Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Soft, buttery, and perfectly festive, these Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are the ultimate slice and bake Christmas treat. Swirled with bright red, green, and white sugar cookie dough and rolled in crunchy nonpareil sprinkles, they bake into cheerful holiday cookies with crisp edges, soft centers, and a delicate peppermint flavor. They look impressive, but the dough is incredibly easy to work with, and the whole recipe uses simple pantry staples (plus food coloring and sprinkles).

These peppermint pinwheels have a classic holiday flavor and a nostalgic swirl pattern that makes them extra fun to gift, display, and snack on throughout December. The dough rolls smoothly, chills cleanly, and slices into beautiful spirals every time. Once baked, the cookies get lightly crisp at the edges while staying tender in the middle, giving you that perfect balance of texture that makes holiday cookies so irresistible.

This recipe was inspired by my favorite Christmas sugar cookies and classic slice and bake designs that always feel magical this time of year. These peppermint pinwheel cookies pair beautifully with hot chocolate, espresso, or a mug of peppermint tea. If you are building a Christmas cookie tray or gifting holiday treat boxes, these colorful spirals will always be one of the first cookies people reach for.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Expert Tip: Chill the Log for Perfect Spirals
• More Tips and Tricks
• Recipe Variations
• Storage
• How to Serve
• Holiday Cookie Week
• FAQ
• More Peppermint Cookie Recipes
• Tried this recipe?
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make these festive Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies, you will need the following ingredients (see recipe card below for quantities):

• unsalted butter - Softened for easy mixing. Salted butter works if you reduce the added salt slightly.
• confectioners' sugar - Creates a smooth, tender cookie texture. Do not substitute with granulated sugar here.
• granulated sugar - Helps the cookies spread slightly and adds sweetness.
• eggs - Bind the dough and add richness. Room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly.
• vanilla extract - Adds depth and warmth to the sugar cookie base.
• peppermint extract - Provides the holiday flavor. Adjust the amount slightly depending on how strong you like peppermint.
• all purpose flour - Gives structure. Measure accurately using a spoon and level method or a kitchen scale for the most consistent dough texture. For softer cookies, replace one tablespoon of flour with one tablespoon of cornstarch.
• baking powder - Helps keep the cookies light and tender.
• salt - Balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
• food coloring - Gel food coloring is best for bright, vivid red and green swirls without altering the texture. If needed, you can use liquid food coloring, but you may have to compensate with a bit more flour.
• holiday nonpareil sprinkles - Add crunch and a festive look when rolled around the cookie log.

Instructions

1. Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugars. In another large mixing bowl, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add eggs and extracts. Add the vanilla, peppermint extract, and eggs, then beat again until fully combined and smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until a soft but not sticky dough forms.

5. Divide and chill the dough. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Wrap one portion as the plain white dough with cling wrap and refrigerate.
6. Color the remaining doughs. Add green food coloring to one portion of dough and mix with a hand mixer or use your hands with gloves (this is the easiest way). Color the remaining portion with red food coloring. Wrap each dough separately with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

7. Roll out each dough. After chilling, remove the doughs from the fridge. Roll each portion out, on top of a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, into a 9x12-inch rectangle.

8. Stack and trim. Stack the colored doughs on top of each other (green on the bottom, then plain, then red). Trim the edges with a sharp knife to form an even rectangle.

9. Roll into a log. Starting from the long side, roll the stacked dough tightly into a log.
10. Add sprinkle coating. Pour the sprinkles into a small rimmed baking sheet or container. Roll the dough log over the sprinkles, pressing gently until the entire log is sufficiently coated.

11. Chill the log. Wrap the sprinkle coated dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
12. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
13. Slice the cookies. Remove the chilled log and cut into ¼-inch thick slices using a sharp knife.
14. Bake. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are set but still soft. Cool on the sheet briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

More Tips and Tricks

• Mix on low speed and scrape often. When creaming the butter mixture, mix on low speed at first so the sugar incorporates smoothly. As you mix, pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl to prevent streaks of color or uneven dough. This helps create clean layers that roll tightly without cracks.
• Roll evenly for clean layers. When rolling out each color of dough, try to maintain the same thickness across all three layers. Even thickness helps the spirals stay tight and prevents uneven spreading in the oven.
• Trim the edges for a perfect rectangle. Use a sharp knife to square off the edges before rolling. This step makes the final spiral cleaner and more defined when baked.
• Use parchment to help roll the dough. Roll each color of dough directly on parchment so you can easily lift, stack, and roll everything without sticking or tearing the layers.
• Work on a cool counter. Rolling on a cool counter helps keep the dough firm and prevents the swirls from smudging.
• Seal the seam. When rolling the stacked dough into a log, pinch the seam gently so it stays tight and does not open while slicing.
• Add sprinkles to a shallow tray. Pour the sprinkles into a rimmed sheet or dish, then gently press the dough log into the sprinkles so they adhere evenly. This keeps the coating neat and prevents runaway sprinkles.
• Slice gently with a sharp knife. Avoid pressing straight down, which can squish the spiral. Instead, use a gentle sawing motion for smooth, clean cuts.

Storage

How to Store

These cookies stay fresh for days, making them one of my picks for the best Christmas cookie recipe to store ahead for the season. They hold their shape beautifully and keep their crunch even after a few days.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Separate layers with parchment so the sprinkles stay intact and the spirals remain clean.

How to Reheat

These cookies do not need reheating, but you can warm them gently in a low oven if you prefer a softer texture. Avoid microwaving, which can melt sprinkles.

How to Freeze

Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then move to an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to three months. You can also freeze the unbaked dough log. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before slicing.

How to Serve

Peppermint pinwheel cookies are perfect for cookie boxes, classroom treats, holiday dessert boards, cookie swaps, and Christmas parties. Their bright colors make them a standout on any platter, and they pair beautifully with hot chocolate, coffee, or peppermint mocha. Serve them with other festive favorites like sugar cookies, gingerbread men, or chocolate crinkle cookies for a beautiful holiday spread.

These are my favorite drinks to serve with christmas pinhweel cookies:

FAQ

More Peppermint Cookie Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Print

Recipe