Description
These Valentine’s Day Swirl Cookies are delightful, colorful treats perfect for the holiday. Featuring a tender vanilla dough combined with a vibrant, food-colored swirl and holiday sprinkles, they are as fun to make as they are to eat. The cookies are chilled to perfection, rolled with a festive twist, and baked until golden at the edges, making them ideal for gifting or sharing at celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a few extra tablespoons if needed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup unsifted powdered sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 2 ½ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon food coloring of your choice
- ½ teaspoon any desired extra extract (optional)
Toppings
- 1 ½ cups holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until well blended.
- Add Butter: Gradually add the chunks of unsalted butter to the dry ingredients while continuing to mix. Once fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
- Divide Dough: Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal portions.
- Color One Portion: Return one half of the dough to the mixer and add the food coloring and any additional extracts if desired. Mix until the color is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll out each portion of dough separately between two sheets of wax paper to a size of approximately 11×9 inches and a thickness of ¼ inch.
- Chill Dough Sheets: Place both dough sheets on a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until firm.
- Assemble Swirl: Remove the wax paper from the top of both dough sheets. Lightly brush the plain vanilla dough with water using a pastry brush, then flip the colored dough sheet onto it so they are stacked evenly. Press the edges gently to seal and trim straight edges with a small knife.
- Roll into Log: While keeping the dough cold but flexible, carefully roll the layered dough from the long side into a swirl log, similar to a jelly roll.
- Coat with Sprinkles: Spread the holiday sprinkles on a large platter. Gently lift the dough log and roll it along the sprinkles until fully coated. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and chill for several hours or freeze for up to three months.
- Slice and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the chilled dough log into ¼-inch thick rounds. Place slices on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after baking, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The recipe calls for 2 cups of flour plus extra tablespoons to adjust dough consistency. If the dough feels too wet after adding food coloring, add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough is workable.
- Adding food coloring to cookie dough can sometimes increase moisture, making it harder to roll out — extra flour helps maintain proper texture.
- Chilling the dough both before and after rolling is crucial to maintaining the dough’s structure and achieving clean swirls.
- You can freeze the rolled dough log for up to three months; thaw in the refrigerator before slicing and baking.
- Use a sharp knife for slicing to keep the swirls intact.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
