Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

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These festive Pinwheel Sugar Cookies might be the best Christmas cookie recipe ever! They’re made with a simple sugar cookie dough formed into a beautiful red, white, and green spiral design.

🎄 The Surprisingly Easy Christmas Cookie!

I’m so excited to share this recipe for pinwheel sugar cookies with you, because they are guaranteed to make you feel like a dessert magician. I hope you’re ready to sit back and let the compliments roll in, because these cookies will make you the most popular person at the holiday potluck.

Don’t let the gorgeous red, white, and green swirls fool you–these cookies are basically a sugar cookie wearing a fancier outfit. They start with a simple 5-minute cookie dough, and from there you roll a little here, cut a little there, abracadabra, and voila–you have beautiful swirled cookies!

Need a few more easy Christmas cookie ideas for a platter or cookie swap? Try some of my other favorites like Oreo Cookie Christmas Ornaments, Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies or Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies!

🌀 Pinwheel Cookies: Not Just for Christmas

The best part is, these are not just a Christmas dessert! Once you get the hang of making them, you can make endless varieties of pinwheel cookies, with other color schemes, sprinkles, and flavoring variations. You could even add some chocolate to make chocolate-swirled pinwheel cookies.

Ready to make these? I’m going to show you how to make pinwheel sugar cookies from start to finish, with step-by-step photos and all the info you need to make them right on your first try!

If you’re on a cookie roll after making these (get it??) you’ll love my other cookie recipes, like Big Soft Sugar Cookies, Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies, and Watercolor Rose Sugar Cookies. Or get playful and make some Sugar Cookie French Fries!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

The best part of these pinwheels (aside from the taste, texture, and appearance…) is the short and simple ingredient list! Like many cookie recipes, they require just a handful of pantry staples, most of which you probably have on hand already. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when assembling the ingredients. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Butter: Your butter should be at room temperature to make these cookies. This means it’s pliable but cool–you don’t want it to be greasy and melty. I always recommend unsalted butter in baking, so you can control the precise amount of salt. If you only have salted butter, use that but omit the additional salt in the recipe.
• Egg: The egg you use should be large size, and at room temperature. Tip: if you need to warm up an egg quickly, place it in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes. This won’t cook the egg, but will bring it to room temperature so it’s perfect for baking.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla is the classic sugar cookie flavor, but you can experiment and add other extracts in addition to or instead of vanilla. Try almond, orange, or lemon!
• Food coloring: For the best results, you will want to use gel food coloring. It is more concentrated than typical water-based colorings, so you don’t have to use as much coloring to get strong, vibrant shades. I use and recommend Americolor gel coloring. For this recipe, I used Americolor Super Red and Americolor Leaf Green shades.
• Sprinkles: Most sprinkles will work in this recipe. Jimmies, nonpareils, and sparkling sugar are all great choices. Avoid any chocolate pieces (like Sixlets), crushed hard candies (like candy cane pieces), or sprinkle mixes with royal icing decorations. I mixed up my own sprinkle blend for these cookies, but it is very similar to these sprinkle blends: Christmas Past, Elfin Around, and Christmas Magic.

Equipment

Great news, sugar heroes — no special equipment required for these babies! All you need are some common cookie tools to make your life easier. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Baking sheets: Heavy-duty baking sheets will keep the bottoms of the cookies from burning and help cookies bake evenly.
• Parchment paper: I never bake directly on my baking sheets–it’s all about the parchment, baby! Save time and cleanup by using silicone liners or parchment paper when baking cookies.
• Mixer:a stand mixer or a hand mixer will both work in this recipe.

📋 Instructions

Here’s a quick photo overview showing how to make Christmas Pinwheel Cookies. Grab the full printable instructions in the recipe card down below!

Make the sugar cookie dough

• Combine the room temperature butter and sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer, or use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar together with a paddle attachment at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

• Add a large egg and vanilla extract (or other flavoring) to the mixing bowl.
• Mix on medium-low speed until the egg is completely incorporated.

• Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixing bowl.
• Mix on low speed until just a few streaks of flour remain. At this point, stop the mixer and finish by hand, using a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Divide and color the cookie dough

• Divide the dough evenly into three portions. If you have a kitchen scale, each portion should be about 10 oz. Leave one part of dough plain, and color the remaining parts red and green. You can do this by hand, either stirring the food coloring in or kneading it in. You can also use a mixer, but if you do, only mix for a short period of time so the dough doesn’t become over-mixed and tough.
• Form each portion of dough into a disc and wrap well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, until cool and firm.

Roll out and stack the pinwheel cookie dough

• Roll out each color of dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Try to avoid using extra flour in this step, because too much flour can make the cookies tough. Roll each piece into a rectangle approximately 6.5″ x 13″.
• Stack the rectangles on top of each other in this order: green on bottom, then white, then red on top.

Roll and sprinkle the pinwheel dough

• Roll the dough up tightly into a long, spiral log. You can use the parchment underneath to help roll the cookie dough around itself.
• The sprinkle coating is optional (but gorgeous!). If you want to add sprinkles, brush the outside of the dough lightly with watered-down corn syrup–just enough to help the sprinkles stick.
• Scatter sprinkles on a baking sheet, and roll the dough log over the sprinkles until the outside is completely covered.
• Wrap the log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate again for at least 45 minutes, until firm.

Slice and bake the cookies

• Use a large sharp knife to cut rounds out of the cookie dough log. I like making my cookies just under 1/2″ thick, which results in about 30 3-inch wide cookies. If you cut thinner rounds, you’ll get a larger yield, and your cookies will be a bit smaller. You might also want to adjust the baking time since they’ll probably be done sooner.
• Place the cookies on parchment-covered baking sheets, and bake at 350 F for 13-15 minutes. They’re done when the cookies are puffed and have spread, and have lost the raw shine in the center.
• Let them cool, then enjoy!

