Sugar Swirl Cookies: Red and White Pinwheel Slices

These cookies come from one dough, not two. You make a plain butter dough, cut it in half, tint one half red, then stack and roll the two into a log. Slice the cold log and you get a spiral in every cookie.

The number that matters most is four. The rolled log needs at least 4 hours in the fridge before you cut it. Skip that and the slices smear, the spiral blurs, and the cookies spread into flat discs. Cold dough cuts clean.

You need 8 tablespoons of soft butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups of flour, and a half teaspoon each of salt and vanilla. The red coloring is a half teaspoon, and the sprinkles go on the outside only.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar

Beat the soft butter with the sugar until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once so no dry sugar hides at the bottom.

2. Add egg, vanilla, salt

Beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt until smooth. If the mix looks grainy or split, it was too cold. Let it sit 5 minutes and beat again.

3. Mix in the flour

Add the flour and mix just until it disappears. Stop there. You should have a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl.

4. Split the dough

Shape the dough into a ball and cut it into two equal halves. Weigh them if you want the swirl even.

5. Tint one half

Work the red coloring into one half with your hands or a spatula until the color is even. Wear gloves if you do not want red fingers.

6. Roll two rectangles

Set each half on plastic wrap and roll it into a 12×9-inch rectangle, about a quarter inch thick. Lay wax paper over the dough so the pin does not stick.

7. Stack the rectangles

Lift the red rectangle and lay it on top of the plain one, lining up the edges. Press down gently so they hold together.

8. Roll into a log

Use the plastic wrap under the bottom rectangle to help you roll the two layers up from a long side. Keep it tight, with no air pockets.

9. Coat in sprinkles

Pour sprinkles into a flat dish or pan. Roll the log through them until the outside is covered all the way around.

10. Chill at least 4 hours

Wrap the log and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight works too, and cold dough is what gives you clean slices.

11. Heat the oven and slice

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the cold log into 1/4-inch slices and set them on a cookie sheet, about an inch apart.

12. Bake 8 to 10 minutes

Bake until the edges are blonde, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them sit on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool.

Tips & Tricks

• Roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap so it does not stick to the pin.
• Chill the log at least 4 hours. Overnight is fine and makes slicing easier.
• Cut straight down with a sharp knife. A sawing motion drags the spiral out of shape.
• Bake until the edges are blonde, not brown. The white part of the swirl shows doneness better than the red.

Variations

Green and red

tint one half green and leave the other plain for a holiday look.

Chocolate half

swap 2 tablespoons of the flour in one half for cocoa powder for a brown and white swirl.

No sprinkles

leave the log bare and press coarse sugar on the outside instead.

How to Store Sugar Swirl Cookies

Frequently Asked Questions

Sugar Swirl Cookies: Red and White Pinwheel Slices

Butter cookie dough, half tinted red, rolled into one log and sliced into spirals. Chill the dough 4 hours, then bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

15 minPrep time30 minCook time285 minTotal12Servings

Print RecipePin Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter (soft)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon red food coloring ((or customize it with other colors))
• sprinkles (to taste)

Instructions

1. 1Cream butter and sugar — Beat the soft butter with the sugar until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once so no dry sugar hides at the bottom.
2. 2Add egg, vanilla, salt — Beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt until smooth. If the mix looks grainy or split, it was too cold. Let it sit 5 minutes and beat again.
3. 3Mix in the flour — Add the flour and mix just until it disappears. Stop there. You should have a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl.
4. 4Split the dough — Shape the dough into a ball and cut it into two equal halves. Weigh them if you want the swirl even.
5. 5Tint one half — Work the red coloring into one half with your hands or a spatula until the color is even. Wear gloves if you do not want red fingers.
6. 6Roll two rectangles — Set each half on plastic wrap and roll it into a 12×9-inch rectangle, about a quarter inch thick. Lay wax paper over the dough so the pin does not stick.
7. 7Stack the rectangles — Lift the red rectangle and lay it on top of the plain one, lining up the edges. Press down gently so they hold together.
8. 8Roll into a log — Use the plastic wrap under the bottom rectangle to help you roll the two layers up from a long side. Keep it tight, with no air pockets.
9. 9Coat in sprinkles — Pour sprinkles into a flat dish or pan. Roll the log through them until the outside is covered all the way around.
10. 10Chill at least 4 hours — Wrap the log and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight works too, and cold dough is what gives you clean slices.
11. 11Heat the oven and slice — Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the cold log into 1/4-inch slices and set them on a cookie sheet, about an inch apart.
12. 12Bake 8 to 10 minutes — Bake until the edges are blonde, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them sit on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool.

Cook's note: Soft butter and cold dough are the two things that decide whether these work. Cream the butter well, then chill the rolled log the full 4 hours before you touch it with a knife.

Servings: 12

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker15 minutes30 minutes285 minutes

Written by Darnell
Darnell covers air fryer recipes and slow cook meals, with a steady side of eggs and breakfast casseroles for people cooking on a tight schedule. He writes in a blunt, test-it-again voice and flags the mistakes that ruin texture, from soggy fries to rubbery eggs. Every post gives timings, temperatures, and a fallback if your machine runs hot.