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Cherry Vanilla Pinwheels

Pinwheel cookies have been on my to-try list forever.  They look absolutely gorgeous on cookie trays with that characteristic swirl. I found these Cherry Pinwheels on the Taste of Home website and changed them up a bit due to nut allergies in my family. 

I kept the red swirl, the cherry flavored one, as is. I highly recommend paste colors and not regular food coloring if you want the colors really saturated.  For the other dough I omitted the almonds and instead just used vanilla.  There's a lot of chilling time required for these so be sure to plan accordingly.


The process of making the roll is a bit fidgety but it was a lot easier using a pastry mat with clear measurement markings. Once the completed roll had chilled I covered them with silver sanding sugar and chilled it again.

I used a pastry cutter to slice the cookies, and again, the markings on the mat were really helpful in keeping them uniform.  Be very careful not to overbake them. You can make the dough rolls ahead and freeze them solid and vacuum seal them and then defrost them and roll them in the sanding sugar when you're ready to bake.

 

The color and flavor opportunities are endless with all of the great extracts, flavorings and sprinkles out there.  You can tint the vanilla dough green, or make the red dough peppermint,  You can do pastels and lemon extract for Easter, switch out the cherry for strawberry for Valentine's day. 

I hope you are enjoying #ChristmasCookies Week as much as I am! Be sure to go and check out the other great recipes by clicking the links down below! 

Cherry Vanilla Pinwheels

Cherry Vanilla Pinwheels
Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cherry extract
  • Red paste food coloring
  • Coarse sugar or sprinkles

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.
  2. Divide dough in half. Add cherry extract to 1 half and tint red. Add vanilla extract to the other half. Wrap each half; refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm enough to roll.
  3. On a baking sheet, roll each portion between 2 sheets of waxed paper into a 15x8-in. rectangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
  4. Remove waxed paper. Place vanilla rectangle on top of cherry rectangle. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Roll in coarse sugar; wrap securely. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
  5. Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Other recipes you may enjoy:

cherry, vanilla, pinwheels
Cookies, Desserts
American


Welcome to #ChristmasCookies Week! That time of year when we soften the butter, fire up the oven, and make cookie trays for family, friends, and neighbors. This year more than 20 top-notch bloggers are sharing their very favorite creations for all to make and enjoy. Join us for a week’s worth of Christmas cookie deliciousness.




Comments

  1. I'm so glad that Christmas calories don't count. I have had to increase my steps during this event LOL. Your pinwheels turned out amazing!!!

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  2. These are stunning! I also am glad Christmas calories don't count! I could eat a plate of these!

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  3. You nailed these!! They are simply gorgeous and I'm sure worth the effort!

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  4. These pinwheels are fabulous and festive! They will be flying off the cookie tray at my house.

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  5. I have to agree, Christmas Calories don't count! These are perfect for the holidays.

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  6. I really like the looks of these cookies! I bet they taste as great as they look!

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  7. Pinwheels are so fun and I love the cherry and vanilla flavor!

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  8. I have never made pinwheels and these are so pretty!!

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  9. Thanks for the cookie-chilling warning! Always something I forget about when making certain cookies! These look AMAZING!

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  10. As a kid I though pinwheel cookies were the coolest thing ever! I really do need to try this!

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  11. Stunning cookies! These are best for any cookie tray.

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