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Easy Slice-and-Bake Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

A stack of colorful pinwheel cookies featuring red, green, and white swirls, resting on a white plate.
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Make visually appealing, festive pinwheel cookies using this simple slice-and-bake sugar cookie recipe featuring red and green swirls. These are perfect for holiday trays and cookie exchanges.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Red food coloring (gel preferred)
  • Green food coloring (gel preferred)
  • Extra granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions

  1. Beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined into a dough.
  3. Divide the dough evenly into three separate bowls. Leave one bowl plain (this will be white). Add several drops of red food coloring to the second bowl and mix until the color is uniform. Add several drops of green food coloring to the third bowl and mix until the color is uniform.
  4. Wrap each color of dough separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.
  5. Prepare two large sheets of plastic wrap on your counter. Take the white dough and roll it out between the two sheets of plastic wrap into a rectangle approximately 1/8 inch thick.
  6. Repeat the rolling process for the red dough and the green dough, aiming for the same size rectangle as the white dough.
  7. Carefully peel the top layer of plastic wrap off the white dough rectangle. Place the red dough rectangle directly on top of the white dough. Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap from the red dough, and place the green dough rectangle on top of the red dough. You now have three layers stacked.
  8. Peel off the remaining bottom layer of plastic wrap from the bottom (white) layer. Starting from one long edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log. Press gently to seal the seam.
  9. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or until very firm. This step is crucial for clean slices.
  10. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  11. Pour extra granulated sugar onto a plate. Unwrap the chilled dough log and roll the entire surface in the sugar until coated.
  12. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place the slices about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  13. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set. The centers may look slightly soft.
  14. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • For the best swirl pattern, make sure your dough layers are rolled to the same thickness before stacking.
  • If the dough becomes too soft while slicing, return the log to the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.
  • You can substitute chocolate dough for the green or red dough for a chocolate vanilla pinwheel variation.

Nutrition

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