From Johnna’s Kitchen: Pinwheel Cookies

These fun cookies are surprisingly easy to make! And you can customize their look by adding in as many colors as you like, which makes them perfect for any celebration!

Pinwheel Cookies

Yield: approx. 48 (4 dozen) cookies

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 ⅓ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Red food coloring (or color/s of choice)

Note: this recipe uses one color (red); to make multi-colored cookies, divide the dough into enough sections, so there is a white base section, and/or one section per color being used. Three colors total is recommended (including the base layer). Otherwise, the cookies will be too large.

Directions

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then add the vanilla.

Slowly add the flour in small portions and beat until combined. Remove the dough and separate it into two equal sections. Shape one half of the dough into a square, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. (This will be the white portion of the cookies.)

Return the remaining section of dough to the stand mixer bowl, and with the mixer on low, add the red food coloring until it reaches your desired color. Shape the dough into a square, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. (This will be the red portion of the cookies). Clean out the bowl to remove any red food coloring residue if adding more colors. For additional colors, repeat these steps as needed.

After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and roll each color separately into a rectangle about ⅛-inch thick.

Peel the top side of wax paper off each the red dough and the white dough, then sandwich the two layers together. If using more than two colors, repeat the layering process with each color. Cut the sandwiched layers in half, creating two rectangles.

Very lightly roll all layers together on both sections.

Starting at the shorter end of the rectangle, roll the dough layers as tightly as possible into logs.

Wrap the logs in wax paper, then in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the dough logs and roll them on the counter with the palm of your hand several times, so they keep a cylindrical shape. Return to the refrigerator for 4 more hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and slice each log into ¼-inch rounds. Place the rounds approximately 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, as the cookies will expand when baked.

Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes until pale golden brown, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.