Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Sheets of red and green butter cookie dough are rolled around each other to make a log of spiraling colors. Sliced into colorful pinwheels, these heirloom cookies are the perfect holiday treat. They can also be made in a chocolate-vanilla pinwheel variation.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 77 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 1 ⅓ cups butter
• 1 drop green food coloring, or as needed
• 1 drop red food coloring, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Resift again into another bowl.

Step 2

Beat the butter with the brown and white sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two equal parts. Place one half in a second bowl. Add red food coloring to the dough in one bowl, and green food coloring to the dough in the other bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to blend the food coloring into the dough until evenly blended. Add additional drops of food coloring to make the desired shade.

Step 3

Roll out the red dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness. Roll out the green dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness, and place on top of the red dough. Beginning on one edge, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colors spiral inside each other. Wrap the log in waxed paper, then in a cotton towel, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Step 5

Unwrap the dough log, and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Slice the log into rounds 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and place on prepared baking sheets.

Step 6

Bake in preheated oven until set, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent edges from browning. Remove from oven, and cool on racks.