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–+ servings
A collection of baked, colorful Easter pinwheel cookies featuring swirls of pink and yellow.

Easter Pinwheel Cookies

These Easter pinwheel cookies are buttery, vanilla-sweet, and swirled with cute pastel colors that make you look wildly overachieving. They take a few chill sessions, but the payoff is a bakery-style spiral cookie that’s basically edible bragging rights.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 24 Cookies

EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Food coloring about 1/2 teaspoon per color, plus more as needed

Instructions

  • Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed so everything mixes evenly.
    3/4 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
    1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Stop as soon as it comes together so the cookies stay tender.
  • Divide the Dough: Turn the dough out and divide it into three equal portions.
  • Color the Dough: Add one portion back into the bowl and mix in your first food coloring until evenly dyed. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed. Remove, wrap, clean the bowl, and repeat with the other two portions using different colors.
    Food coloring
  • Chill the Dough: Flatten each colored dough portion into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
  • Roll Into Sheets: Place one chilled dough rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Repeat with the other colors, keeping the rectangles as close in size as possible.
    A wooden rolling pin rests on parchment paper next to colorful Easter pinwheel cookies dough.
  • Chill Again: Keep the dough sheets in the parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes so they’re easier to stack and roll.
  • Stack and Trim: Peel off the top parchment from the first sheet. Remove the parchment from the other two sheets and stack all three dough sheets on top of each other. Line up the edges as best you can, then trim the long sides with a sharp knife to make an even rectangle.
  • Roll Into a Log: Starting from a long edge, roll the stacked dough tightly into a log so the pinwheel design stays neat. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
    A log of layered pink and yellow dough wrapped in plastic for Easter pinwheel cookies.
  • Preheat the Oven: Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Slice the Cookies: Unwrap the chilled log and slice into 1/4-inch rounds with a sharp knife. Trim off and discard the ends if the swirl looks uneven.
  • Bake: Place cookies on the baking sheet with a little space between them and bake for about 9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
  • Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.