231 Shares

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are a Christmastime classic. They are sweet, buttery, and melt in your mouth delicious. Making these festive swirl cookies from scratch is a lot easier than you think. They are a simple slice-and-bake cookie - meaning no cookie cutters needed!

Include these chocolate-and-vanilla cookies as part of a cookie exchange on your holiday baking list, in a holiday cookie box to gift to family and friends, or for any time of the year. You will find yourself baking these over and over again!

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are a Christmastime classic — sweet, buttery, and melt in your mouth delicious. Plus, an easy to make slice-and-bake cookie. | aheadofthyme.com

Why You'll Love these Pinwheel Cookies

Easy to make. There are no special skills needed to make these chocolate swirl cookies. You'll just need a few ingredients and about 15 minutes of preparation time using standard kitchen tools before rolling and chilling the dough for a few hours. Once the log has firmed up sufficiently, you'll slice and bake the cookies for ten minutes.
Made with simple baking staples. You won't have to hunt down any specialty ingredients to make these slice and bake cookies - everything you need is likely already in your pantry or can easily be acquired from your local grocery store.
Festive for Christmas. These pinwheel cookies are one of many cookies that mark the holiday season, which makes this the perfect recipe to bust out for the office Christmas party or a Christmas Eve dinner with your in-laws. It's gorgeous without too much effort (no cookie cutters needed or icing intricate patterns here!)
Freezer-friendly. These Christmas cookies are easy to make ahead because you can freeze them before or after baking. I love to just freeze a roll of cookie dough and be ready to bake a batch whenever I please. Some other freezer-friendly holiday cookies to bake are M&M Christmas Cookies, Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Gingersnaps.

Ingredient Notes

To make this holiday Pinwheel Cookies, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

all-purpose flour - a gluten free measure-for-measure flour will make these cookies friendlier to those with gluten sensitivity, but it may change the texture.
baking powder
salt - a finely ground salt is best for cookie dough. A coarse or flaked salt will result in inconsistent flavor - some bites will be too salty, some will be bland.
butter - setting the butter out to come up to room temperature is incredibly important in almost any cookie recipe - cold butter won't cream with the sugar easily and warmed butter will change the texture of the dough.
sugar - any granulated sugar should work. Use coconut sugar, raw sugar, or an equivalent sugar substitute if you prefer. The taste will change slightly depending on what you use.
eggs
vanilla extract - you can use a standard alcohol-based vanilla extract or use a vanilla bean paste at equal measure.
unsweetened chocolate - also known as baker's chocolate. You could also use dark chocolate or bittersweet, though you may have to adjust the sugar measurement to make sure the cookies aren't overly sweet.

Equipment needed

You will also need the following baking equipment and tools:

How to Make the Best Pinwheel Cookies

Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave. Then, set the chocolate aside and allow it to cool slightly.

How to Melt Chocolate

You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.

On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then, turn the heat to low and place a medium heatproof bowl on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Add the chocolate and stir constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate into the microwave and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.

Make the cookie dough. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and beat until combined.

Divide. Divide the dough in half. In one half, pour in the cooled melted chocolate. Use the mixer to beat it until just incorporated. You will have one white dough and one chocolate dough.

Roll the dough. Take the white dough and place on a large sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to shape it into a square rectangle about 4 inches long. Place another large sheet of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle that is ½-inch thick. It should measure roughly 9x7-inches.

Repeat. Repeat with the chocolate dough.

Chill. Transfer parchment paper with the rolled out dough inside into the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

How to Roll and Slice Pinwheel Cookies

Combine layers. Once chilled, place the white dough and the chocolate dough on the counter. Carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper on each. Take the chocolate dough and careful flip it over on top of the white dough.

Press together. Use a rolling pin and give it a couple gentle rolls to get the 2 pieces of dough to stick together. Remove the parchment paper off of the top of the chocolate layer.
Smooth it out. Use a knife to cut along the edges to create a smooth rectangle.

Roll. Carefully pinch one side of the dough (on the longer side) and roll it in to form a log.

Wrap. Place the log on a piece of plastic cling wrap and wrap it tightly. Twist the ends to secure it tightly.

