Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

These Christmas pinwheel cookies are a holiday classic, with their cheerful swirls of red, green, and white. They are a simple slice-and-bake sugar cookie, but the colorful design makes them a special addition to any cookie platter.

While this recipe requires a couple of hours for chilling the dough, the active work is straightforward and fun. It’s a great baking project for a cozy weekend afternoon before the holiday rush.

Why will you love Christmas Pinwheel Cookies?

Festive Look: The colorful spiral design, finished with sprinkles, makes these cookies stand out at any holiday gathering.

Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough log can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer. Just slice and bake when you’re ready for fresh cookies.

Classic Butter Cookie Flavor: Underneath the fun colors is a simple, buttery sugar cookie that is always a favorite.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter: Using butter at room temperature is key. It should be soft enough to indent with your finger but not greasy or melted.

• Gel Food Coloring: Gel coloring provides a deep, rich color without thinning out the cookie dough like liquid coloring can.

• Nonpareil Sprinkles: These tiny, hard sugar balls add a festive look and a pleasant crunch. You can also use jimmies or other small holiday sprinkles.

• All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for the best results.

Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Step 1: Make and Color the Cookie Dough

Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, followed by the flour and salt to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into three equal parts, coloring one red and one green with gel food coloring, leaving the third plain.

Step 2: Chill and Roll the Dough

Shape each portion of dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Once chilled, roll each disc out on a lightly floured surface into a thin rectangle. This first chill makes the dough much easier to handle.

Step 3: Assemble and Chill the Pinwheel Log

Stack the three colored rectangles of dough on top of one another. Tightly roll the stack into a log, starting from one of the long sides. Roll the finished log in sprinkles to coat the outside, then wrap it securely and chill it for at least one more hour.

Step 4: Slice and Bake the Cookies

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven. Slice the firm, chilled log into rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are set, then let them cool completely on a wire rack.

What to Serve with Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies are wonderful on their own with a glass of milk or a cup of hot cocoa during the holiday season.

Helpful Tricks for Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Chilling the dough is critical. The first chill makes the dough easier to roll, and the second chill helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.

If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, you can place it back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant colors without adding extra liquid, which can change the dough’s consistency.

To ensure your egg is safe and fresh, check for an intact shell and use it before its expiration date.

How to Store and Freeze Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the unbaked dough log, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months. Thaw the log in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe FAQs

Can I use different colors for these cookies?

Yes, you can use any colors you like. This same technique works well for other holidays, like orange and black for Halloween or pastels for Easter.

My dough was too crumbly to roll out. What went wrong?

If your dough is crumbly, it might be too cold or slightly too dry. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften slightly. If it still seems dry, you can knead in a teaspoon of milk or water.

Can I freeze the baked cookies?

Yes, these cookies freeze well. Once they are completely cool, store them in a freezer-safe container or bag with layers separated by parchment paper for up to 3 months.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Colorful layers of red, green, and white sugar cookie dough are rolled up, coated in sprinkles, and sliced to bake.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 42 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 225g
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar 135g
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 300g
• Red gel food coloring
• Green gel food coloring
• ⅓ cup holiday nonpareil sprinkles 60g

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
• Divide the dough into three equal portions. Leave one portion plain. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the second portion and green food coloring to the third. Mix each colored dough until the color is uniform.
• Form each portion of dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll each dough disc into a rectangle about 7x9 inches and ⅛-inch thick. Stack the three rectangles of dough. I put green on the bottom, white in the middle, and red on top.
• Starting from a long edge, tightly roll the stacked dough into a log. Pour the sprinkles onto a plate or small baking sheet and roll the log in the sprinkles to coat the outside completely.
• Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. This chill is essential for clean slices.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled log and use a sharp knife to slice it into ¼-inch thick rounds. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look dry. The colored dough will not show browning. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Chilling the dough is critical. The first chill makes the dough easier to roll, and the second chill helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.

If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, you can place it back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant colors without adding extra liquid, which can change the dough's consistency.

To ensure your egg is safe and fresh, check for an intact shell and use it before its expiration date.

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