Description
These Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are festive and delicious, featuring swirls of red, green, and white dough flavored with peppermint and vanilla. Soft and buttery, they are coated with colorful sprinkles and perfect for holiday celebrations or any time you want a delightful minty treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups (480 grams) all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 eggs
Other Ingredients
- Red and green food coloring
- 1/2 cup nonpareil sprinkles (red, white, and green)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In another large bowl, beat the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add Flavors and Eggs: Incorporate the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and eggs into the butter mixture. Beat again until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating until a soft but not sticky dough forms.
- Divide Dough: Separate the dough into three equal parts. Wrap one portion with cling wrap and refrigerate as the plain white dough.
- Color Dough: Add green food coloring to one portion and mix thoroughly using a hand mixer or your hands with gloves. Color the remaining dough portion red. Wrap each colored dough separately with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll Out Dough: After chilling, roll each dough portion individually on lightly floured parchment paper into 9×12-inch rectangles.
- Stack Dough Layers: Place the dough rectangles on top of each other with green on the bottom, plain white in the middle, and red on top. Trim edges to form an even rectangle.
- Form Log: Starting from the long side, roll the stacked dough tightly into a log shape.
- Coat with Sprinkles: Pour the colorful sprinkles into a rimmed baking sheet or container. Roll the dough log over the sprinkles, pressing gently to coat the entire surface.
- Chill the Log: Wrap the sprinkled dough log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to firm up.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice Cookies: Remove the chilled log from the refrigerator and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices using a sharp knife.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the cookie slices on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes, until they are set but still soft. Allow to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, make sure the dough is well chilled before slicing to maintain the pinwheel shape.
- Handle the colored dough with gloves to avoid staining your hands.
- You can store the dough log wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Use a sharp knife for clean slices and to prevent the cookies from losing their shape.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week or frozen for longer storage.
