Sweet, buttery holiday pinwheel cookies will stand out in your cookie tray - so festive decked in red and green! These may take a little more work, but your effort will be repaid in rave reviews!
red and green food coloring(switch up the colors depending on the holiday!)
sanding sugar or sprinklesoptional
Instructions
Prep
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the cookies
Sift - Sift the flour, baking powder, and fine salt into a bowl.
180 grams all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspooon fine salt
Cream butter & sugar - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine room temperaturebutter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy.
125 grams white granulated sugar
113 grams unsalted butter
Liquid ingredients - Add the egg and vanilla, then beat until combined. (See Note 4)
50 grams egg (without shell)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dry ingredients - Turn mixer to low speed. Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Do not overmix!
Divide the dough - Scrape the dough into a lightly floured work surface and divide into three equal portions. I like to use a digital kitchen scale here to make sure the dough portions are of equal size.Using your hands, shape one portion into an even 5 x 3-inch rectangle. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap.
red and green food coloring
Color the dough - Return one of the remaining dough portions to the mixer bowl, add the red food coloring (See Note 1), and mix the dough on low speed until evenly colored. Dust the work surface with fresh flour, scrape the red dough out onto it, and then shape the dough into an even 5 x 3-inch rectangle. Again, wrap this red rectangle in plastic wrap.Wash and dry the mixer bowl and paddle, then repeat with the remaining portion of dough, add green food coloring and shape the dough into a rectangle. Wrap this green rectangle in plastic wrap.
Chill - Refrigerate all the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the dough - If using sanding sugar, spoon the coarse sugar onto a large, flat plate or baking tray, creating a thin, even layer.Dust some flour to your rolling pin to avoid the dough sticking. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough rectangle into a rectangle about 10 x 7 inches. (See Note 2)Starting with the white dough as the base, stack the rectangles on top of one another. Run the rolling pin over the stack a few times to ensure that everything is even and to also to compress the three doughs together. Be careful not to roll the dough too thin. The stack should roll out a few inches larger.Using a sharp knife, trim off a very small amount on all sides to create a perfect rectangle. Starting from the long side, roll up the stack tightly to create a log.Roll the log in the sanding sugar, coating it evenly, then wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. You can turn the wrapped log a few times to prevent it from developing a flat side.
sanding sugar or sprinkles
Slice - Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F / 175 C.Remove the plastic wrap from the log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange 15 slices on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly.Hold the remaining slices in the fridge until they are ready to bake.
Bake - Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. As not all ovens are the same, watch for visual cues to know when your cookies are done. They should be a little puffed and set to the touch. A little browning on the bottom is okay. (See Note 3)
Cool - Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
(1) The amount of food coloring you add will depend on the type you use and how saturated you like the colors to be. Start with 1/8 teaspoon and add from there.(2) Remember to flour everything and often so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands or to your rolling pin.(3) I use an oven thermometer, so at 350F, my cookie came out perfect at exactly 12 minutes.(4) If you’re doubling the recipe, add the egg one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated.