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Make these gluten-free pinwheel sugar cookies if you want an easy way to add some extra delicious festiveness to your holiday parties.
This time of year, it's all about holiday baking. Everyone is whipping up treats to share with their family, friends, and co-workers. Of course, those of us that are gluten-free don't usually get to indulge as much as others. This year we are changing all that because I'm showing you how to make an extra festive treat that is super simple, and the whole party can enjoy them because they are entirely gluten-free.
What are we making? We turn sugar cookies into the prettiest slice and bake pinwheel sugar cookies! This way, you get to enjoy all the deliciousness of sugar cookies without having to go through the icing and decorating each individual one before enjoying them.
What is so great about a slice and bake cookie?
Slice and bake cookies have been around for a while. You've probably even seen them in the tubes at the grocery store. Although, I have yet to see anyone that is gluten-free. Have you seen some?
You don't want to skimp out on these because;
- All the prep work is done ahead of time.
- Add whatever colors and designs you like.
- Slice off a few or the whole log when you are ready to bake.
- No added decorations are needed, making them quick to enjoy.
Are pinwheel cookies hard to make?
No, pinwheel cookies are not hard to make. They do require a few steps that take a little time, but once the dough is made and prepped, it's easy to whip these out in no time. The hardest part is waiting while letting the cookie dough chill between some steps.
Shopping list
These pinwheel cookies use my gluten-free cut-out sugar cookie dough. Then we just add some extra fun colors and sprinkles into the mix.
Sugar Cookie Dough:
- Cassava Flour
- Arrowroot Starch
- Butter
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla
- Egg
- Salt
Extras:
- Food dyes
- Sprinkles
Note: I prefer to use natural food dyes and always double-check to make sure your sprinkles are gluten-free, as not all of them are. If you can't find any, they are relatively easy to make your own sprinkles if you feel like it.
Let's make some cookies!
- Make the sugar cookie dough.
- Dye the cookie dough.
- Roll out each color of dough individually.
- Layer the colored dough on top of each other.
- Cover the layers with parchment paper and lightly roll them together to help them become one dough.
- Remove the parchment paper and carefully roll the dough into a log.
- Roll the log of cookie dough into sprinkles if desired.
- Wrap in parchment paper and chill.
- Slice and bake as desired.
Tips and Tricks
Adding too much coloring can affect the taste and texture. A gel coloring works best if you can use it.
Chilling the dough once it's rolled helps make it easier to slice. I always chill the cut slices before baking again to help them maintain their shape while being baked.
Chill the log of cookie dough before slicing. Use a shape knife and slice down to get a clean cut.
Have fun with them!
- Mix up the flavors - Swap the vanilla for some peppermint extract and roll them in crushed candy canes.
- Change the colors - Don't think you just have to make these at Christmas time. Switch out the colors and have fun all season long.
- Make more than two layers - Just divide the dough into however many layers you want and have fun.
- Go chocolate and vanilla - If you really want to wow the crowd make a batch of my chocolate sugar cookies and use the dough as a layer over the vanilla. It's an easy and fun way to get even more flavor in these cookies.
Making them ahead of time
How far ahead of time can you make pinwheel cookies? That depends on a few things.
- Baked cookies will stay fresh for about a week at room temperature.
- You can prep the log and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to slice and bake. I don't recommend keeping it here for more than a few days because the colors may start to bleed.
- You can prep and freeze the log of dough for up to three months. Just slice and bake from frozen as if the dough was fresh.
These gluten-free pinwheel cookies are always a hit no matter how you roll them. Here are a few other favorites while you are doing some baking this holiday season.
Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies
Gluten-free Pinwheel Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies
- 1 Cup Butter soft
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla or extract of choice.
- 2 C Cassava Flour 240 grams
- ⅔ C Arrowroot Starch
- ¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Extras
- Food dyes of choice
- 1 Cup Sprinkles of choice
Instructions
Make the cookie dough.
- Cream the butter and the sugar until thoroughly combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.1 Cup Butter, 1 Cup Sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix just until combined.1 Large Egg, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- Measure and sift the flours with the baking soda and salt, and then add them to mixture so the dough is formed.2 C Cassava Flour, ⅔ C Arrowroot Starch, ¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ Teaspoon Salt
Dye the dough.
- Divide the dough into equal parts depending how many layers and colors you want your pinwheel cookies to have.
- Color each of the layers of dough as desired.Food dyes of choice
Form the pinwheels.
- Roll out each layer individually on pieces of parchment paper.
- Carefully layer the different colored doughs on top of each other.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over the layers of dough and genltly roll over the dough helping them stick toether. You do NOT want to press hard, this could cause the layers to blend.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper and carefully roll the dough layers into a log. You can roll it either way you prefer depedning how you want the final cookies to look.
- Roll the log of dough into sprikles if desired.1 Cup Sprinkles of choice
Chill the log.
- Wrap the log of cookie dough in parchment paper and chill it for at least an hour.
Slice and bake.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- With a sharp knife, carefully slice the log of cookie dough into rounds about a quarter of an inch thick.
- Place the rounds of cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill the rounds in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look dull and slightly puff when they are done.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet to cool about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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