Recipe: Chef Jeff’s Christmas pinwheel cookies

Ingredients

2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar

1 lg. egg + 1 lg. egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3 drops each, red and green gel food coloring

Christmas themed sprinkles

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.  In another mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar.  It should take about two minutes to get to a light yellow and fluffy texture.
2. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix another minute until combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.  Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.  Half the dough and remove one of the halves.  Add the red food color and mix until the dough is red.
3. In the other bowl, add the other half of the dough and mix in the green food color until that dough is green. Form each dough into a rectangle block about 1 inch thick by 4-5 inches long, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill 60-90 minutes.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on a silicone baking mat or wet paper towel to keep it from moving around. Lightly dust it with a little flour.  Take one of the doughs out of the fridge and place it on the parchment paper.  Roll into a rectangle about 8×14 inches.  Place the dough on a sheet pan and place back in the fridge.  Use the same technique to roll the other dough using a new sheet of parchment paper.
5. Carefully place one sheet of dough on the other to line up the edges as best you can. Trim off any excess if necessary and push out any air pockets.  Starting on the long side, carefully roll the two dough sheets tightly into a log.  Wrap the log in plastic and chill for 2 hours.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the log in half and put the other half back in the fridge.  Cut the log you are using into ½ inch slices.  Place the slices on a parchment lined sheet pan and place in the oven to bake 14-15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges.  When they come out of the oven, let them cool on the pan 5 minutes.  Apply any sprinkles you wish as the cookies cool on the pan.  Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
7. Repeat the process with the second log. Store cookies in an airtight container.  Enjoy!