Christmas Pinwheel Cookies (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
07 - 1 large egg, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ For Decoration

09 - 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
10 - 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring
11 - 1/2 cup festive holiday sprinkles

# Instructions:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set this mixture aside for later use.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
03 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring just until no flour streaks remain. Don't overmix the dough.
04 - Divide your dough into three equal portions. Tint one portion with red food coloring, another with green, and leave the third portion plain white. Mix each until the color is evenly distributed.
05 - On a lightly floured surface, roll each colored dough into a rectangle approximately 12x8 inches. Stack them with green on the bottom, white in the middle, and red on top.
06 - Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the layered dough into a log. Roll the entire log in holiday sprinkles, then wrap securely in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
07 - Preheat your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled log from the refrigerator.
08 - Using a sharp knife, slice the log into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place them cut-side down on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
09 - Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the cookies appear slightly puffed. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

# Notes:

01 - For best results, rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking to ensure even browning on all cookies.
02 - The key to perfect pinwheel patterns is keeping the dough well-chilled before slicing - this prevents the colors from bleeding together.
03 - Don't waste the trim pieces! Roll them together for beautiful marbled cookies with swirled colors.
04 - These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges and make wonderful gifts when arranged in decorative tins.

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