Strawberry and Vanilla Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

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Strawberry and Vanilla Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

Soft and tender sugar cookies made with vanilla and strawberry dough rolled together for a classic pinwheel swirl. These cookies are lightly sweet, easy to slice, and perfect for Valentine's Day or any time you want a pretty, bakery-style cookie.

Prep Time45

Total Bake Time22

Chill2

Total Time3 7

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Medium

Servings: cookies

Calories: 194kcal

Ingredients

1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted
1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
1 Egg
1 teaspoon (4 g) Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (2.5 g) Strawberry extract
12 grams (0.42 oz) Freeze-dried strawberries
1 drop Pink coloring gel
3 cups (375 g) All-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon (6 g) Baking powder
½ teaspoon (2 g) Baking soda
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) Kosher salt
Pink jimmies (optional)

Instructions

To add strawberry flavor to the cookie dough, crush the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder using a food processor or rolling pin. Sift out any large pieces. Weigh or measure the sugar in a small bowl and set it aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Run a whisk through the flour mixture to blend.
Mix one full batch of dough for both parts of the pinwheel. The strawberry flavor will be added after the dough is mixed and divided. Cube the butter directly into the mixer bowl and cream it on medium speed. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract and blend until combined.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the flour mixture about one third at a time. Try not to overmix, as the dough will be kneaded on a pastry mat to bring everything together.
Place all of the dough and any loose pieces onto a pastry mat. Do not worry about the flour bits, as they will be incorporated as you knead the dough. Form the dough into a log and weigh it. Mine weighed 833 grams, which I divided into two portions of 416 grams and 417 grams.
Take one half and place it in a bowl. Flatten it slightly with your fingers, then add the strawberry extract, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and 1 drop of pink coloring gel. Work everything together until fully combined.
Each half of the dough will be rolled out on its own sheet of parchment paper. First, roll out the plain vanilla dough into a rectangular shape about 12" × 9". Roll out the strawberry dough on a separate sheet of parchment paper to about 12" × 8". I like to leave about ½" around the top and bottom edges of the rectangle.
By now, the strawberry dough will be very soft, so slide the parchment paper with the strawberry dough onto a sheet pan and refrigerate it for 5–7 minutes.
Take the chilled strawberry dough. It should be stiff enough to turn upside down and place on top of the rolled-out vanilla dough. It should also be firm enough to move slightly so you can center it over the vanilla layer. Trim the short ends so the edge pieces will have a clean pinwheel effect. Lightly press down on the strawberry dough to remove any air pockets before rolling.
If the dough becomes too soft at any point, chill briefly before continuing. Lift the parchment paper along the long side of the combined dough and gently begin to roll. If the vanilla dough starts to crack, stop and pinch the cracks together, smoothing out the seam. Place the dough on a sheet pan and refrigerate for a couple of minutes if needed.
Return the dough to the counter and continue rolling. You may need to pinch and smooth additional cracks as you go, so take your time. Once the dough is fully rolled, smooth the outside and wrap it in plastic wrap. I use a baguette pan to cradle the log and keep it round, or you can use the cardboard center from a paper towel roll cut in half lengthwise. Chill for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Unwrap the cookie log. If you plan to add jimmies to the outside, let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
Spread the jimmies on a piece of parchment paper, then roll the log over them, gently pressing so they stick to the dough. Add as many as you like. Slice the log into ½" pieces and place half of the slices onto one of the prepared sheet pans. If you prefer more cookies, slice them a little thinner.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, then move the cookies to a cooling rack once they come out of the oven.

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