Description
These Chocolate Mint Pinwheel Cookies combine rich cocoa-flavored dough with vibrant green mint dough, rolled together into elegant spirals. Perfectly tender and buttery, they offer a refreshing peppermint twist balanced with a chocolate base, making them a festive and delightful treat for holidays or any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (286 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (16 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at cool room temperature
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Coloring
- ¼-½ teaspoon green gel food coloring (preferably Americolor Forest Green or Leaf Green)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt until evenly combined to ensure even rising and proper texture.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. This step is crucial for a light, tender cookie. Scrape down the bowl sides occasionally.
- Add wet flavorings: Mix in the egg, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, giving your dough the signature minty and aromatic flavor. Scrape the bowl to keep everything even.
- Combine flour mixture: On low mixer speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Overmixing can make cookies tough, so mix carefully.
- Color and flavor dough halves: Split the dough into two equal halves. Place one half in a small bowl and add green gel food coloring incrementally (start with ¼ teaspoon), mixing until the dough is evenly green; adjust to desired shade. To the other half, add unsweetened cocoa powder and milk, then beat on low speed until fully combined.
- Chill dough halves: Form each dough half into small rectangles, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm but pliable to make rolling easier.
- Roll dough rectangles: On a silicone baking mat lined with parchment paper, roll each dough half into an 8×14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Keep covered with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes until dough is firm and pliable.
- Layer dough and trim: Remove plastic from the green dough and place on fresh parchment paper. Peel cling parchment off. Layer the chocolate dough onto the green dough, aligning edges closely and pressing gently to eliminate air gaps. Trim edges to even the rectangle if necessary.
- Roll into log and freeze: Using the parchment beneath as a guide, tightly roll the layered dough into a log. Wrap the log tightly in parchment or plastic wrap and freeze for about 1 hour to firm up for slicing.
- Prep for baking: Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough log from freezer, trim edges, then slice into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Arrange slices on baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. Place sheets in fridge or freezer while the oven preheats.
- Bake cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until set. The bottoms may look slightly flat but cookies will puff up and become round during baking.
- Cool cookies: Transfer baking sheets to cooling racks and cool cookies on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move cookies to wire racks to cool completely ensuring the right texture.
- Store properly: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Note that cookies soften the longer they sit, so for firmer texture consume sooner or keep frozen.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix after adding flour to keep cookies tender.
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant color without altering dough consistency.
- Chilling the dough is essential for clean slicing and maintaining cookie shape.
- Cookies will soften over time—store in airtight container or freeze to maintain freshness.
- Ensure ingredients like egg and butter are at cool room temperature for best texture.
