Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies from the kitchen
These Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are a holiday familiar I can remember since I was little. They're simple to make, taste wonderful, and who can say no to a cookie with a beautiful chocolate and vanilla swirl? I know I can't!
Grab the Ingredients
Only eight ingredients are needed to make this chocolate pinwheel cookies recipe—and they're more than likely already in your pantry! You'll need:
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Light Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Egg – you only need 1
- Vanilla Extract
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – you'll add this after dividing the dough in half
How it comes together
Chocolate pinwheel cookies are a fairly straightforward recipe to make, but they do require time to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2-3 hours or overnight. You can also place them in the freezer for about 1 hour.
Whatever chilling method you use, it will be much easier to slice the cookies later for baking. Just remember to tightly double-wrap the roll of cookie dough in plastic wrap.
Helpful Cookie Baking Tools
Recipe Notes
- The baking times noted in this chocolate pinwheel cookie recipe do not include dough chilling or the cooling of cookies after they are baked.
- Recommended baking time for this method is 8-10 minutes at 350ºF.
- For a little bit of sweet crunchiness on the outside, roll the chocolate pinwheel cookie dough log in some demerara sugar! So, so good!
- Keep a slice of bread with your cookies in an airtight container to keep them soft for days!
- Yield 24 cookies
- Prep 20 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
- Calories 144
Ingredients
- 2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, to be added only after dividing the dough in half
- 1 cup Demerara Sugar, for rolling cookie roll in
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.
- Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the light brown sugar and unsalted butter together thoroughly on medium-high speed until light and airy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Switching the mixer speed to low, gradually add in the whisked dry mixture until well combined.
- Divide the dough in half. Roll half of the dough on a lightly floured sheet of wax or parchment paper to form a 9" x 12" rectangle, approx. 1/8" thick. Hold to the side.
- With the other half of dough, blend in the unsweetened cocoa powder and then roll out the chocolate dough onto another lightly floured sheet of wax or parchment paper to a 9" x 12" rectangle.
- Turn the chocolate layer onto the vanilla layer (so the vanilla layer will be on the outside of the roll). Remove the wax paper from the top and trim any rough edges of the rectangle.
- Carefully roll the 2 layers of dough into a jelly roll.
- Roll the pinwheel cookie dough roll in demerara sugar (optional step).
- Double wrap the roll of cookie dough securely in plastic wrap and chill until form. You can chill the dough either in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight - or - chill in the freezer for 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position and heat the oven to 350ºF.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the chilled cookie dough log into cookies approximately 1/8" thick and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are a light golden brown on the top and edges. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Keep cookies stored in an airtight container with a slice of bread for up to a week.
Baker notes
Recipe times noted do not include dough chilling time or cooling of cookies after they are baked.
Recommended baking time for this method is 8-10 minutes at 350ºF.
For a little bit of sweet crunchiness on the outside, roll the chocolate pinwheel cookie dough log in some demerara sugar! Sooo, so good!
Keep a slice of bread with your cookies in an airtight container to keep them soft for days!
Recipe adapted from A Recipe Sampler by St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church
