Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Are you Christmas cookie-d out yet?  Well, I'm getting close but not before I share these pretty pinwheels.  

Over Thanksgiving my Auntie Geri and I were having a conversation about Christmas cookies.  She always makes these super cute candy cane cookies that are a ton of work.  I was asking if she was making them again this year and she replied with, "of course, I have to."  We went on to talk about the cookies I was making with my mom the next day and I told her I was looking for a cookie that could be my signature cookie like she has.  I have decided…these are not it.  

They are a ton of work and honestly are not very sweet.  I'm into a super sweet cookie…these are not it.  That also may or may not have something to do with the fact that I left out the granulated sugar.  Hum…Either way the original recipe says they aren't super sweet.  They however are ah-freaking-dorable though.  I'm not saying don't make these…I'm saying don't think I will be making these every year.  : ) 

 Start by sifting powdered sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer

{INSERT PICTURE OF ME ADDING GRANULATED SUGAR--my bad}

 Add baking powder

 Salt

And flour

 Cut super cold butter into tabs and add them to the dry ingredients

 Mix.

 Add vanilla

 Mix again

 Add in your color of choice

 And some extract.  I like almond.  I would actually add a bit more than what the recipe said…it will make these taste a little nicer.  I added a tablespoon more of flour too since I added so much more liquid.

 Pretty green dough.

 Take the non colored dough and place it on a piece of parchment paper

 Place another piece of parchment on it and roll it out.  Do the same with the colored dough.  Place the doughs either outside (if you live in Minnesota and it is winter time) or in a freezer.

 Once the dough is completely cold/frozen.  Place the colored dough on top of the white dough.

 When it is pliable (note it took a while for this to happen for me since they were frozen solid) gently roll up as tightly as you can using the parchment paper.

 It will break.  This is okay.

 The dough is soft enough that you can just take your finger and fix the cracks.  See, good as new.

 Rolled up.

 Then the fun part.  Take your sprinkles and add them to a jelly roll pan.  Roll in the sprinkles and gently press so they stick. I also smooshed the ends in a bit as you can see.

 Wrap in plastic wrap and into the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake them.  I popped them in the freezer and made them a week or so later.

 Take them out and slice away.  Your first few slices might be rings rather than fully intact circles.  These ended up being kinda cute so I kept them.

 But that's really where it is at.

 Sliced.  I would slice them a little thicker next time.  You will see why below.  But, before you scroll down, you will need to cook these.  Pop them on a cookie sheet with either a silpat mat or parchment paper.  They do spread quite a bit so don't over crowd the pan.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

 This is why I would cut them thicker…I had a bunch that broke.  After all that work then they BREAK!?  Bahhhh.

 Some didn't though.  And they were super cute.  Like super cute.

I'm pretty sure Santa would like to see these on his cookie plate this year.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies 

2 cups flour + 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1//2 sticks of cold butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (if you do this, add an additional tablespoon of flour to the colored dough)
1/2 teaspoon of food coloring
1 1/2 cups holiday sprinkles

Start by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Give it a quick stir.

Cut butter into small tabs and add to the bowl.  Give it a mix just until it is combined.  Add the vanilla and mix again.

Remove half of the dough and place on a large piece of parchment paper.  To the other half that is still in the bowl, add the food coloring, additional extract and 1 tablespoon of flour.  Mix to combine again.

Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the non-colored dough.  Roll this dough out into a rectangle about 11x9 and 1/4 inch thick.  Do the same with the colored dough separately.  Keep the parchment on the dough and place in the freezer to harden.  It is easier to do this if they are on a cookie sheet because you want them to be flat.

Once the dough is stiff, remove the parchment paper completely from the colored dough and the top sheet of the white dough.  Place the colored dough on top of the white dough and place on the counter parchment side down.  After the dough is pliable (this will take a little bit if it is truly frozen) gently roll as tightly as you can.  The dough will break, just use your fingers to smooth out the cracks.

After rolling the dough, add the sprinkles to a large jelly roll pan and roll in the sprinkles.  You will need to press them in to ensure the roll is fully covered in sprinkles.  Wrap the dough roll in plastic wrap and either place in the fridge until firm again (about 3 or 4 hours) or freezer until you would like to bake.  You can keep the dough in the freezer for up to two months.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Unwrap the dough and place on a cutting board.  Slice using a very sharp knife, about1/4 inch to 1/8 inch.  I would error on the side of 1/4.  Work quickly as it is more difficult to cut when the dough warms up.  Place dough on a cookie sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.  They will spread so be sure to give them enough room.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or just until the edges start to brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes or until set.  Then transfer to a wire cooling wrack.

Recipe originally from: Sprinkle Bakes