Description
Delight in these festive Swirled Christmas Cookies, featuring vibrant red, green, and white doughs rolled into beautiful spirals and coated with colorful Christmas sprinkles. These tender, soft cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations, offering a delicious almond and vanilla flavor with a fun and visually striking appearance.
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 gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy.
- Add egg and extracts: Mix in the large egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste on medium speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and fine salt to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Divide and color dough: Divide the dough into three equal portions (about 10 oz or 305g each). Leave one plain (white), color one red and one green using gel food coloring. Flatten each into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick, then wrap individually in plastic wrap.
- Chill dough: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes. For overnight chilling, allow dough to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before rolling to ease handling.
- Preheat the oven and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) 30 minutes before baking. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Roll dough portions: Working on the plastic wrap, roll each dough portion to roughly 7×12 inches. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface and stack the dough with green on the bottom, white in the middle, and red on top. Gently press the stack together with a rolling pin.
- Trim and shape dough: Use a sharp knife to trim uneven edges. Cut one long side at an angle to create a spiral with more green than red. Carefully roll the dough from this angled side into a tight log, using the parchment paper to help. Seal the seam by gently spreading green dough over it.
- Coat log with sprinkles: Pour the Christmas sprinkles onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roll and press the cookie dough log into the sprinkles until fully coated.
- Slice cookies: Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/3 inch thick slices. Keep the dough cold to maintain shape; if it becomes soft, chill for 15-30 minutes before slicing. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake cookies: Bake one sheet at a time in the middle rack for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway for even baking. Watch carefully to avoid browning edges; underbaking slightly is better for soft texture.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store and serve: Once cooled, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy your festive swirled Christmas cookies!
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 20 swirled cookies, depending on dough thickness.
- The recipe can be doubled for a larger batch.
- Properly creaming the butter and sugar incorporates air for tender cookies.
- Gel food coloring is preferred to maintain dough consistency and vibrant colors.
- Keep cookie thickness consistent at 1/3 inch for even baking.
- Chilling dough prevents spreading and promotes a soft texture.
- Do not overbake; cookies continue to firm on cooling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
