Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

I think these may be my new favorite Christmas cookies because they’re show-stopping and secretly quite easy to make (if you have a little patience). Experiment with other food coloring and sprinkles to enjoy them any time of year.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 drops Leaf Green food coloring paste (such as Americolor)

Red sanding sugar

Instructions

Stir together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yolk disappears. Beat in vanilla.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Divide dough in half.

Add 4 drops food coloring paste to one dough half, and beat until well combined.

Roll green dough to a 9- by 16-inch rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll plain dough to a 9- by 16-inch rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. Place both dough sheets in the refrigerator and chill 30 minutes.

Unwrap green dough and place on a clean surface. Turn out plain dough on top of green dough, and trim the edges if necessary. Roll dough tightly into a log, starting with one short side. Wrap with parchment paper, and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour sanding sugar into a rimmed baking sheet. Unwrap dough and roll in sanding sugar until dough is completely covered. Trim off ends and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set (don't brown). Let stand on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.