Description
Swirled Christmas Cookies are festive, colorful treats featuring layers of red, green, and plain dough rolled into eye-catching spirals, coated with sprinkles for extra holiday sparkle. These tender, soft cookies are flavored with almond and vanilla extracts and baked to perfection, making them a delightful seasonal favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (250g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
- 2 tsp almond extract (10g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (5g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
- 1 tsp cornstarch (3g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
Decoration
- 1 cup Christmas sprinkles (nonpareils recommended)
- Red and green gel food coloring
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until the mixture becomes lighter in color and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined, ensuring everything is evenly mixed by scraping the bowl with a spatula.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into three equal portions (about 10 oz or 305g each). Leave one uncolored, color one with green gel food coloring, and one with red gel food coloring. Flatten each portion into a roughly 1/3 inch thick rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate the wrapped dough for 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes; alternatively, chill overnight. If chilled overnight, let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) about 30 minutes before cutting cookies. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Roll Out Dough: Remove dough from wraps and roll each portion on the plastic wrap to approximately 7×12 inches. Place a piece of parchment paper on your workspace.
- Stack and Roll Dough: Stack the dough layers on the parchment paper in this order: green on bottom, white in the middle, red on top. Gently roll over the stacked dough with a rolling pin to press layers together. Trim uneven edges and cut one long edge at an angle to create defined spirals.
- Form the Log: Carefully roll the dough from the angled edge into a tight spiral log, using the parchment to assist. Seal the seam by gently pressing dough together with a finger.
- Add Sprinkles: Pour Christmas sprinkles on a rimmed baking sheet and roll or press the cookie dough log in the sprinkles until fully coated.
- Slice Cookies: Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/3 inch thick slices. If dough is too soft and losing shape, chill the log 15-30 minutes before slicing. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 12-14 minutes. Rotate pan halfway for even baking. Remove cookies before edges brown to prevent overbaking; cookies firm up as they cool.
- Cool and Store: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 20 cookies; quantity and bake time depend on thickness of slices.
- Recipe can be doubled to increase yield.
- Properly creaming butter and sugar incorporates air, leading to soft, tender cookies.
- Use gel food coloring to maintain dough consistency and achieve bright colors.
- Cut cookies uniformly 1/3 inch thick to promote even baking.
- Chilling dough is key to preventing spreading and achieving the right texture.
- Undercooking slightly is preferred because cookies continue to firm after baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
