These Christmas Pinwheel cookies are sure to be the star of your cookie plates! Bring them to a cookie exchange and watch everyone’s eyes light up!
Christmas baking is truly my favorite time of year. All the fun Christmas cookies call my name and I get all carried away. Even better, my boys love to bake with me. We love spending time together in the kitchen. They learn to follow a recipe, practice counting, and their favorite part…taste testing. It’s a holiday tradition in my house and my favorite part of Christmas.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon liquid red food coloring (or more to your preferred hue)
1/2 teaspoon liquid green food coloring (or more to your preferred hue)
How to:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two stages and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. (You can measure the pieces by eye or with a kitchen scale).
Return one piece of dough to the bowl and add the red food coloring. Beat with your mixer until the color is fully incorporated. (Be sure to use a bowl that won’t stain.) Clean the paddles of the mixer or the blades of the hand mixer.
Return a piece of dough to the bowl and add the green food coloring. Beat with your mixer until the color is fully incorporated. Leave the third piece of dough as is.
Press each piece of dough into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or until firm.
Remove the dough squares from the refrigerator. Place the red dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper or wax paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 10-inch square. Leave the dough between the parchment paper.
Repeat the process with the other 2 pieces of dough. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the top layer of parchment from each sheet of dough. Place the red dough, bottom side down, on a work surface. Place the white dough on top so that the sides are touching without the parchment. Make sure the edges of the dough line up as much as possible.
Remove the parchment from the white dough. Place the white dough on top of the green, without the parchment, making sure the edges line up. Remove the parchment from the green dough. Using a pizza cutter, cut the left and right edges of the cookie dough in straight lines.
Very carefully, starting with one of the straightened sides, roll the dough into a long shape until you reach the other trimmed edge of the dough. Lift the dough using the parchment paper to get it started. Once the dough log is ready, gently pinch the seam closed, as well as any breaks on the outer red layer.
Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Cut the dough strand into 1/4-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife. (Discard the ends, as they will not make a nice pinwheel design.) Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until firm.
Carefully remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
