Cookie Bananza
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Makes 24
⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon red gel food coloring
¼ teaspoon green gel food coloring
Garnish: red sanding sugar
1. In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer at medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg, beating well. Beat in vanilla.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Divide dough into thirds.
3. Return one portion of dough to bowl. Add red food coloring, and beat at medium-low speed until well combined. Remove dough; wipe bowl clean. Repeat procedure with another portion of dough and green food coloring. Leave remaining dough plain. Shape each portion of dough into a disk, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Roll each portion of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 6-inch square. Refrigerate between parchment for 15 minutes.
5. Top red dough with green dough and then plain dough, without parchment between layers. Roll stacked dough between parchment paper into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of parchment paper. Starting at one long side, tightly roll up dough into a log. Wrap log in parchment paper, and freeze for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut dough log into ½-inch-thick slices. Roll edges of slices in sanding sugar, if desired. Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared pans.
Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 1 minute. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
