A swirl of color, the sparkle of sugar, and a hint of peppermint make these festive cookies perfect for the holidays. They look like they are difficult to make, but as long as you can roll out cookie dough, then you can make these.

Roll out the dough between sheets of parchment paper so that it doesn’t stick to the table or the rolling pin. When rolling out the dough, do your best to keep both halves the same overall size and thickness so that you can more easily roll them up together.

Use as much or as little red food coloring to make pink to red swirls, or change up the colors to make blue or green swirls. And if peppermint isn’t your thing, you can omit it and just add a little bit more vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon).

Rolling the log in sparkle sugar gives the finished cookies a little bit of bling around the edges, but you could also use white, green, red, or multi-colored nonpareils.

Any way you slice it, these are a great addition to your cookie platter.

Recipe: Peppermint Pinwheels

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

12 tbsp butter, at cool room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red liquid food coloring
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup sparkle sugar

Instructions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until evenly combined. Split the dough into two equal pieces. Add the food coloring and peppermint extract to one of the halves, stirring or kneading it into the dough until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until evenly combined. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Add the food coloring and peppermint extract to one of the halves, stirring or kneading it into the dough until thoroughly combined. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Have ready 4 large pieces of parchment paper, each about 18 inches long. Spread the sparkle sugar on a large rimmed baking sheet.
On a work surface, shape each dough piece into a rectangle and place each on one piece of parchment. Top each with a second piece of parchment, then roll out each into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Peel off the top pieces of parchment. Sandwich the two doughs together, lining them up. Using the paper to help, roll up the dough lengthwise into a tight log.

On a work surface, shape each dough piece into a rectangle and place each on one piece of parchment. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Top each with a second piece of parchment, then roll out each into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Sandwich the two doughs together, lining them up. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Trim the edges to even off the two rectangles of dough. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Using the paper to help, roll up the dough lengthwise into a tight log. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Roll the log in the sparkle sugar, pressing slightly to make sure it adheres to the dough. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Roll the log in the sparkle sugar, pressing slightly to make sure it adheres to the dough. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Unwrap the dough log and slice it into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake until set but before they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Unwrap the dough log and slice it into 1/3-inch-thick slices. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Place the slices on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake until set but before they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Wendy Goodfriend)

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