This Christmas pinwheel cookies recipe may be my favorite I've made all holiday season. With festive green swirls and crunchy red sugary edges, the fun holiday cookies are show-stopping and secretly quite easy to make (if you have a little patience.) They make me think of Cindy Lou Hoo and seem like something she would serve at the Hoos Christmas dinner after they've had their roast beast.
I love to make these pinwheel Christmas cookies during the holiday season, but you could definitely change the color of the food coloring and sprinkles and make them any time of year.
Use blue food coloring and red sprinkles for the 4th of July; orange food coloring and black sprinkles for Halloween; or your child's favorite color plus multicolor sprinkles for a birthday cookie. The possibilities are endless!
If you're looking for more of my best Christmas cookie recipes, be sure to check out my Pecan Praline Cookies. And the Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies, Lemon Coconut Snowmen Cookies, and Stained Glass Cookie Stars I developed for Yummly are fun Christmas cookie options that start with a log of store-bought dough.
These cream cheese spritz cookies and Christmas M&M cookies ooze holiday charm. Finally, my Easy Christmas White Chocolate Chex Snack Mix is also a delicious (and addictive) holiday treat that would be great to add to your holiday cookie plate.
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather our ingredients.
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salted butter
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- green food coloring paste
- red sanding sugar
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we’ve got our ingredients, it’s time to get baking!
First, make the cookie dough and divide it into two equal halves. Tint one half of the dough with green food coloring.
Next, roll out the pieces of dough between sheets of parchment paper or wax paper and chill.
Then, place the plain sugar cookie dough on top of the green cookie dough and roll up into a tight log.
Finally, roll the pinwheel log in sanding sugar and cut the dough into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and bake.
Hint: To make it easier to roll the dough into a rectangle, I like to start by making sure the disc of dough is in a square shape instead of a round shape. I also trim the dough as I roll and place the scraps where needed to make a rectangular shape.
Substitutions
Need to make some ingredient changes? Here are some of my suggested substitutions:
- Butter - feel free to use unsalted butter instead of salted but be sure to add ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the dough. Adding salt will enhance the sweetness of the vanilla dough.
- Food coloring paste - I've had the best luck with food coloring gel or paste. The colors seem so much brighter and more intense. You can use liquid food coloring though if that's what you have on hand. Just add enough to get the desired color that you like.
Variations
Here are some more ways to change up these pinwheel sugar cookies:
- Color - try red gel food coloring or any other desired color of food coloring. The great thing about these is they can be enjoyed year-round. For Halloween, use orange food coloring gel and roll in black or purple sprinkles.
- Extracts - change up the flavor of these. Try almond extract or peppermint extract in place of the vanilla.
- Sprinkles - in addition to red sanding sugar, feel free to roll the dough in your favorite sprinkles. Christmas nonpareil sprinkles are a great option.
Equipment
Here's what you'll need to make these festive pinwheel cookies:
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl set
- heavy-duty stand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- rimmed baking sheets
- cooling racks
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Or, freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Tasty tip
If you want to be super precise with dividing each portion of dough into equal pieces, I suggest using a kitchen scale and weighing the dough.
Frequently asked questions
I don't recommend it. While store-bought dough is convenient, the ratio of sugar to butter to flour is off. The cookies will spread and not be as pretty.
Depending on the cookie, you could bake them up to a month before serving and freeze them.
You probably baked them at too high of a temperature or for too long. For these pinwheel sugar cookies, I recommend baking them until they are just set. You don't want them to have any browning at all.
Baking powder makes these cookies light and airy. Baking soda is used to make cookies have a chewy texture.
An egg acts as the binder for the cookie dough and keeps it together as it bakes.
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🍽Get the recipe
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl set
- heavy-duty stand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- rimmed baking sheets
- cooling racks
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 drops Leaf Green food coloring paste (such as Americolor)
- Red sanding sugar
Instructions
- Stir together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Beat the softened butter and sugar at medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. (I used a heavy-duty stand mixer with the paddle attachment but a hand mixer works fine too.) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the yellow disappears after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Divide dough in half and place one half in a separate bowl. Add 4 drops of food coloring paste to one-half of the dough, and beat until well combined.
- Roll the green dough into a 9- x 16-inch rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the plain dough into a 9- x 16-inch rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. Place both dough sheets in the refrigerator and let the dough chill for 30 minutes.
- Unwrap the green dough and place on a clean surface. Turn out the plain dough on top of green dough, and trim the edges if necessary. Roll dough into a tight log, starting with one long end. Wrap with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the sanding sugar into a rimmed baking sheet. Unwrap the dough and roll the cookie dough log in sanding sugar until the dough is completely covered. Trim off the ends and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife.
- Place the cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until set (don't brown). Let stand on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Keep these few food safety things in mind when making this recipe
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or eggs
- Wash hands after touching raw meat or eggs
- Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Genevieve says
These Christmas pinwheel cookies look incredible! The perfect Christmas treat!
AshleyFreeman says
Thank you Genevieve. You're so right!
Ramona says
These look so festive and perfect. I will need to make them with the kids over the Christmas period - some real fun in the kitchen - thanks for sharing! these are gorgeous!
AshleyFreeman says
It's a great recipe to make with the kiddos!
Claudia says
I tried this recipe, and the pinwheel cookies turned out amazing! They’re so festive and fun to make.
AshleyFreeman says
Thanks for giving them a try!
Swathi says
Christmas pinwheel cookies are so yummy. I have added it to my Christmas cookie tray so yummy.
AshleyFreeman says
I love that! It's a great way to add a pop of color too!
Nicole Kendrick says
I LOVE this recipe! The cookies are so tasty and cute, and the best part is they're so much easier to make than I would have thought!
AshleyFreeman says
Thanks Nicole! So glad you liked them!
Vera says
These cookies were delish! I need to make another batch since the kiddos ate the first batch! Thanks you!
AshleyFreeman says
Haha! I love it!