These cookies aren’t the flawless, bakery-perfect pinwheels I imagined, but the kids absolutely loved them. I set aside a little of my perfectionism and embraced the fun of making them together. I’ll bake another batch for prettier photos one day, but for now I’m happy to share this family-friendly version.
This recipe is my reliable sugar cookie base, tweaked to be more kid-friendly with generous amounts of gel food coloring. Note: use gel colorings only — liquid food coloring tends to bleed and fade during baking.
Tips to improve appearance
* Divide the dough into a 1/3 and 2/3 portion and color only the smaller portion — the colored bands will be thinner and more balanced.
* Make sure each colored strip touches the next so gaps don’t form during baking.
* Use a rolling pin to gently flatten and even out the colored sections before rolling them together.
* Try different flavor variations: lemon, lime, or orange zest work well. Use the zest of at least two fruits for a noticeable citrus lift.
RAINBOW PINWHEEL COOKIES
| Serves | 12-14 |
| Prep time | 2 hours, 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 10 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
| Meal type | Dessert, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party |
INGREDIENTS
- 250g plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- 140g butter
- 170g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (see note above for alternative flavorings)
- Gel food colorings: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet
DIRECTIONS
| 1. | |
| Line two baking trays with parchment paper. | |
| 2. | |
| Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. | |
| 3. | |
| Add the egg while mixing, then stir in the vanilla extract. | |
| 4. | |
| Fold in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until just combined. | |
| 5. | |
| Bring the mixture together into a ball of dough, wrap twice in cling film, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. | |
| 6. | |
| After chilling, remove the dough and divide it in half. Keep one half refrigerated and divide the other half into six equal pieces. | |
| 7. | |
| Color each of the six small pieces with gel food coloring. | |
| 8. | |
| Roll out the uncolored half to about 1/2 cm thickness in a rectangular shape. | |
| 9. | |
| Roll each colored piece into long thin logs and line them up closely so each color touches the next. Dust your hands lightly with flour if the dough becomes sticky. | |
| 10. | |
| Gently roll over the colored logs to even them out, then roll them widthways into one long, thicker sausage. | |
| 11. | |
| Wrap the assembled dough in cling film and freeze for 1 hour to firm up. | |
| 12. | |
| Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Remove the dough from the freezer and slice into 1cm rounds with a sharp knife. | |
| 13. | |
| Arrange the slices on the prepared trays and bake 8–10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes. Rotate trays if needed for even baking. Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack. | |