Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe Inspired by the EPCOT Holiday Cookie Stroll
The holidays are fast approaching, and that means it’s time to preheat the oven! Baking cookies is one of our favorite family traditions. Sometimes, if we’re feeling really adventurous, we’ll even make a pan of ooey-gooey brownies! But it’s hard to beat the true classics like chocolate chip or macadamia nut cookies.
However, the best family reunion recipe books have a special page lurking in the dessert section: pinwheel cookies! According to Redbook magazine, the origin of the cookie is unknown. While these treats might be steeped in mystery, one thing is for certain: they are delicious!
Christmas pinwheel cookies are sure to be the center of attention at any holiday dessert table. Not only are they totally scrumptious, but they’re also wonderfully whimsical! With fun, colorful swirls and sprinkles, these cookies practically scream “Merry Christmas!” (Although, actual talking cookies would be rather alarming.)
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Bring pinwheel cookies to your family holiday celebration and watch as everyone’s eyes light up! We always love making several batches to share with friends and neighbors, too. If you’re looking for a fool-proof Christmas gift for that person who has everything, you can’t go wrong with a freshly baked batch of pinwheel cookies. Even Ebenezer Scrooge would like these!
Fun, bright, and festive, Christmas pinwheel cookies do take a little time (and lots of love) to make, but they are so worth it.
Putting Pinwheels in Their Place
A survey taken in 2020 by the famous food magazine Delish sought to discover America’s most popular holiday cookies and came up with chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies in the top three (with gingerbread a close fourth).
While I’m not surprised by some of the cookies on this list, they don’t all scream Christmas to me. Not like pinwheel cookies do. So, where did they rank?
To my dismay, pinwheel cookies didn’t even make this esteemed top 10 list. Even when – the injustice of injustices – oatmeal raisin managed a spot. (#6, no less!)
In 2022, USA Today used Google Trends to figure out the most popular cookie in each state. Not a single state had pinwheel cookies, although Utah and New Hampshire had somewhat similar candy cane cookies.
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Obviously, I knew something had to be done, and that’s why I’m sharing this Christmas cookie recipe with you now. Hopefully, in the coming years, Christmas pinwheel cookies will take their rightful place on Delish’s Top 10 Holiday Cookie List – the very top! And maybe I can Google them enough to make them finally trend in the state of Florida. Watch out, butter cookies, pinwheels are coming for you!
Regardless of culinary fame and fortune, I also just wanted to share these cookies because they’re so darn good, and I think everyone should have a chance to enjoy them this Christmas. After all, sharing good tidings is what Christmas is all about, isn’t it?
Disney Inspired Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies That Will Make Your Holidays Extra Sweet
This gift-in-a-jar recipe is inspired by fond memories of enjoying chocolate chip cookies and drinking hot chocolate at the Nestle Tollhouse-sponsored Main Street Bakery in Walt Disney World. Sadly, this bakery is no longer with us, but this recipe will help you recapture some of the magic and share it as a gift with others.
Pinwheel Cookies: A Past Star of the EPCOT Holiday Cookie Stroll
Featured during the 2020 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays at Walt Disney World, the Pinwheel Cookie garnered a prominent place along the famous cookie stroll. (I’m glad someone realized how great this cookie is!) With its adorable design and classic Christmas flavor, it was an iconic part of the sweet and snacky scavenger hunt at EPCOT.
Sadly, pinwheel cookies have been absent from the stroll for the past two years. Whether or not they’ll make it back to the Canada pavilion during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays at Walt Disney World for 2023 remains to be seen, but thankfully, you don’t have to wait in suspense for these swirling bite-sized beauties. They can grace your very own kitchen counter anytime you want!
While they’re more intensive to make than chocolate chip cookies, they’re also way more fun – and customizable! As you’ll see with our pinwheel cookie recipe, we like to swirl them with a streak of holiday red, but I’ll let you in on a secret – you can make them whatever color you want! Red and green are perfect for Christmas, but if you want to make blue pinwheel cookies for a birthday party…well, I’m certainly not going to hold you back! Other variants depart from colored dough completely, adding a swirl of fruity filling, chocolate, or a salty-sweet combo of dates and pecans instead.
So, what do you say? Give this recipe a whirl (pun totally intended) – I think it will be a hit with your family and friends, too!
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!!
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring Spoons
- Whisk
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Cookie sheets
- Knife
- Spatula
- Wire cooling racks
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Red food coloring gel is best
- Christmas nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- In the stand mixer bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add vanilla, beating until well combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined.
- Separate dough into 2 halves.
- Place 1/2 of the dough into a stand mixer and then add red food coloring until the dough reaches the desired color.Note: You can also knead the food coloring into the dough by hand until completely combined if you don't have a stand mixer.
- Place the red-colored cookie dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/4" thick rectangle. Set aside.
- Place the uncolored cookie dough on a separate piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/4" thick rectangle.
- Stack the uncolored and red-colored cookie doughs together leaving the parchment paper sheets on the outside of the stacked dough.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper from the uncolored cookie dough.
- With a rolling pin, gently roll the doughs to seal the doughs together taking care not to combine the colors.
- Starting at one end of the dough, gently roll the dough into a log removing the remaining sheet of parchment paper as you are working.Note: If the dough is too soft to work with, return to the refrigerator to chill for an additional 30 minutes.
- Wrap the dough log tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Pour the Christmas nonpareil sprinkles onto a cookie sheet.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and then roll the dough log in the sprinkles.
- Rewrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for an additional 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a sharp knife, slice the dough log into slices and then place the slices onto a cookie sheet about 1" apart.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Eat and enjoy!
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