Description
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with these delightful Swirl Cookies featuring a colorful, festive spiral design and crunchy holiday sprinkles. These buttery, soft cookies are perfect for gifting or sharing at any celebration and offer a fun baking project with a charming result.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a few extra tablespoons as needed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup unsifted powdered sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon food coloring of your choice
- ½ teaspoon of any desired extra extracts (optional)
Decorative
- 1 ½ cups holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until well blended.
- Add Butter and Vanilla: Gradually add chunks of unsalted butter while mixing continues; then add vanilla extract and continue mixing until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
- Divide Dough: Remove the dough from the mixer and divide it into two equal portions.
- Color One Portion: Place one portion back into the mixer bowl; add food coloring and any extra extracts, mixing until the color is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Roll Out Doughs: Roll each portion of dough between two sheets of wax paper to an 11 x 9 inch rectangle with approximately ¼ inch thickness.
- Chill the Dough: Place both dough sheets on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
- Layer Doughs: Remove wax paper from the top of both dough sheets; lightly brush the uncolored vanilla dough with water using a pastry brush, then carefully flip the colored dough onto the vanilla dough, aligning them evenly.
- Seal and Trim Edges: Press edges lightly to seal the dough layers together; trim edges with a small knife to create straight, even lines.
- Form Swirl: Ensure dough is cold but pliable, then roll the long side of the dough into a swirl (jelly-roll style).
- Coat in Sprinkles: Spread sprinkles on a large platter; gently lift the dough log onto the sprinkles and roll it to fully coat the outside.
- Chill or Freeze: Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for a few hours or freeze for up to three months to set.
- Slice and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the dough log into ¼ inch thick slices and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 15–17 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The recipe suggests 2 cups flour plus a few tablespoons extra; add extra flour a tablespoon at a time if the dough becomes too wet after adding food coloring.
- Adding food coloring might increase dough moisture, making rolling difficult; use extra flour to adjust consistency.
- Dough can be frozen after rolling in sprinkles for up to 3 months, allowing for preparation in advance.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly moisten vanilla dough before layering to help seal the layers together.
- Keep the dough cold but flexible when rolling into a swirl to avoid cracking.
Keywords: Valentine's Day, swirl cookies, holiday cookies, butter cookies, festive desserts, sprinkles, cookie recipe, vanilla, colored dough