Description
Delight in the festive spirit with these vibrant Christmas Pinwheel Cookies. Featuring colorful red, green, and white spirals, these buttery sugar cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations. The dough is carefully layered and rolled to create the signature swirl effect, then baked to a delicate crispness that melts in your mouth.
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
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional, for easier dough handling)
Coloring
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing 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 plain to serve as the white layer. Add red food coloring to the second portion and mix until evenly colored; add green food coloring to the third portion and mix thoroughly. If any dough 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 a rectangle about ¼ inch thick and of similar size. Transfer each rolled dough sheet to a baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes to firm the dough and make it easier to handle for layering.
- Layer and Roll the Dough: Remove the chilled dough sheets. Stack the green dough over the white dough, then the red dough over the green, aligning the edges closely. Use a rolling pin to gently press the layers together. Starting from one edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log to create the spiral pinwheel shape. Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight until firm.
- Slice and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the chilled dough log into ¼ inch thick rounds using a sharp knife. Arrange cookie slices 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but not browned. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For sharper pinwheel spirals, trim the edges of each dough rectangle before stacking.
- Use gel food coloring for more vibrant colors without adding extra liquid to the dough.
- Chilling the dough well before slicing makes for cleaner cuts and better spiral definition.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
