Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Submitted by Little Suzy Homemak

"This recipe is from Southern Living...December 2009. Leave time to freeze the dough before cooking the cookies. The picture in the magazine shows them wrapped in cellophane with ribbons on either side of the cookie so they look like big starlight peppermint candies. Cute idea for packaging for gift giving..."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 35mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 48 cookies
• Serves: 48

ingredients

• For the Cookies

• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon red food coloring paste

• For the Peppermint Frosting

• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1⁄8 teaspoon peppermint extract

directions

1. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating unil light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended, scaping bowl as needed.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12x8 inch rectangle on a piece of lightly floured plastic wrap.
4. Knead food coloring paste into remaining portion of dough while wearing rubber gloves. Roll tinted dough into a rectangle as directed in step 3. Invert untinted dough onto tinted dough; peel off plastic wrap. Cut dough in half lengthwise, forming 2 12x4 inch rectangles. Roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side, using bottom piece of plastic wrap as a guide. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 4 hours or up to 1 month.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut ends off each dough log, and discard. Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick pieces, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until puffed and set; cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
7. Make the frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium, and gradually add milk and peppermint extract, beating until smooth.
8. To assemble: Place Peppermint Frosting in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small holw. Pipe about 2 teaspoons frosting onto half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, gently pressing to form a sandwich.