I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with warmth, laughter, and happy moments with family and friends. I planned to share this recipe earlier, but only now have time to post it.
Don’t these cookies look like fun? They bring to mind a merry-go-round—joyful and whimsical.
I first spotted these on Sprinkle Bakes and couldn’t take my eyes off them. I’ve also seen chocolate-and-vanilla swirls in Fine Cooking and many variations on other blogs. They announce a celebration, so I knew I had to make them.
The process has several steps, but they’re straightforward and far less intimidating than they look.
These cookies are as delightful to eat as they are to look at: crisp and buttery with a subtle raspberry note. You can easily change the color and flavor to suit your taste. If you don’t want to bake the whole batch at once, the dough log refrigerates or freezes well.
Try making these—be warned, they disappear quickly!
Check back next week for a giveaway of one of my favorite kitchen gadgets you’ll want to have.
Raspberry Pinwheel Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 6 hours resting time
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours and 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unsifted cake flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup unsifted powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. raspberry extract (or flavor of choice)
- 1/2 tsp. red gel food coloring (or color of choice), more if desired
- 2 tbsp. unsifted cake flour (extra)
- 1 1/2 cups multi-colored nonpareil decors (I used Wilton jumbo sprinkles)
Directions:
- Combine the cake flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse with short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the vanilla and process just until the dough begins to form a ball.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Return one portion to the food processor. Add the raspberry extract, red gel food coloring, and the extra 2 tablespoons of cake flour, and process until just incorporated to form the colored dough.
- Working with one portion at a time, roll each dough between sheets of waxed paper to form a rectangle about 11 × 8½ inches and 1/8 inch thick. Leave the dough between the waxed paper sheets and transfer them to a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Pour the nonpareil decors into a shallow rectangular dish (a 9 × 13-inch pan works well).
- Peel the top sheet of waxed paper from both dough rectangles. Lightly brush the vanilla (uncolored) dough with water. Using the waxed paper, lift the colored dough and flip it onto the vanilla dough so the two layers are stacked. Press gently with your fingertips to seal the layers, remove the remaining waxed paper, and trim the edges to even them.
- When the dough is still cold but pliable, roll it up starting from a long side, like a jelly roll. As you roll, gently curl the edge with your fingertips to avoid trapping air pockets. If the vanilla layer tears, pinch it together and continue rolling.
- Discard the waxed paper. Gently lift the log and roll it in the dish of nonpareil decors until completely coated. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice — from 4 hours up to a week. You can also freeze the log for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Slice the chilled log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick cookies and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the tops lose their shine and the bottoms of the vanilla portion are golden.
Note: Use a food processor rather than a stand mixer. It blends the ingredients evenly and leaves the dough in the right texture for rolling out.