Vanilla and Chocolate Swirl Cookies are a fun pinwheel cookie that your family and friends are going to love! Freezing tips included to help you prep-ahead so you can have cookies anytime you want!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time13 minutesmins
Chilling Time4 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs43 minutesmins
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pinwheel cookie, Vanilla Chocolate Swirl Cookies
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder together.
Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it's smooth.
Add the sugars and blend until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Then add the vanilla extract and beat for another minute or until it is combined.
Now add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture one third at a time, stirring well after each addition until the dough is evenly blended.
Divide the dough in half, keeping one half of the dough in the mixer and setting the other half aside while you prepare the chocolate layer.
How to Prepare the Chocolate Layer:
Add the unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixer and combine until it is fully incorporated. This may take a few minutes.
Remove the chocolate dough from the mixer and divide the chocolate dough into TWO pieces.
Form each chocolate piece of dough into ½ inch thick squares and wrap them individually in plastic wrap.
Divide the vanilla dough into TWO pieces, form each vanilla piece of dough into ½ inch thick squares and wrap them individually in plastic wrap.
You should now have two squares of chocolate dough and two squares of vanilla dough all wrapped individually.
Refrigerate all four squares of dough until firm; about one to two hours.
How to Roll Out the Cookies:
Unwrap one piece of the chilled vanilla dough leaving it on top of the plastic wrap.
Cover it with a second piece of plastic wrap, then using a rolling pin, roll out the vanilla dough into a rectangle measuring about 9X12 inches.
If the dough gets too soft and difficult to roll, simply slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until it's firm again; no longer than 10 minutes.
Unwrap one piece of the chilled chocolate dough, leaving it on top of the plastic wrap.
Cover it with a second piece of plastic wrap, and roll it out into a 9X12 inch rectangle shape as well.
Again, if the dough gets too soft and difficult to roll, simply slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until it's firm again.
How to Form the Cookie Dough into a Log Shape:
Remove the top pieces of plastic wrap from both the vanilla rolled dough and the chocolate rolled dough.
Carefully invert the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla dough.
Remove the top piece of plastic wrap from the chocolate dough.
Gently roll over the top of both layers with a rolling pin to make the doughs slightly stick together.
Starting at one end, lift the vanilla dough up by the plastic wrap underneath and roll up the doughs into one big log, pressing gently as you roll to help adhere both layers together and peeling the plastic wrap away as you roll.
Wrap the log in a fresh piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 2 hours.
Repeat this process with the remaining piece of vanilla and chocolate dough.
How to Bake the Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the logs from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.
Lay the log on a cutting board and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds.
Place the slices onto a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 13 minutes.
The cookies will still be a little soft to the touch and slightly brown on the edges.
Let cool slightly before enjoying.
Notes
Once the dough has been rolled up into log shapes, you can freeze it for up to three months.