Description
Festive Christmas pinwheel cookies swirl red and green colors into a delightful holiday treat that delights family and friends. Rich buttery dough creates a perfect spiral of seasonal cheer you’ll want to share and enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) all-purpose flour
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
- 1 egg
Leavening and Seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Flavoring and Coloring:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon green food coloring
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Incorporate egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending until smooth and well combined.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring until a cohesive dough forms.
- Separate dough into three equal portions using a kitchen scale for precision.
- Tint one portion red and another green using gel food coloring, kneading until color is uniform.
- Shape each colored and plain dough into flat squares, then individually wrap in plastic film.
- Refrigerate dough portions for 1 hour to firm up and enhance flavor development.
- Between parchment sheets, roll each dough to a 10-inch square with consistent thickness.
- Return rolled dough sheets to refrigerator for additional 30-minute chilling.
- Layer doughs carefully: red on bottom, white in middle, green on top.
- Trim edges precisely to create clean, straight lines.
- Utilizing parchment paper, gently roll dough into a compact log.
- Wrap log tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour to stabilize structure.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice chilled log into 1/4-inch thick rounds using a sharp knife.
- Arrange cookie rounds 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly golden and centers appear set.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes post-baking.
- Transfer cookies to wire cooling rack to complete cooling process.
Notes
- Proper chilling is crucial for clean swirl definition and preventing color bleeding during baking.
- Use exact measurements to ensure dough consistency and perfect layering of colors.
- Allow butter and eggs to reach room temperature for smoother mixing and better cookie texture.
- Apply light, even pressure when rolling to maintain dough layers without squishing or distorting the design.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 109 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 21 mg