Holiday Cookies: Raspberry Pinwheels

Today, I jumped in and baked some more cookies to fill my gift baskets.  I like to bake cookies that freeze well this time of year because it allows me to bake them in advance and not spend one weekend in a baking frenzy.  I've never baked those pretty two-layer rolled cookies before this weekend.  You know the one's that you make half of the dough one flavor and the other half something complimentary?  They are always so festive looking, that I decided this year I was going to give them a try.

I found the recipe I used in a Taste of Home Holiday Cookies magazine I picked up last year.  The biggest change I made was to use raspberry extract instead of peppermint.  I thought that it would be a fun and different flavor to try. 

From Family, Friends and Food

I've baked two different recipes for this type of cookie this weekend (I'll share the other one on Tuesday).  I have decided that I LOVE cookies that can be rolled and refrigerated, then sliced prior to baking.  So simple and really a pretty result, don't you think?

What's even better is that the flavor was exactly what I was looking for in this cookie.  Just enough raspberry to make them a bit more unique since they are not peppermint.  I do plan to make these again and using mint extract and green food coloring. 

Oh, and I want to make sure you know that my blogging friend, Grumpy's Honeybunch, was sweet enough to invite me to help her giveaway 3 subscriptions of Cooking Light Magazine!  Be sure to visit her blog for the first in a week full of Cooking Light recipes that will be shared by her and myself!  The first post will be over at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch tomorrow (Monday). 


Raspberry Pinwheels
Adapted from: Taste of Home - Best Loved Cookies & Bars

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract (or peppermint extract)
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar.  Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Combine flour through salt, then gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Divide dough in half and add extract and red food coloring to one portion - mix well.

Place two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface.  Then place one of the halves of dough in the middle and cover with two more pieces of overlapping plastic wrap.  Roll out to a 12x10 rectangle (approximately).  Set aside, and repeat with the other half of dough.

Then, unwrap the vanilla dough on top of plastic wrap.  Next unwrap and place the raspberry dough on top of the vanilla dough.  Roll the dough up, jelly-roll style, making sure that it's tight.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Unwrap the dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart (they do not spread, so you can place them slightly closer).  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set. 

Cool for 2 minutes on baking pan, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield:  approximately 4 dozen.




Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.