The Ultimate Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe: A Festive Swirl of Joy

Are you on the hunt for a truly show-stopping bake that encapsulates the spirit of Christmas? A treat that not only looks beautiful but also fills your kitchen with the comforting, sweet aroma of the holidays? We think our fantastic Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe is exactly what you’re looking for. These enchanting red and green swirled biscuits are the essence of festive cheer, created from a simple, buttery dough using a fun technique that yields spectacular results. They are, quite simply, happiness on a baking sheet.

There is a unique joy that comes from setting aside an afternoon for christmas baking. It’s a cherished tradition that transports us back to our own childhoods while helping us forge new, precious memories with our families. These cookies represent more than just a delicious snack; they are an experience, a heartfelt gift, and a festive centrepiece all rolled into one. Allow us to walk you through each stage, ensuring your pinwheel cookies turn out perfectly from the very first batch.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Stunning Festive Appearance: With their vivid red and green swirls, these cookies are genuine head-turners. They are certain to be the highlight of any biscuit exchange, Christmas celebration, or hand-packed gift hamper.
• Deceptively Simple to Make: Don’t be intimidated by their intricate look! The recipe is built on a reliable sugar cookie dough, and the pinwheel method is straightforward and enjoyable for bakers of every experience level.
• A Timeless Buttery Taste: We’ve stayed true to a classic vanilla-infused, buttery sugar cookie foundation that is wonderfully soft, tender, and melts in your mouth. It’s a beloved flavour that appeals to everyone.
• Ideal for Holiday Planning: The festive period can be rather busy. Thankfully, you can prepare the cookie dough logs in advance, wrap them well, and keep them in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for months. Simply slice and bake whenever you fancy fresh, warm biscuits!
• Wonderfully Adaptable: Let your imagination run wild! You can roll the logs in festive sprinkles before slicing, add a dash of peppermint extract for a candy cane-inspired twist, or even switch up the colours for a different celebration.

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 225g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon red gel food colouring
• 1 teaspoon green gel food colouring
• Optional: Christmas-themed sprinkles for decorating

How to Make Our Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

We’ve organised the method into clear, easy-to-follow steps. Follow our guide carefully, and you’ll soon have a batch of gorgeous cookies to share. Just remember, the secret to those flawless swirls is giving the dough enough time to chill properly!

Step 1: Prepare the Cookie Dough Base

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Set this bowl of dry ingredients aside for a moment.
2. In a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened unsalted butter and caster sugar together on a medium-high setting. Continue for around 3-4 minutes, until the mixture becomes pale, light, and airy. Pause to scrape down the bowl’s sides when necessary.
3. Add the large egg and the vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Beat again on a medium speed until everything is well-blended and the mixture is smooth.
4. Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed and gradually incorporate the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix just until the flour is barely combined. It’s important not to overmix, as this can result in tough cookies. The finished dough will be soft and should start to pull away from the bowl.

Step 2: Divide and Colour the Dough

1. Tip the soft dough onto a surface lightly dusted with flour and carefully divide it into two equal portions.
2. Return one half of the dough to your mixing bowl. Add the red gel food colouring and mix on a low speed, or simply knead by hand, until the colour is rich and evenly spread throughout.
3. Do the exact same with the remaining half of the dough, this time using the green gel food colouring. You will now have two lovely, festive-coloured balls of dough ready for the next stage.

Step 3: Roll, Stack, and Swirl

1. Position the green dough between two large sheets of baking parchment. With a rolling pin, carefully roll it out to form a rectangle of approximately 25cm by 30cm (10 by 12 inches). Try to achieve a consistent thickness of about 1/4 inch.
2. Carefully slide the parchment sheet holding the green dough onto a baking sheet and pop it in the fridge to firm up for around 15 minutes. This small step makes the dough much easier to work with.
3. Follow the same rolling procedure with the red dough, working towards the same rectangular size.
4. When the green dough has firmed up, take it out of the fridge. Gently peel away the top sheet of parchment. Now, lay the red dough rectangle directly over the green one, removing its top layer of parchment too. Lightly press them together and trim the edges with a knife to create a tidy rectangle.
5. Beginning from one of the longer sides, roll the stacked doughs up together into a tight log. You can use the bottom sheet of parchment to help you lift and create an even roll. A snug roll is the key to creating perfect pinwheel cookies without any gaps.

