Rainbow Pinwheel Cookie Recipe (2024)

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This Rainbow Pinwheel Cookie Recipe is the perfect sweet treat for St. Patrick’s Day, unicorn parties or just some rainy day fun! With beautiful, bright colors and a delicious sugar cookie taste, these rainbow cookies are as much fun to make as they are to eat!

There’s something about bright rainbow colors that always seems to make people smile and this rainbow pinwheel cookie recipe is no exception. Also called pinwheel cookies, these colorful confections are as beautiful as they are delicious.

They have all the buttery sweet flavor that everyone loves in a sugar cookie, but with an extra fun and fancy design. And with endless ways to adapt and modify this recipe for different occasions, these are sure to be one of your new favorite cookies!

Despite their impressive appearance, pinwheel cookies are also super easy to make, but shhh…keep that to yourself! Just bring a batch to your next school bake sale or party and everyone will think you’re a professional pastry chef.

Get a personalized letter from your leprechaun! Customize it with your child’s name for a fun St. Patrick’s Day surprise!

Why We Love This Pinwheel Cookie Recipe

Easy: These easy pinwheel cookies only require a few basic ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand. There are no complicated techniques and no fancy equipment needed. The dough comes together quickly, and then all you need to do is flatten it, roll it together, and slice.

Versatile: Change up your dough colors to fit the theme of any holiday season or special occasion. Try pastels for Easter red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July or red and white for Christmas pinwheel cookies (you can even add a few drops of peppermint extract). Shades of pink and red would be pretty for Valentine’s Day. The possibilities are almost endless!

Kid-Friendly: This is a great recipe for involving the kids in the baking process. It’s really fun to make and kids can help with mixing the food coloring and rolling out the dough. You can even put them in charge of designing the cookie and selecting their favorite colors.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, unsalted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar for rolling
• Food coloring – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple

How To Make Pinwheel Cookies

Step 1: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy. You can use the bowl of a stand mixer for this if you have one.

Step 3: Add egg and milk to the butter and sugar mixture. Continue to mix until combined.

Step 4: Using the low setting and the paddle attachment on the mixer, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the bowl. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a regular electric mixer will work too.

Step 5: Divide dough into six pieces.

Step 6: Squeeze a few drops of red food coloring into the first ball of dough. Mix until the red coloring is evenly distributed. Repeat this process with the remaining colors and pieces of dough.

Step 7: Wrap each piece separately in wax paper and let the dough chill in the refrigerator for two hours.

Step 8: Sprinkle powdered sugar on rolling surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough pieces into circles about 12 inches in diameter.

Step 9: Place the red layer down first, and then stack the other dough circles one on top of the other. Use the following order from bottom to top: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red dough.

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Step 10: Carefully roll the dough layers up together to form a log shape. Wrap the log in wax paper and chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes

Step 11: Line a baking sheet with piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp knife (I’ve found that the easiest way is with a serrated knife), slice the cookies and place on prepared baking sheet.

Step 12: Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, serve, and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Coloring: For the best and most even color, try using gel coloring. It’s easier to work with than liquid food coloring and you should be able to find it at your regular grocery store.

Chilling: You might be tempted to skip the dough chilling step to get to the cookie eating step as quickly as possible. I understand the temptation, but don’t do that. This is one of those cases where chilling the dough really makes a difference. Not only does it improve the texture of your cookies, but it also makes the dough easier to slice.

Rolling: Be sure to roll the dough log as tightly as possible after you put your colored circles together. This will help ensure that your spiral cookies don’t fall apart when you cut them. And don’t forget to sprinkle your cutting board or countertop with powdered sugar before you roll. This will prevent your dough from sticking.

Make Ahead: The dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two. When you’re ready to use it, take it out and slice it immediately, and then bake.

Having a rainbow themed party? Why not serve this rainbow sherbet punch and these rainbow sandwiches too!

More fun cookie recipes

If you loved this pinwheel cookie recipe, you might want to check out some of these other delicious cookie ideas!

• Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
• Butterbeer Cookies
• Stuffed Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
• Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
• Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies