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Classic Red and Green Pinwheel Cookies

A stack of colorful red and green pinwheel cookies dusted with sugar, sitting on a white plate near a window.
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Make festive, slice-and-bake pinwheel cookies with red and green swirls. These buttery cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges.

Ingredients

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  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • Red food coloring (gel preferred)
  • Green food coloring (gel preferred)

Instructions

  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined.
  5. Divide the dough evenly into three separate bowls.
  6. Leave one portion plain (white dough). Add several drops of red food coloring to the second portion and mix until the color is uniform. Add several drops of green food coloring to the third portion and mix until the color is uniform.
  7. Wrap each colored dough portion separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  8. Remove one color of dough at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this process for the other two colors, aiming for similarly sized rectangles.
  9. Place one color rectangle on top of another, smoothing gently. Place the third color on top of the second layer. You should have three stacked layers.
  10. Starting from one long edge, tightly roll the stacked dough layers into a compact log. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap.
  11. Chill the dough log for at least 2 hours, or until firm enough to slice easily.
  12. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  13. Slice the chilled log into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place the slices about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  14. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set. Do not overbake.
  15. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Use gel food coloring for the most intense, non-diluting color in your dough.
  • For sharper swirls, chill the dough logs longer, up to 4 hours.
  • You can substitute peppermint extract for almond extract for a peppermint flavor variation.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://delishdiarist.com/pinwheel-cookies-recipe-classic-red-green-swirl/