Chill. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it on the counter (still in the plastic cling wrap) to smooth out the flattened area on the bottom and make it round. Transfer the dough back to the refrigerator for 2 hours until firm. You can also place in the freezer for about an hour to speed up the process.
Slice. Remove the plastic cling wrap from the dough and use a knife to slice the log into ¼-inch slices.

Baking Cookies

Line a large half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Transfer the slices to the lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1.5-inches apart.

Bake the cookies in a 350F preheated oven for 9-11 minutes until just starting to brown on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

How to Serve

Nothing says cookies better than a tall glass of milk or a warm drink. Some of my favorite cozy drinks to serve alongside these cookies are:

Storage and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Once the cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to a sealed plastic bag or tupperware lined with parchment paper and store at room temperature for up to 7 days.

How to Freeze

Freezing baked cookies. Freeze the baked cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Freezing cookie dough. Freeze the entire uncooked entire log wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap and then placed in a freezer bag. When ready to slice, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight to make it easier to slice. You can also freeze sliced cookie dough between layers of parchment for up to 3 months.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Make ahead for busy days. If you know the holiday season is going to be a particularly hectic one, you can make these ahead and freeze the dough (as directed above) and still have fresh-baked cookies right when you need them!
Add food coloring. You can add red food coloring to the chocolate and green food coloring to the vanilla dough to make it more festive.
Heat your knife before slicing. Make things easier on yourself (and a little less messy) by running the blade of your knife under hot water and drying it before attempting to cut through the frozen log of cookie dough. It should cut like butter!
Round them out. Here's a little-known secret used by pros to get perfectly round cookies every single time: while the cookies are still warm, right out of the oven, quickly swirl them around in a tight circular motion a few times on the pan using a circular cookie cutter. It makes them all uniform without a ton of extra work!

Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Tiktok, and Facebook for more recipe updates.

Recipe

Pinwheel Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 24-28 cookies
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are a Christmastime classic - sweet, buttery, and melt in your mouth delicious. Plus, an easy to make slice-and-bake cookie.

Ingredients

Scale

1 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Melt chocolate:

Melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave:
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and place a large heatproof bowl of chocolate chips on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth
Set the chocolate aside and allow it to cool slightly.

Make cookie dough:

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add butter and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
Divide the dough in half. In one half, pour in the cooled melted chocolate. Use the mixer to beat it until just incorporated. You will have one white dough and one chocolate dough.

Roll dough:

Take the white dough and place on a large sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to shape it into a square rectangle about 4 inches long. Place another large sheet of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle that is ½-inch thick. It should measure roughly 9x7-inches.
Transfer parchment paper with the rolled out dough inside into the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Repeat with the chocolate dough.

Make log:

Once chilled, place the white dough and the chocolate dough on the counter. Carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper on each. Take the chocolate dough and careful flip it over on top of the white dough.
Use a rolling pin and give it a couple gentle rolls to get the 2 pieces of dough to stick together. Remove the parchment paper off of the chocolate layer.
Use a knife to cut along the edges to create a smooth rectangle.
Carefully pinch one side of the dough (on the longer side) and roll it in to form a log. Place the log on a piece of plastic cling wrap and wrap it tightly. Twist the ends to secure it tightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it on the counter (still in the plastic cling wrap) to smooth out the flattened area on the bottom. Transfer the dough to the freezer for 2 hours.

Slice and bake:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Remove the plastic cling wrap and use a knife to slice the dough into ¼-inch slices. Transfer the slices to a parchment lined half sheet baking pan.
Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Add food coloring: You can add red food coloring to the chocolate and green food coloring to the vanilla dough to make it more festive.

How to store: Once the cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to a sealed plastic bag or tupperware lined with parchment paper and store at room temperature for up to 7 days.

Freezing baked cookies: Freeze the baked cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Freezing cookie dough: Freeze the entire uncooked entire log wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap and then placed in a freezer bag. When ready to slice, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight to make it easier to slice. You can also freeze sliced cookie dough between layers of parchment for up to 3 months.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Cookies
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American