Description
These Swirled Christmas Cookies are festive, soft, and tender cookies featuring beautiful red, green, and white swirls with a crunch of Christmas sprinkles on the outside. Perfect for holiday celebrations, these cookies combine the flavors of almond and vanilla with a fun, colorful presentation that delights both the eyes and the palate.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (250g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
- 2 tsp almond extract (10g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (5g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
- 1 tsp cornstarch (3g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
Decoration
- 1 cup Christmas sprinkles (nonpareils recommended)
- Red gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Mix in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste on medium speed until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl sides and bottom as needed.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined, scraping the bowl to ensure thorough mixing without overworking.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into three equal portions (~10 oz or 305g each). Leave one plain, color one with red gel food coloring, and color the last with green gel food coloring. Flatten each dough portion into 1/3 inch thick rectangles and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in freezer, or overnight in fridge). If chilled overnight, let it sit 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
- Prepare Oven and Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) about 30 minutes before baking. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Roll Out Dough: Remove dough from plastic wrap. On plastic wrap, roll each portion to about 7×12 inches. On parchment paper, stack dough layers green on bottom, plain in the middle, red on top. Use a rolling pin to gently press layers together.
- Shape Dough Log: Trim edges uneven parts. Cut one long side at an angle to have less red than green on that edge for a sharper swirl. Starting at this angled edge, roll dough tightly into a long log using the parchment paper to help. Seal seam by gently pressing dough over it.
- Coat with Sprinkles: Pour Christmas sprinkles onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roll the dough log in sprinkles until fully coated.
- Slice Cookies: Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 1/3 inch thick slices. If the log is too soft or misshapen, chill for 15-30 minutes to firm up. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove before edges brown; they continue firming on the pan as they cool.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store and Serve: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe yields about 20 cookies; size and thickness cut will affect yield and bake time.
- The recipe can easily be doubled to increase yield.
- Creaming butter and sugar well incorporates air for tender, soft cookies.
- Use gel food coloring for vivid dough colors; liquid coloring can alter dough consistency.
- Cut cookies consistently at 1/3 inch thickness for even baking.
- Chilling dough prevents spreading and promotes soft texture.
- Avoid overbaking; underbake slightly as cookies firm up after removal from oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
