Pinwheel Cookie Recipe: How to Make Classic Swirl Cookies at Home

My husband loves these cookies, and this pinwheel cookie recipe has quickly become one of his all-time favorites. While his mom’s fruit cake cookies still hold the top spot, these beautiful swirl cookies are a close runner-up. His mother made them every year, and a few years ago she passed her cherished cookie recipes down to me so I could carry on the tradition.

One thing to note about this recipe is the cookies aren’t super sweet. If you’re looking for a really sweet chocolate cookie, this is not the one, but they have a great flavor and texture.

Originally, this recipe was for checkerboard cookies, but who has time to make checkerboard cookies? So, it’s been adapted to pinwheel cookies. Sometimes, I even make them into marbled cookies, which is even less work. Either way, they look impressive and are great to bring to a party or give as a gift to friends.

What Are Pinwheel Cookies?

Pinwheel cookies are charming, slice-and-bake cookies made by layering two or more colored doughs (often vanilla and chocolate, or in festive colors), rolling them into a log, chilling, slicing, and baking to create a swirl pattern.

They’re also known as Schwarz-Weiß-Gebäck (black-and-white baked goods) in traditional German baking.

The result is a soft, buttery cookie with a whimsical spiral design that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.

Why This Pinwheel Cookie Recipe Is Special

• Visually stunning swirl design that’s great for holidays or cookie platters
• Soft, buttery texture that melts in your mouth
• A slice-and-bake format: make a log, chill it, and slice it for fresh cookies whenever you want
• Highly customizable: you can dye dough, flavor it, or change colors for different occasions
• Make-ahead and freezer-friendly, making them perfect for holiday baking or gifting (I love giving cookies as gifts and these cookie boxes are my favorite!)

Pinwheel Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

Here’s a base list for this pinwheel cookie recipe (adjust as needed):

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

• Make the dough: Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until well combined.
• Add dry ingredients: On low speed gradually beat in flour just until well blended
• Divide and cover: Remove half of the dough to a sheet of waxed paper.
• Add cocoa powder: Add cocoa powder to the remaining half of the dough and mix until well combined.
• Roll dough into rectangles: Roll out each dough between two pieces of wax paper until flat and rectangular.
• Chill: Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Layer: Remove the wax paper and place the cocoa dough on top of the vanilla dough. Trim off the excess dough that doesn’t match up. (I like to add the extras all together and create marbled cookies)
• Roll it up: Tightly roll dough in a jelly-roll style, wrap it in plastic wrap
• Chill: Refrigerate dough for 2 hours
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Silce and Bake: Slice dough into 1/4 inch cookies and place on a lined cookie sheet
• Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Tips & Variations

• Flavor swap: Try chocolate-vanilla, mint-chocolate, or red-and-green dough for holidays.
• Colorful dough: Use gel food coloring to tint dough for fun, vibrant swirls.
• Festive coating: After rolling, you can coat the log in sprinkles before chilling; it gives a fun, textured edge.
• Tool tip: Use a warm knife (run under hot water and wipe dry) to slice frozen dough cleanly.
• Perfect shapes: Roll the log tightly and chill fully for clean, defined pinwheels.

Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly Instructions

• Unbaked dough: After rolling into log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. You can slice and bake straight from frozen when ready.
• Baked cookies: Let them cool completely, then layer in an airtight container separated by parchment paper. Store at room temperature or freeze for up to several weeks.
• Preparing in advance: This recipe is great for holiday cookie exchanges. You can have the logs ready in the freezer and bake fresh slices as needed.