💭 Variations

Christmas-themed pinwheel cookies are just the beginning! Mix it up and try one of these ideas:

• Change up the colors you use–consider a simple black-and-white swirl for Halloween, or a vibrant 5-color rainbow swirl for St. Patrick’s Day or Pride month.
• Instead of sprinkles, roll the cookies in finely chopped nuts or toasted coconut. You can also bake them without rolling the edges in anything!
• Mix up the flavorings–add some almond in addition to the vanilla (start with 1/2 tsp and add more to taste), or swap in coconut instead. Or, add some lemon or orange zest and extract to make citrus pinwheels.
• Make a chocolate variation: follow this recipe to add a chocolate swirl to your cookies.
• Feeling ambitious? Embed shapes in your cookies like in this Stars and Stripes Sugar Cookies.

💡 Tips for Pinwheel Cookies  

Here are some of the most common questions people have had when making pinwheel cookies:

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Pinwheel cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and should be enjoyed within 4-5 days for maximum freshness.

If you want to make the dough in advance, you have a few options. You can freeze the whole rolled cookie log, wrapped well, for up to 3 months. I recommend letting it defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then adding the sprinkle layer, slicing, and baking as directed.

You can also freeze individual unbaked cookie slices. I don’t recommend adding sprinkles if you are planning on freezing unbaked cookies, since many sprinkles will bleed color due to condensation. Freeze the sliced cookies in single layers in an airtight container or freezer zip-top bags for up to 3 months. To bake, let the frozen cookies sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then add a few extra minutes to the baking time to make sure they’re baked all the way through.

❤️ Must-Make Christmas Cookies

• Big Soft Sugar Cookies
• Candy Cane Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookie Mug Toppers
• Chocolate Truffle Peppermint Crunch Cookies
• Soft Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
• Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Edible Christmas Cookie Boxes
• Pecan Snowball Cookies

Gingerbread Cheesecake

This Gingerbread Cheesecake features a spice filling nestled on top of a gingersnap cookie crust and topped with swirls of whipped cream and adorable gingerbread men cookies. It’s perfect for a holiday gathering!

Get the recipe!

Candy Cane Cheesecake

This Candy Cane Cheesecake recipe will be the star of your holiday table. It has a creamy peppermint cheesecake filling, an Oreo cookie crust, and lots of candy cane pieces inside and out!

Get the recipe!

Don’t miss the step-by-step tutorial showing how to make Pinwheel Cookies – check out the web story here!

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

5 from 9 votes

By Elizabeth LaBau

These festive Pinwheel Sugar Cookies might be the best Christmas cookie recipe ever! They’re made with a simple sugar cookie dough formed into a beautiful red, white, and green spiral design.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Yield 30 cookies

Calories 133 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

US Standard or Metric

• ▢ 12.75 oz all-purpose flour, (3 cups)
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 8 oz unsalted butter, (1 cup), at room temperature
• ▢ 8.75 oz granulated sugar, (1.25 cups)
• ▢ 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ Red and green food coloring, I used Americolor gel colors
• ▢ 6.75 oz sprinkles, (1 cup)

CUSTOMIZE: 30 cookies

Instructions

 

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside temporarily.
• Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer to low, add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until well-incorporated.
• With the mixer stil on low speed, slowly add the flour and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Stop the mixer, and finish scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The dough should be soft and supple but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale, each portion should be approximately 10 ounces.
• Leave one portion uncolored, and use gel food coloring to color the other two portions red and green. You can stir the food coloring in by hand, knead it in like bread dough, or mix it in using the mixer. (If you use the mixer, keep a close eye on the dough and run it for a short time so the dough doesn’t get overmixed and tough.)
• Form each color into a disc and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, until firm.
• Roll each color out between two sheets of parchment to a long rectangle, approximately 6 x 13” long. Try to avoid adding additional flour at this step, or else the cookies might be tough. If the dough starts to feel too soft to work with at any point in the rolling/stacking process, chill it again in the refrigerator until you can work with it easily.
• Stack the dough rectangles on top of each other in this order: green, white, then red on top. Roll the dough up into a long, tight spiral.
• To roll the edges in sprinkles, brush the outside of the dough log with a very thin layer of corn syrup – you just want enough to make the sprinkles stick. Scatter the sprinkles on a baking sheet, and roll the log around the sprinkles, pressing it into the sprinkles so they adhere and it is completely covered. You can also skip this step and leave the edges plain.
• Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and cover 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Use a large, sharp chef’s knife to slice the log into rounds a little under ½” thick. (You can do thinner, ¼” rounds for a larger yield.) Place them on the baking sheets with a few inches between each cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, until they have spread and puffed, and no longer have a raw shine in the center. They will continue to cook for a few minutes after they’re out of the oven, so don’t wait until they feel firm in the center or they will be overcooked. The perfect pinwheel cookie is crunchy around the edges and soft and tender on the inside!
• Once cool, remove from the baking sheets and enjoy! Pinwheel cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and should be enjoyed within 4-5 days for maximum freshness. Unbaked cookies can be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 3 months.

Video

MEASURING TIPS

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.

Nutrition

Calories: 133 kcal | Carbohydrates: 18 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 22 mg | Sodium: 42 mg | Potassium: 31 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 8 g | Vitamin A: 197 IU | Calcium: 10 mg | Iron: 1 mg

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About Elizabeth LaBau

I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from my About page, or connect with me on social media: