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Festive Christmas Pinwheel Cookies (Slice and Bake)

Close-up of a 3-color pinwheel cookie cut in half, showing red, green, and white dough layers.
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Make these colorful, buttery pinwheel cookies with easy slice-and-bake dough. The red and green swirl design is simple to achieve and perfect for holiday cookie trays.

Ingredients

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  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring (gel preferred)
  • 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring (gel preferred)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  4. Divide the dough mixture evenly into three separate bowls.
  5. Leave the first bowl plain (this will be the white dough). Add the red food coloring to the second bowl and mix until the color is uniform. Add the green food coloring to the third bowl and mix until the color is uniform.
  6. Gradually add half of the dry ingredient mixture to each of the three dough bowls, mixing on low speed until just combined. You will have three separate colored doughs.
  7. On a sheet of plastic wrap, place the white dough. Cover it with another sheet of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle approximately 8×10 inches.
  8. Repeat the rolling process for the red dough and the green dough, making sure all three rectangles are roughly the same size.
  9. Place the red dough rectangle directly on top of the white dough rectangle. Place the green dough rectangle on top of the red dough. Gently press the layers together.
  10. Starting from one of the long edges, tightly roll the layered dough into a log. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap.
  11. Chill the dough log in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or until firm enough to slice cleanly.
  12. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  13. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, slice the log into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
  14. Place the cookie slices about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  15. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set. Do not overbake; the centers should remain soft.
  16. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • For extra festive cookies, roll the chilled dough log in red and green nonpareil sprinkles before slicing.
  • If you want a classic chocolate swirl instead of red/green, omit the food coloring and mix 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into one dough portion.
  • If the dough becomes too soft while slicing, return it to the freezer for 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kingscook.com/pinwheel-cookies-recipe-slice-and-bake/