Amazing Pinwheel Cookies made from scratch. Buttery vanilla and chocolate cookie dough rolled together to make the most stunning, swirled cookies. These simple sugar cookies are surprisingly easy to make – and I’ll show you how to get that beautiful swirl every time.
Buttery Pinwheel Cookies ❤️
I’m in love with these swirly, twirly cookies. Vanilla cookie dough and chocolate cookie dough combine to make these irresistibly soft and chewy Pinwheel Cookies.
It’s a little more effort to make and roll these cookies, but those glorious swirls make it all worth it. Plus, you can make the cookie dough ahead of time and just slice and bake them whenever you’re ready.
They’re perfect for gifting, cookie exchanges, Christmas – or just because!
Why you will love this recipe
- You only need a handful of everyday ingredients
- These cookies have a buttery, chewy texture
- I’ll show you how to achieve that stunning, swirl pattern
- The dough can be made ahead of time for easy entertaining
Recipe testing
I’ve been eating making Pinwheel Cookies all week. And wow, what a treat they are! They’re the best of both worlds, with buttery vanilla and cocoa-laden chocolate cookie in every bite.
When I first envisioned these cookies, I knew I wanted a slice and bake cookie with a beautiful two-tone swirl. So I took inspiration from my easy Sugar Cookies, in an effort to create the perfect vanilla and chocolate cookie dough.
It sounds simple, but I had to make these cookies five times in order to achieve the perfect pinwheel. I tried making two separate doughs, and one dough split into two. I played around with the quantity of sugar and baking powder. And I tried making them with real chocolate, and cocoa powder.
But I finally got the result I was looking for – buttery cookies that are easy to make, have a perfect swirl and taste really, really good.
Not only that, but I use my cold butter trick to reduce the chilling time, so these cookies are ready faster. More on that below.
They’re soft and chewy, but of course, you can slice these cookies thinner and bake them for a bit longer, if you prefer something more crispy.
Regardless, just like my Checkerboard Cookies, these cookies taste every bit as good as they look.
What is a Pinwheel Cookie?
Pinwheel Cookies are vanilla and chocolate sugar cookies that boast a beautiful two-tone swirl.
Vanilla and chocolate cookie doughs are rolled out into rectangles, placed on top of each other, and then rolled up to create a long cookie log. After chilling, the cookies are then ready to slice and bake.
Ingredients
Perhaps the best part is how basic the ingredients are. You only need a few everyday items. Let’s break it down:
- Unsalted butter
- Caster sugar: Or granulated sugar.
- Vanilla bean paste: I love to use vanilla bean paste in these cookies as it has a nice, strong vanilla flavour – and I love those speckles of vanilla bean. However, vanilla extract will work fine as well.
- Egg
- Plain flour: Or all purpose flour
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using 100% natural cocoa powder.
- Baking powder
- Milk: Just a teeny tiny bit.
How to make Pinwheel Cookies
It’s so much easier than you’d think to create these striking Pinwheel Cookies. We have to create two cookie doughs, but it’s worth the effort – I promise! Here’s how to make them in four simple steps. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Make vanilla cookie dough and chocolate cookie dough.
- Roll out each cookie dough, then place them on top of each other.
- Trim edges and then roll into a log (from the long side).
- Chill the dough. Then slice and bake!
Why use cold butter?
Many pinwheel recipes require you to start with softened butter. But as you mix your cookie dough, your butter will become warmer and warmer. This can mean the dough is too sticky to roll straight away and requires chilling (twice).
But just like my favourite Sugar Cookies and my Copycat Levain Bakery Cookies, I recommend starting with cold butter – straight from the fridge. While it takes a little more effort to get started, it’s much easier to work with.
Using cold butter will allow you to roll your cookie doughs immediately, skipping any initial chill time, and your chill time after rolling is reduced as well.
Less chilling means your cookies will be ready to eat sooner!
Make-ahead instructions
You can easily make your Pinwheel Cookies ahead of time.
Fridge: Wrap the cookie dough log in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. It will need to chill for 1 hour and then it’ll be ready to slice and bake when you need it. Store the cookie dough in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezer: Alternatively, you can freeze your cookie dough. Freeze the entire log or if you plan on only baking a few cookies at a time, slice into half or thirds.
You’ll need to thaw the cookie dough slightly before slicing and baking. I recommend leaving it at room temperature for 15-30 minutes depending on your climate.
Once it is soft enough to slice with a knife you are good to go. Don’t leave your cookie dough out at room temperature for too long though, or your cookies will spread when baked.
Expert tips
- Weigh your ingredients: For best results, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using a baking scale. It’s very easy to over-measure ingredients like flour and cocoa powder when using cup measurements which will make your cookie dough dry and hard to roll.
- Avoid over-mixing your cookie dough: Once your cookie dough is combined, you can stop mixing. Over-mixing can result in a dry or tough cookie.
