Description
Celebrate Halloween with these festive Halloween Pinwheel Cookies! Featuring vibrant green and purple swirled dough, these buttery, soft cookies are both fun to make and delicious to eat. Perfect for parties or as a seasonal treat, these pinwheels are a perfect blend of simple ingredients and eye-catching colors.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Coloring
- Gel food coloring: green
- Gel food coloring: purple
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add half of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix again until a dough forms.
- Color and Divide Dough: Divide the dough evenly in half and place each portion in separate bowls. Add green gel food coloring to one half and knead with your hands until fully colored. Repeat on the other half with purple gel food coloring.
- Chill Dough: Form each colored dough half into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the dough to firm up for easier handling.
- Roll Out Dough: Lightly flour a clean surface and rolling pin. Unwrap the purple dough, sprinkle lightly with flour, and roll it into a rectangular shape. Set aside. Repeat this rolling process with the green dough.
- Layer and Trim Dough: Using a rubber spatula, carefully lift the green dough and place it on top of the purple rectangle. If the dough feels sticky, place the layered dough on parchment paper and refrigerate for a few minutes. Roll the two layers gently together, then trim edges with a knife to form straight, clean rectangles.
- Form Cookie Log: Carefully roll the layered dough into a log shape. Wrap the log tightly with plastic wrap, covering both ends to prevent drying out. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or freeze briefly to speed up the firming process.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Slice Dough and Bake: Remove the dough log from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Trim off the ends, then slice the log into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange slices on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes, checking around 10 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cookies are done when set but not browned.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors without altering dough consistency.
- Chilling the dough is key to easy handling and maintaining cookie shape.
- Trimming edges ensures a neat pinwheel design.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- The cookie ends may not look perfect but taste just as delicious, so don’t discard them!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Halloween cookies, pinwheel cookies, colored cookies, festive cookies, holiday baking, butter cookies
