Description
These Christmas Pinwheel Cookies feature festive red and green swirled dough rolled with holiday-colored nonpareils for a fun and delicious treat perfect for the holiday season. Soft, buttery, and lightly sweetened, they offer a delightful crunch from the sprinkles and are sure to brighten any holiday cookie platter.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 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 butter and sugar mixture: Combine butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar in a mixer and beat well until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and flavorings: Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and any additional flavoring extracts or lemon zest if desired, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate evenly.
- Mix dry ingredients: Mix in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until combined to form the dough. Divide the dough evenly into three balls.
- Add color to dough portions: Return one third of the dough to the mixing bowl and add 5-10 drops of red gel food coloring, mixing well until the dough is evenly colored. Repeat with another third of the dough and green gel food coloring, leaving the remaining third uncolored.
- Chill dough discs: Flatten each ball of dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll dough into rectangles: Roll out each chilled dough disc on parchment paper into rectangles of roughly the same size and shape. Stack the layers with white dough in the middle and colored dough (red and green) on top and bottom. Trim the long edges evenly.
- Roll into log: Carefully roll the stacked dough into a tight log with the help of parchment paper to avoid cracks. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours.
- Coat with nonpareils: Remove the chilled dough log and roll it on holiday colored nonpareils on a baking sheet, pressing gently to adhere sprinkles evenly around the log.
- Slice and prepare for baking: When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough log, trim off uneven ends, then slice into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Place slices 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 12 minutes until set but not browned. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving or storing.
Notes
- For more flavor complexity, add extracts such as almond, lemon, or peppermint along with vanilla.
- Chilling the dough discs and rolled log properly is essential to maintain clean pinwheel shapes and minimize spreading during baking.
- If you prefer less sugar, reduce granulated and powdered sugar slightly but note the texture may change.
- Use a sharp knife chilled in the freezer to slice cookies cleanly without squashing the log.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week or frozen after baking for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
