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Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Festive, brightly colored sugar cookies swirled into beautiful pinwheels—perfect for holiday gifting, cookie exchanges, and Christmas dessert tables.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert, Holiday
Cuisine: American
Calories: 120
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp almond extract (optional)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Colors & Decorations
  • red gel food coloring
  • green gel food coloring
  • holiday sprinkles or sanding sugar

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Electric mixer
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper

Method
 

  1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to wet mixture.
  4. Divide dough into two or three portions and tint with red and green gel food coloring.
  5. Roll dough into rectangles and layer together.
  6. Roll into a log, coat with sprinkles, and chill for 2 hours.
  7. Slice into ¼-inch cookies and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 9–11 minutes.
  8. Cool on wire racks before serving.

Notes

Chill the dough thoroughly to maintain clean swirl patterns.