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

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.

Notes

 Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cherry-pinwheel-cookies/

Recommended Products

Anolon Advanced Baking Sheet

Silcone Pastry Mat

Fox Run Nonstick Rolling Pin

Other recipes you may enjoy:

Snow Day Cookies

Lemon Snowdrops

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.

• Almond Paste Squares by Shockingly Delicious
• Cherry Vanilla Pinwheels by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Cherry Wink Cookies by An Affair from the Heart
• Chewy Frosted Christmas Blondie Cookie Bar by Red Cottage Chronicles
• Chocolate Blossom Cookies by Palatable Pastime
• Chocolate Mint-Filled Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies by Art of Natural Living
• Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hostess At Heart
• Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies by Best Cookie Recipes
• Elf Style Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies by Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Gingerdoodles by Magical Ingredients
• Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Grinch Cookie Recipe by Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
• Nut-Free Snowball Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles by Christmas Tree Lane
• Raspberry Pistachio Thumbprints by Sweet Beginnings
• Rosewater Pistachio Snowball Cookies by The Spiffy Cookie
• Sourdough Ginger Cookies by That Recipe
• Toffee Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Whipped Shortbread Cookies by Blogghetti