Christmas Pinwheel Cookies: Festive Swirls That Steal the Show

If you’re looking for a cookie that delivers big holiday cheer with simple ingredients and picture-perfect presentation, these Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are the ultimate choice. They’re bright, buttery, soft-centered, slightly crisp at the edges, and absolutely stunning on any Christmas cookie platter. With their signature red-and-white swirl pattern, these cookies look like they came straight from a bakery — yet they’re surprisingly easy to make at home.

Christmas is all about traditions, scents, and flavors that bring joy, and these cookies capture that spirit in every bite. They are perfect for cookie boxes, holiday parties, gifting, kids’ baking nights, or creating memories in the kitchen. And because they’re made from a classic sugar-cookie dough, they’re soft, sweet, and universally loved.

Let’s dig into the full recipe, tips, troubleshooting, and everything you need to make flawless Christmas pinwheel cookies.

What Makes These Pinwheel Cookies a Holiday Favorite

• Bright, festive colors that stand out on any dessert table
• Soft, buttery texture from classic sugar cookie dough
• Fun to make with kids or friends
• Perfect for freezing — make ahead and bake fresh
• Customizable — choose any colors or sprinkles
• Ideal for gifting — they package beautifully
• Guaranteed to impress without complicated steps

If you want a cookie that LOOKS like a lot of effort but is actually simple, this is the recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cookie Dough

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional but magical)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Red food coloring (gel preferred)

Optional Outer Decoration

• Holiday sprinkles or sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Make the cookie dough.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix in flour and salt until dough forms.

2. Divide and color.

Split dough in half. Leave one half plain. Color the other half red using gel food coloring.

3. Roll out the dough.

Roll each dough (plain and red) into separate rectangles between parchment paper, about ¼ inch thick.

4. Stack and roll into a log.

Place the red dough on top of the plain dough. Trim edges for a perfect rectangle. Starting from the long edge, roll tightly into a log.

5. Chill until firm.

Refrigerate the cookie log for 2–3 hours (or freeze 30 minutes) until very firm.

6. Slice and bake.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice log into ¼-inch thick cookies. Place on baking sheet and bake 9–11 minutes, until edges look set.

7. Cool and serve.

Cool completely on a rack. Add sprinkles if desired.

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Festive red-and-white swirl Christmas pinwheel cookies made from buttery sugar cookie dough. Perfect for holiday baking, gifting, and cookie platters.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 30 cookies

Course: Dessert, Holiday

Cuisine: American

Calories: 120

Ingredients

  

Cookie Dough

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg large
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp almond extract optional
• 0.5 tsp salt
• red food coloring gel preferred

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Electric mixer
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet

Method

 

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
2. Mix in flour and salt until dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half; leave one plain and color the second half red.
4. Roll both doughs into rectangles between parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick.
5. Layer red dough over plain dough, trim edges, and roll tightly into a log.
6. Chill dough log for 2–3 hours or freeze 30 minutes.
7. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 9–11 minutes.
8. Cool completely before serving.

Notes

For neat spirals, freeze the dough slightly before slicing.

Tips for Perfect Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Use gel food coloring

Gel gives bright color without watering down the dough.

Chill the dough WELL

Cold dough = perfect spirals and clean slices.

Roll evenly

Uneven thickness creates lopsided spirals.

Use parchment paper

Prevents sticking and ensures clean rolling.

Trim edges before rolling

A neat rectangle = a neater pinwheel.

Freeze for cleaner slices

Slightly frozen dough cuts into flawless rounds.

Fun Variations

Peppermint Pinwheels

Add ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract to the dough.

Green + Red Christmas Spirals

Color one portion green, one red.

Sprinkle Border

Roll the cookie log in holiday sprinkles before slicing.

Chocolate Swirl

Make half the dough chocolate by adding cocoa powder.

Storage & Make-Ahead Instructions

Store baked cookies

Up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Freeze cookie dough logs

Up to 2 months. Slice and bake directly from frozen — add 2 minutes to bake time.

Freeze baked cookies

Up to 3 months.