Festive Pinwheel Cookies
Few cookies are as eye-catching and festive as pinwheel cookies! These beautiful red and white swirled sugar cookies look incredibly impressive with their spiral design and festive sprinkle coating, but I have a secret: they’re much easier to make than they appear!
Perfect for Christmas cookie platters, holiday parties, and gift boxes, these Christmas pinwheel cookies bring that wow factor without requiring any fancy decorating skills. Just roll, swirl, slice, and bake—and you’ve got stunning cookies that look like they came from a professional bakery.
Why You’ll Love These Pinwheel Cookies
❤️ Stunning Visual Impact – The red and white spiral is instantly festive and Christmasy. These cookies make any cookie platter look professional and thoughtful.
🤍 Easier Than They Look – No cookie cutters, no icing, no piping required! The impressive swirl pattern happens naturally when you roll and slice the dough.
❤️ Fun to Make – There’s something really satisfying about rolling the dough into that spiral log and seeing the pattern emerge when you slice it.
🤍 Perfect for Gifting – The festive colors and sprinkle coating make these ideal for Christmas cookie boxes and holiday gifts.
❤️ Classic Sugar Cookie Flavor – These taste like your favorite sugar cookies but look so much more special. Simple, sweet, and universally loved.
🤍 Uniform Size – Slicing from a log means all your cookies are the same size, so they bake evenly and look consistent on platters.
Ingredients and Substitutions
These cookies share the same dough as the Candy Cane Cookies. If you want smaller batches of both, use one batch of dough to make both styles of cookies.
- Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be used instead.
- Sugar.
- Eggs.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. All purpose flour or cake flour can both be used.
- Cornstarch.
- Salt.
- Red gel food coloring.
- Festive sprinkles (optional).
Flavor Variations
While the classic version is vanilla, you can customize these Christmas pinwheel cookies:
Peppermint Pinwheels: Add ½ teaspoon peppermint extract to the dough and use crushed candy canes instead of sprinkles for authentic candy cane cookies!
Chocolate Pinwheels: Replace the red dough with chocolate dough (add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder to half the dough) for a chocolate-vanilla swirl.
Almond Pinwheels: Use almond extract instead of vanilla for a subtle, sophisticated flavor that pairs beautifully with the red and white theme.
Orange Pinwheels: Add orange zest to the dough and use orange extract for a citrusy twist.
Green and White: Use green food coloring instead of red for a different festive look!
How to Make Pinwheel Cookies
These festive pinwheel cookies come together in manageable steps:
- Make the Sugar Cookie Dough: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and vanilla, then mix in dry ingredients. This creates a soft, workable dough that’s perfect for rolling.
- Divide and Color: Split the dough in half. Leave one half white and knead red gel food coloring into the other half until you achieve a vibrant, even red color.
- Roll Out Both Colors: On a piece of parchment paper, roll each portion into a rectangle about 10×12 inches/25-30cm. Make them as similar in size as possible.
- Stack and Trim: Place the red rectangle on top of the white (or vice versa—either way works!). Trim the edges to create clean, straight sides.
- Roll Into a Log: Starting from the long side, tightly roll the layered dough into a log, using the parchment to help you roll evenly. Pinch the seam to seal.
- Coat with Sprinkles: Pour sprinkles onto a plate or sheet of parchment and roll the log through them, gently pressing so they adhere all around.
- Chill Thoroughly: Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or freeze for 1 hour). This makes slicing so much easier!
- Slice and Bake: With a sharp knife, slice the log into ¼-inch/½cm rounds. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until just set but not browned.
- Cool Completely: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. The spiral pattern will be gorgeous!
Tips for Perfect Pinwheel Cookies
- Work on Parchment – Rolling the dough on parchment paper makes it easier to transfer and prevents sticking.
- Keep Dough Cold – If dough gets too soft while working, pop it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll Tightly – A tight spiral creates more distinct layers and a prettier pattern. Loose rolling creates gaps.
- Trim for Clean Edges – Don’t skip trimming! It makes such a difference in the final appearance.
- Chill Before Slicing – This is crucial! Warm dough will squish and distort when you try to slice it.
- Sharp Knife is Key – Wipe your knife clean between slices to keep the red and white colors distinct.
- Even Slicing – Try to make all slices the same thickness so they bake evenly.
- Don’t Overbake – These should be just barely set when you take them out. They’ll firm up as they cool.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
- Storing Baked Cookies: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. The sprinkles help keep them fresh!
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Layer with parchment paper in airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Make-Ahead Dough Logs: This is the best make-ahead method! Form the sprinkle-coated logs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Slice and bake when ready!
- Freezing Sliced Unbaked Cookies: Slice the log, freeze slices on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bags. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225g) butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) flour
- 1/3 cup (45g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tsp red gel food colouring
- ½ cup festive sprinkles optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Beat in the vanilla and egg scraping down the bowl after mixing in.
- Sift together the dry ingredients then add to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
- Divide the dough into two and add the red colouring to one batch. Knead in until a vibrant red is achieved.
- On parchment paper, roll each portion into a rectangle about 10×12 inches / 25-30cm. Make them as similar in size as possible.
- Place the red rectangle on top of the white (or vice versa—either way works!). Trim the edges to create clean, straight sides.
- Starting from the long side, tightly roll the layered dough into a log, using the parchment to help you roll evenly. Pinch the seam to seal.
- Pour sprinkles onto a sheet of parchment and roll the log through them, gently pressing so they adhere all around.
- Wrap the log tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or freeze for 1 hour). This makes slicing so much easier!
- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350°F.
- With a sharp knife, slice the log into ¼-inch rounds. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until just set but not browned.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- I got 48 pinwheel cookies out of this amount of dough but this might differ if your cookies are a little thicker or thinner than mine.
Nutrition
FAQ
Absolutely! The cookies are beautiful without them. You could also roll the log in colored sugar instead, or leave the outside plain.
It’s too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it’s pliable but still cool. You can also knead it gently to warm it up.
Gel or paste food coloring works much better for vibrant red. Liquid food coloring adds too much moisture and often results in pink rather than red.
About ¼-inch thick is ideal. Thinner cookies get crispy; thicker ones are softer and more cake-like.
The red and white rectangles probably weren’t the same size before stacking, or you didn’t roll the log tightly enough. Take time to measure and trim!
Yes! The dough logs freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Slice and bake whenever you need fresh cookies.
Not at all! Try green and white, pink and white, chocolate and vanilla, or any color combination you love.
Press them firmly but gently into the dough when coating the log. You can also brush the log lightly with water first for better adhesion.
Definitely! Add ½ teaspoon peppermint extract to the dough and use crushed candy canes instead of sprinkles for peppermint pinwheel cookies.
The dough wasn’t chilled long enough before slicing, or it warmed up too much during slicing. Keep it cold!
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Yes! Adjust the thickness of your slices. Just watch baking time – thinner cookies bake faster, thicker ones take longer.