Description
Delightful Halloween Pinwheel Cookies featuring a vibrant swirl of green and purple dough perfect for festive celebrations. These buttery, soft cookies combine the classic flavor of vanilla sugar cookie dough with fun, colorful layers, making them an eye-catching treat for parties and trick-or-treaters alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coloring
- Gel food coloring: green (preferably), purple (preferably)
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined to form a soft dough.
- Divide and Color the Dough: Split the dough evenly into two portions. Add green gel food coloring to one portion and purple to the other. Knead each portion until the color is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap each colored dough portion separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up and make rolling easier.
- Roll the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the purple dough into a rectangular shape. Lay the green dough on top as an evenly-sized rectangle. Gently press the layers together and lightly roll to adhere them.
- Form the Log: Trim the edges to create clean straight sides, then carefully roll the layered dough into a tight log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate again for another hour to set the shape.
- Slice the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Using a sharp knife, slice the dough log into ¼ to ½ inch thick rounds. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges are set and slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Cool Completely: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool entirely before serving or storing.
Notes
- For best color results, use gel-based food coloring as it won’t affect dough consistency.
- Chilling the dough twice helps maintain the shape and clean swirl patterns during baking.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- These cookies freeze well both before and after baking. Wrap tightly and freeze up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
