Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Don't let your eyes fool you; these "candies" are anything but. They're red and white cookie dough rolled into a spirals and topped with creamy peppermint frosting.
How to Make It
Step 1
Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended, scraping bowl as needed.
Step 2
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Step 3
Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle on a piece of lightly floured plastic wrap.
Step 4
Knead food coloring paste into remaining portion of dough while wearing rubber gloves. Roll tinted dough into a rectangle as directed in Step Invert untinted dough onto tinted dough; peel off plastic wrap. Cut dough in half lengthwise, forming 2 (12- x 4-inch) rectangles. Roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side, using bottom piece of plastic wrap as a guide. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 4 hours or up to 1 month.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut ends off each dough log, and discard. Cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Step 6
Bake at 350° for 6 to 7 minutes or until puffed and set; cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Step 7
Place Peppermint Frosting in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe about 2 tsp. frosting onto half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, gently pressing to form a sandwich.
Chef's Notes
These cookies are delicious eaten at room temperature, or chill them 30 minutes for a firm, cool filling.
GaLady's Review
After reading the reviews I checked out other similar recipies. I decided the flour/butter portions are off, which would contribute to the problems others are having. I doubled the butter and increased the flour to 3 1/2 c. I had no problem with rolling out the dough. I also added peppermint extract to the dough. And made mine red (as in the original) but put cocoa in the white. They are great, very attractive. I only gave it 3 stars because it's not unique enough. But I make cookies like this every year.
jpetersen308's Review
I made them just as instructed. They came out beautifully but I would double the recipe in the future. It only made 13 cookies!! The frosting is delicious and doesn't need doubled. I used Almond extract, rather than peppermint, and they are great. I would also roll the dough to about 7" rather than 11". The cookies are about twice as large as the professional picture and are too large for just a snack.
Akukan's Review
Ok, so I'll keep my rating 3 stars because these cookies spread a lot when baking and they don't look like the photo at all! I was expecting a puffed up round cookie and they just spread like crazy, attached to each other and ended up pancake-like cookies. And some were quite crunchy and others were very soft and chewy... but they are tasty nonetheless :)
JohannaH's Review
I thought these looked super cute in the picture so I decided to make them for my daughter's cookie exchange. Although they were the cutest-looking cookies at the exchange, they were not the best tasting. Maybe I'm more of a chocolate fan?? If you love peppermint, then definitely give these a try. Otherwise, it's alot of work for an "ok" cookie.
missy8yummyfood's Review
I read all the reviews and wanted to make this cookie...it is so cute! So, I used the tips given increased the butter and the flour...tastes good, but I couldn't get it to roll...it was too dry, just kept crumbling. I wish I had better news to report because it looks great!
4grandkids's Review
I do not like to use food coloring in recipes. Is there an alternative?
Rohanchinnu's Review
N/A
KellyDiff's Review
I love these cookies. I made them last year and again this Christmas. The dough is admittedly a little crumbly to work with, but rolling it out with saran wrap on top helps, as does rolling it jelly-style using saran wrap (or silicone pie mat) underneath to push it into a tight roll. They come out so beautiful looking - my friends and family have always been impressed, and I think the taste is delicious - something a bit different to cut against so much chocolate.
LonghornMom88's Review
As cute as these cookies are, I found the dough to be extremely hard to work with. It was too soft, and it kept falling apart when I was rolling the two colors together. I tried refrigerating the dough for an hour, but it didn't help much. It's a very frustrating recipe!
Fabulous