Description
Delight in these classic black and white pinwheel cookies, featuring tender vanilla and cocoa doughs rolled together to create an eye-catching swirl. Perfectly balanced between buttery sweetness and a subtle chocolate hint, these cookies are baked to a light golden finish, preserving their striking contrast and soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 300g plain flour
- 100g icing sugar
- 8g vanilla sugar or 8g caster sugar plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white (for glazing)
- 125g butter, softened
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Prepare the vanilla dough: Place the plain flour, icing sugar, vanilla sugar (or caster sugar with vanilla extract), and a pinch of salt into a stand mixer. Add the whole egg and softened butter, then mix until a dough forms. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly by hand to combine.
- Divide and chill dough: Cut the dough into two equal halves. Wrap one half tightly in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Prepare the cocoa dough: To the remaining half, knead in the cocoa powder and milk evenly until fully incorporated. Wrap this dough half as well and chill for 1 hour to firm up.
- Roll out dough rectangles: After chilling, roll each dough portion separately on a lightly floured surface into rectangles approximately 30cm by 20cm.
- Assemble pinwheel: Brush the surface of one dough rectangle lightly with the reserved egg white. Carefully layer the second dough rectangle on top and brush its top with egg white as well. Gently press to adhere the layers.
- Roll and chill the log: Starting from one long side, roll the layered dough tightly into a Swiss roll shape. Wrap the log in cling film and chill for 30 minutes to set the shape.
- Slice and bake: Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan 155°C) or gas mark 3½. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, slice the chilled dough roll into 5mm thick slices. Place the slices spaced apart on the baking sheets and bake in batches for 10-12 minutes, ensuring the pale dough does not brown to maintain the sharp contrast.
- Cool and serve: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before serving or storing.
Notes
- Ensure doughs are properly chilled to make rolling and slicing easier and to maintain the pinwheel shape.
- A sharp knife is essential for clean slices to preserve the swirl pattern.
- Do not overbake to keep the cookies tender and prevent the white dough from browning, which would reduce the visual contrast.
- If you don’t have vanilla sugar, use caster sugar with added vanilla extract as indicated.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Keywords: pinwheel cookies, black and white cookies, vanilla and cocoa cookies, swirl cookies, baked cookies, Christmas cookies, butter cookies
