Description
Vibrant red, green, and vanilla pinwheels with a sugared crunch. Perfect for gifting, holiday parties, or festive family celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Red gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
- Red sanding sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until thoroughly combined, then scrape down the bowl once more.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and baking soda until well blended.
- With the stand mixer on low speed, gradually incorporate the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix just until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remain; be careful not to overmix.
- Divide the prepared dough into three equal portions.
- Return one portion of dough to the clean mixing bowl. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring and beat on low speed until the dough is uniformly red. Remove and set aside.
- Wipe the mixing bowl clean. Repeat the coloring process with a second portion of dough and green gel food coloring, mixing until evenly green.
- Leave the third portion of dough uncolored to serve as the vanilla layer.
- Shape each colored dough portion into a ball, individually wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to 2 days, to firm up.
- Once chilled, remove the dough balls from the refrigerator. Place one ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it evenly into a 7-inch square. Repeat this process for the remaining two dough balls.
- Carefully stack the rolled dough squares on a fresh piece of parchment paper in the following order: red dough on the bottom, followed by the green dough, and finally the plain vanilla dough on top. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the stacked dough.
- Gently roll out the entire stacked dough into a large 12×8-inch rectangle. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
- Starting from one of the long sides (the 12-inch edge), carefully and tightly roll the stacked dough into a uniform log.
- Wrap the dough log snugly in the parchment paper and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until thoroughly firm. This step is crucial for clean and precise slicing.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with fresh parchment paper and set them aside.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, carefully cut the firm dough log into 1/3-inch thick slices, maintaining the pinwheel shape.
- Take each cookie slice and gently roll its outer edge in the red sanding sugar to add a festive sparkle.
- Arrange the sugared cookie slices approximately 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the cookies appear set.
- Allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, store these festive cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days.
Notes
- These cookies are perfect for gifting.
- They can be stored for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
Keywords: Sparkling Christmas Pinwheel, Holiday Cookies, Festive Treats