white spirals, perfect for holiday celebrations. Soft, buttery, and subtly sweet, these cookies are as delightful to look at as they are to eat. The dough is divided, colored, layered, rolled into a log, sliced, and baked to create charming pinwheel patterns that will brighten any cookie platter.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional, for easier dough handling)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture on low speed, mixing until a soft, uniform dough forms.
- Divide and color the dough: Divide the dough evenly into three portions. Leave one portion plain for the white layer. To the second portion, add red food coloring and mix thoroughly to evenly color the dough. To the third portion, add green food coloring and mix well. If any dough portion feels too firm, add 1 tablespoon of milk to soften it slightly.
- Roll out the dough: Roll each dough portion between two sheets of parchment paper into rectangles about ¼ inch thick and approximately the same size. Transfer these dough sheets onto baking sheets and chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the dough for easy assembly.
- Layer and roll the dough: Once the dough sheets are firm, stack the green dough layer on top of the white dough, then stack the red dough layer on top of the green. Align edges as closely as possible and gently press the layers together using a rolling pin. Starting from one edge, carefully roll the layered dough into a tight log to create a spiral pattern. Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until firm.
- Slice and bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, slice the chilled dough log into ¼ inch thick rounds. Place the cookie slices on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set but not browned. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For sharper and cleaner spirals, consider trimming the edges of each dough rectangle before stacking the layers.
- Use gel food coloring to achieve more vibrant colors without adding extra liquid, which can affect dough consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
