Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g Butter Unsalted
- 275 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 2 Eggs Medium
- 2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 375 g Plain Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Red Food Colouring Gel
- Green Food Colouring Gel
- Red, Green and White Sprinkles
Instructions
- To make the cookie dough: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until softened. Alternatively, you can make the cookie dough, in a large mixing bowl, by hand or with an electric hand whisk.
- Add the sugar and salt to the softened butter and cream until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add the peppermint and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together. Gently fold into the mixture until the dough comes together and is smooth.
- Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and split into 3 equal portions.
- To make the white cookie dough: Shape one piece of cookie dough into a rectangle, about 2cm thick, and wrap in cling film. This will be the white part of your cookie.
- To make the green cookie dough: Place a portion of cookie dough into the stand mixer bowl and add green food colouring gel. Mix well until all the cookie dough is green in colour. Turn the green cookie dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a rectangle. Wrap in cling film and chill.
- To make the red cookie dough: Place the last portion of cookie dough into the stand mixer bowl and add red food colouring gel. Mix well until all the cookie dough is green in colour. Turn the green cookie dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a rectangle. Wrap in cling film and chill.
- Chill all 3 portions of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- To assemble the cookies: Remove the chilled cookie doughs from the fridge, and unwrap.
- Place the white cookie dough onto a large piece of cling film, and place another piece of cling film on top. Gently roll the dough out into a large rectangle, until about 4mm thickness. Every 5 rolls, peel back the top layer of cling film to release the dough, replace and continue to roll out the dough. Repeat for the green and red cookie dough, so you have 3 pieces of cookie dough of similar size.
- Remove the top sheet of cling film from the white and red cookie doughs. Place the uncovered side of the red dough on top of the uncovered side of the white dough. Flip over the dough so the white dough is on top, and remove the cling film.
- Remove the top sheet of cling film from the green cookie dough and place on top of the white dough. Gently roll over the cookie dough to seal the three layers together.
- Remove the cling film from the top of the green dough layer, and from the narrow end begin to roll the cookie dough into a sausage. Use the bottom layer of cling film to pull the dough into a tight roll.
- Pour the sprinkles into a baking tray, it stops them rolling everywhere, and place the cookie dough sausage on top. Roll the sausage in the sprinkles so that they coat the dough. Wrap the sprinkle dough in a clean piece of cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- To bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough into equal rounds, approximately 1cm in width. Place the rounds onto the baking parchment, leaving space between them to allow them to spread when baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Slide the baked cookies and parchment off the baking tray and onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Keep your dough chilled - sugar cookie dough can be sticky, so when you're not working with it pop it in the fridge to keep it cool and it will be easier to handle and roll out.
- Don't roll too thin - if your dough is too thin when you roll it up it may crack or tear. The easiest way to make sure your dough is the correct thickness is to use an adjustable rolling pin and set to 5-10mm. You'll get the perfect dough thickness every time.
- Use food colouring gels - when your cookies bake the colours will fade, so make sure your raw cookie dough is a really strong colour. The best way I find is to use red food colouring gel and green food colour gel. Liquid food colouring should be avoided as it will make your dough wet and sticky.
- Chill before cutting - once your cookie dough is rolled up into a log, chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight. The chilled dough will be easier to cut and the cookies will hold their shape better when baked.
- One smooth cut - use a large sharp knife to cut your cookie rounds, and do it one smooth action. Do not saw through the cookie dough as this will cause the dough to tear.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 73mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 254IUCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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