- Take care when rolling: When it comes to rolling up your cookie dough, you’ll want to roll tightly from the start to achieve that glorious swirl. Go slow and roll gently, but evenly.
- Don’t skip the chill time: In order to get those perfect swirls, you must chill your cookie dough. It’ll be worth the wait.
More cookies to love
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Let’s Bake
Pinwheel Cookies
Beautiful Pinwheel Cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 170 grams (3/4 cup or 1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, roughly chopped
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Vanilla cookie dough
- 175 grams (1 and 1/4 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate cookie dough
- 140 grams (1 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 30 grams (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 teaspoons full fat or whole milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat using an electric mixer on low speed for 1-2 minutes. It’ll take a few minutes for your butter to soften, but eventually it’ll come together.
- Turn mixer up to medium speed and beat just until your butter and sugar is combined and smooth. There shouldn’t be any lumps of butter.
- Add egg. Mix briefly on low speed until everything is combined. It may look at little curdled – that’s ok.
- Take your butter mixture and split it into two even portions. Use a baking scale to do this (recommended) or eyeball it if you don’t have a scale.
- Vanilla cookie dough
Place one half of the butter mixture back into your mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and salt needed for the vanilla cookie dough. - Mix on low speed until ingredients start to combine, and then turn mixer up to medium speed until a soft, but thick cookie dough forms. It may seem dry and crumbly at first, but just keep mixing and it’ll slowly come together. Set aside.
- Chocolate cookie dough
Add remaining butter mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt needed for the chocolate cookie dough, and 1 teaspoon milk. - Mix on low speed until a soft, but thick cookie dough forms. It may seem dry and crumbly at first, but just keep mixing and it’ll slowly come together. If it’s too dry, add an extra teaspoon of milk.
- Rolling the dough
Shape the vanilla cookie dough into a square disc using your hands. Place a large piece of baking or parchment paper on your bench. Place the cookie dough on top. Then, place another piece of baking or parchment paper on top of the cookie dough. - Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle shape until it’s 1/8 inch thick. It should be roughly 9 by 13 inches. It’s ok if it’s a bit misshapen at this stage.
- Repeat steps 9-10 for the chocolate cookie dough.
- Peel away the top pieces of baking paper. Gently lift and place the chocolate cookie dough on top of the vanilla cookie dough. Place a piece of baking or parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin to roll the two doughs together. Just a few good rolls will do it.
- Use a small knife to trim the edges so you have a rectangular shape, approximately 9 by 13 inches. Then, gently but tightly, roll up the cookie dough from the long side to the long side.
- Wrap cookie dough log in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill.
- Bake cookies
Preheat the oven to 170 C (340 F) standard / 150 C (300 F) fan-forced. Line two large baking trays or cookie sheets with baking paper or parchment paper. - Use a sharp knife to cut cookies into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place cookie dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving room for cookies to spread out.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies just slightly start to colour on the edges. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Cold butter: Using cold butter allows us to cut down on the chill time. Once the dough has been made, it should be ready to roll out. However, if you prefer to start with softened or room temperature butter, you can! You may just need to chill the dough for 15-30 minutes before rolling if it’s too sticky to work with.
Vanilla bean paste: I love to use vanilla bean paste in these cookies as it has a nice, strong vanilla flavour – and I love those speckles of vanilla bean. However, vanilla extract will work fine as well.
Cocoa powder: I recommend using 100% natural cocoa powder.
Cookie size: You can slice these cookies as thin or thick as you like. If you would like a thin and crispy cookie, slice the cookie dough into 1/8 inch thick pieces and bake cookies for 8 minutes. You can also increase the baking time if you prefer a crunchy or crispier cookie.
Make-ahead instructions:
Fridge: Wrap the cookie dough log in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. It will need to chill for 1 hour and then it’ll be ready to slice and bake when you need it. Store the cookie dough in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezer: Alternatively, you can freeze your cookie dough. Freeze the entire log or if you plan on only baking a few cookies at a time, slice into half or thirds.
You’ll need to thaw the cookie dough slightly before slicing and baking. I recommend leaving it at room temperature for 15-30 minutes depending on your climate. Once it is soft enough to slice with a knife you are good to go. Don’t leave your cookie dough out at room temperature for too long or the cookies will spread when baked.
Nutrition Information
Priscilla Casalino says
So simple and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Davina says
Having made something similar years ago but losing the recipe, I was so pleased you released this recipe.
Amazing first time results following your steps precisely.
Thanks for the hundredth time as your recipes inspire my home baking and are enjoyed by all that get to eat them.
Xxx
Jessica Holmes says
That’s so nice to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed them Davina!
Jill says
In my family with 3 hungry sons 18 biscuits would go in 2 seconds, could I could I make a bigger batch? And if so how would you recommend?
Jessica Holmes says
Haha yes, you can double the recipe Jill! Just shape it into two logs.
Amie says
This recipe is amazing! It’s the first time I’ve ever baked Pinwheel Cookies and they turned out perfectly!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So happy to hear that Amie!