Description
Delight in these festive Pinwheel Cookies featuring a vibrant red and white swirl, soft buttery texture, and a fun sprinkle-coated edge. Perfect for holiday celebrations or whenever you want a colorful homemade treat, these cookies combine classic almond extract flavor with a visually appealing design that’s sure to impress.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 tsp almond extract
- Red food coloring, as needed
Decorations
- Sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt until evenly combined to prepare your dry mix.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Flavor: Beat in the large egg until fully incorporated, then add the almond extract and mix well to infuse the dough with a delicate almond flavor.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on medium-low speed just until combined to form your cookie dough.
- Divide and Color Dough: Split the dough into two equal parts. Leave one half in the bowl as is (white dough). Add red food coloring to the other half and mix thoroughly, adding more coloring as needed, until the dough reaches your desired shade of red.
- Shape Dough Squares: On a clean work surface, shape each portion of dough into a flat square approximately 1/2 inch thick. Wrap each square tightly in plastic wrap.
- Chill Dough Squares: Refrigerate the wrapped dough squares until firm, about 30 minutes, to make rolling easier.
- Roll Out Dough Layers: Place the red dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this rolling process with the white dough on separate parchment sheets.
- Layer and Seal Dough: Remove the top parchment sheet from each dough layer. Carefully invert the white dough onto the red dough, gently pressing down to help the layers stick together evenly.
- Trim and Roll Log: Remove the top parchment from the layered dough. Trim the edges to create neat sides. With a long side facing you, use the bottom parchment to tightly roll the dough into a log shape, then roll it on the work surface a few times to seal the edges firmly.
- Chill Rolled Dough Log: Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight, to make slicing easier.
- Prepare for Baking: Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour sprinkles onto a medium plate for decorating.
- Slice and Decorate Cookies: Using a sharp knife, slice the chilled dough log into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Roll the edges of each cookie slice in sprinkles to coat them.
- Arrange on Baking Sheets: Place the cookie rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, swapping the position of the baking sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Cookies are done when edges are set and just starting to turn golden.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chilling the dough adequately is essential to maintain the pinwheel shape and make slicing easier.
- You can adjust the intensity of the red coloring to your preference.
- Use a very sharp knife to slice the dough log to keep clean, even edges.
- Sprinkles add a festive touch but can be omitted or replaced with coarse sugar if desired.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
