Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Start by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Give it a quick stir.

Cut butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Give it a mix just until it is combined. Add the vanilla and mix again.

Remove half of the dough and place it on a large piece of parchment paper. To the other half that is still in the bowl, add the food coloring, almond extract and 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix to combine again.

Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the non-colored dough. Roll this dough out into a rectangle about 11×9 and 1/4 inch thick. Do the same with the colored dough using two separate sheets of parchment paper. Keep the parchment on the dough and place both sheets in the freezer to harden. It is easier to do this if they are on a cookie sheet because you want them to be flat.

Once the dough is stiff, remove the parchment paper completely from the colored dough and remove the top sheet of paper from the white dough. Place the colored dough on top of the white dough with the parchment side of the white dough down on the work surface. After the dough is pliable (this will take a little bit if it is truly frozen) gently roll the two sheets together into a log as tightly as you can. Remove the sheet of parchment from the bottom as you go. The dough will probably break so just use your fingers to smooth out the cracks.

After rolling the dough, add the sprinkles to a large jelly roll pan and roll the log in the sprinkles. You will need to press them in to ensure the roll is fully covered in sprinkles. Wrap the dough roll in plastic wrap and either place in the fridge until firm again (about 3 or 4 hours) or put it in the freezer until you would like to bake. You can keep the dough in the freezer for up to two months.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Unwrap the dough and place the log on a cutting board. Slice it using a very sharp knife, into slices about 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch. I would err on the side of 1/4-inch. Work quickly as it is more difficult to cut when the dough warms up. Place the slices of dough on a cookie sheet that you’ve lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper. They will spread so be sure to give them enough room.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or just until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes or until set. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Recipe originally from: Sprinkle Bakes.

**Note: these can easily be adapted for any holiday. Red and white with pink sprinkles for Valentines day, rainbow sprinkles and a bright swirl for summer and black and orange for Halloween.