Description
Celebrate the festive season with these Merry-Making Christmas Pinwheel Cookies, featuring a delightful swirl of red and green dough, soft buttery texture, and a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth finish. Perfectly decorated with holiday-colored nonpareils, these cookies offer a fun and colorful treat for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5-10 drops red gel food coloring
- 5-10 drops green gel food coloring
- ½-1 teaspoon optional flavoring (e.g., almond or peppermint extract)
Decoration
- ½ cup holiday colored nonpareils
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough Base: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened salted butter with granulated sugar and powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring a well-blended base for soft cookies.
- Add Eggs and Flavorings: Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and optional flavoring, to bind the dough and enhance taste complexity.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening and seasoning.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a uniform dough forms without overworking it to keep cookies tender.
- Divide and Color the Dough: Split the dough into two portions; tint one portion with red gel food coloring and the other with green gel food coloring, kneading gently to evenly distribute the colors.
- Form the Pinwheels: Roll both colored dough portions into equal-sized rectangles. Layer one over the other, then carefully roll together into a tight log to create the pinwheel effect.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm, which facilitates clean slicing and better shape retention during baking.
- Preheat and Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice and Decorate: Remove the chilled dough log, slice into 24 equal pieces about ¼ inch thick, and gently press holiday colored nonpareils onto the edges of each cookie slice for festive decoration.
- Bake the Cookies: Arrange the pinwheel cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden, then cool completely on wire racks before serving.
Notes
- For best results, ensure butter is softened but not melted to maintain dough consistency.
- If desired, experiment with different optional flavorings such as peppermint, almond, or orange extract for holiday variety.
- Use gel food coloring to achieve vibrant colors without affecting dough texture.
- Chilling the dough log is essential to maintain cookie shape during baking.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