Step 4: The Crucial Chilling Stage

1. Wrap your completed dough log securely in cling film. We find it helps to twist the ends to seal it, which also helps the log maintain its cylindrical shape.
2. Transfer the dough log to the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. For best results, we recommend chilling for 4 hours or even letting it rest overnight. This stage is non-negotiable! Chilling solidifies the butter, stopping the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven and guaranteeing sharp, clean swirls when you slice the log.

Step 5: Slice and Bake to Perfection

1. Once you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4). Line two large baking sheets with fresh baking parchment.
2. Remove the chilled log from the cling film and set it on a chopping board. With a sharp, slender knife, slice the log into individual cookies, each about 1/4-inch thick.
3. Arrange the slices on your prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave approximately 2 inches between each cookie to give them room to spread slightly.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are ready when the edges are just starting to take on a pale golden-brown colour. The centres should remain soft to the touch.
5. Allow the cookies to cool on their baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Top Tips for the Perfect Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

• Opt for Gel Food Colouring: To achieve the most intense red and green shades without altering the dough’s consistency with extra liquid, gel food colouring is vastly better than liquid alternatives.
• Don’t Skip the Chilling Time: We cannot overstate this point. A well-chilled dough log is firm, slices cleanly, and bakes into a beautifully shaped cookie. If you have a warm kitchen, you can even place the log in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before you start slicing.
• Measure Flour with Precision: For consistently excellent results, we always suggest weighing your flour. If you’re curious about the benefits of weighing ingredients versus using cup measurements, the baking experts at King Arthur Baking provide a brilliant explanation.
• Rotate Trays for an Even Bake: To ensure all your cookies are baked uniformly, we recommend rotating your baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the baking time.

Decoration and Flavour Ideas

Although these cookies are delightful just as they are, adding a little extra embellishment can make them feel even more special. This is your opportunity to be inventive and create some truly stunning christmas cookies decorated for the season.

Creative Decorations

• A Sprinkled Edge: Before slicing the chilled log, lightly brush it with a little milk or beaten egg white, then roll it in your favourite festive sprinkles. This gives each cookie a lovely, sparkling border.
• A Dip in White Chocolate: Once the cookies have cooled down completely, melt some high-quality white chocolate. Dip one half of each cookie into the melted chocolate and lay them on baking parchment to set. For extra sparkle, you can add more sprinkles over the wet chocolate.

Flavour Twists

• Peppermint Swirl: For a classic candy cane flavour, incorporate 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract into the red-coloured dough.
• A Hint of Citrus: Add the finely grated zest of an orange or a lemon to the plain dough base before dividing it. This introduces a bright, fresh note that complements the buttery flavour beautifully.

Planning Your Christmas Baking Schedule

When we map out our Christmas cooking, we find that managing our time is key. The make-ahead friendly nature of this cookie dough is a true gift. While it’s chilling, you have the perfect window to prepare a simple yet impressive main course, like our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe. Having a repertoire of reliable recipes, from these festive cookies to a quick meal like our Sticky Chicken Rice Bowls, makes the hectic holiday season feel far more relaxed and enjoyable.

FAQ

Bringing Festive Joy to Your Kitchen

And there we have it – a complete guide to creating the most beautiful and delicious Christmas pinwheel cookies. They are a wonderful celebration of the season, from the creative fun of colouring and rolling the dough to the magical moment you retrieve a tray of perfectly swirled treats from the oven. We have a feeling these cookies will become a cherished part of your family’s holiday traditions.

So, it’s time to preheat your oven, turn on your favourite Christmas playlist, and prepare to bake some edible holiday magic with our Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe. We are so excited to see your festive bakes! Please do share a picture or leave us a comment below to let us know how yours turned out. Happy baking!

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Prep: 25 mins (+ 2 hrs chilling)
Cook: 10-12 mins
Yields: Approx. 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon red gel food colouring
• 1 teaspoon green gel food colouring
• Optional: Christmas sprinkles

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 mins). Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Divide the dough into two equal halves. Knead red gel food colouring into one half and green gel food colouring into the other until evenly coloured.
4. Roll each coloured dough between sheets of parchment paper into a 25cm x 30cm rectangle. Chill the green rectangle for 15 minutes.
5. Place the red dough rectangle on top of the chilled green one. Trim the edges and, starting from a long side, roll the stacked dough into a tight log.
6. Wrap the log securely in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results.
7. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan). Slice the chilled log into 1/4-inch thick cookies.
8. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are pale golden.
9. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving):Calories: —, Carbs: — g, Protein: — g, Fat: — g