4th of July Cookies: Soft & Chewy Pinwheels
These 4th of July cookies are an easy holiday dessert that will get you into the patriotic spirit. Whip up a batch to serve up at a cookout or to enjoy during the fireworks.
Festive red, white, and blue pinwheel cookies are perfect for Independence Day. These cookies epitomize celebration! The swirl of patriotic colors makes you want to bite into the buttery, sweet, deliciously chewy cookie.
We have made these cookies every year for as long as I can remember for the 4th of July. It’s a family tradition to get into the kitchen and make them. The kids are now making them with their own kids.
Red, white, and blue pinwheels cookies are also perfect for Memorial Day. You can make color variations for each time of year — for example, pastel pink and green for the spring and red and green for Christmas. These cookies are pretty and delicious as is, but feel free to add festive sprinkles, white chocolate chips, crushed peanuts, or any other toppings that strike your fancy.
How to Make 4th of July Pinwheel Cookies
The instructions for these festive cookies may seem a little intimidating at first glance, but the process is actually really simple. These are basically sugar cookies with a twist (or swirl), and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge.
You just need a few extra steps to make the pinwheels. If you watch the video of me making the cookies, you’ll see it’s easy peasy. You roll each layer out separately, layer them on top of each other with parchment paper, and then roll them out again. You then roll the dough into a log and cut cookies just as you would with any dough. There you have it!
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough
Follow the simple recipe steps below to make the sugar cookie dough. This vanilla dough will create the “white” swirls.
Now for the pinwheels part: section your cookie dough into three balls for the three colors. Shape one section of the dough into a 4 x 4 inch square and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Add one of the other sections of dough back to the mixer. Add in the blue coloring and mix until the dough is the shade of blue you want. Wash the mixer and whisk and repeat with the dough and red food coloring.
Step 2: Chill the Cookie Dough
Refrigerate the three plastic-wrapped dough squares for at least 30 minutes.
Why do you need to chill cookie dough? Chilling time is essential for buttery cookies because it solidifies the butter. Firm dough helps the cookies hold their shape while baking. The resting period also will give the cookies a better texture.
For a pinwheel cookie recipe, the chilling in Steps 2 and 4 have an additional benefit: they help keep the swirl pattern sharp.
Step 3: Roll the Dough Log
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour, place the white slab and sprinkle flour over the top of that slab. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the slab and roll out the “white” piece of dough as uniformly as possible into a rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Place to the side and repeat with the blue and red slab.
Peel the top layer of parchment paper off the white dough. Peel the top layer off the blue dough and flip the dough side down on top of the white dough. Remove the parchment from the then top of the blue dough. Remove the top parchment from the red dough and flip it onto the blue dough. Keep the parchment paper on the upward-facing side of the red dough. Lightly roll the 3 layers together until the dough is about a 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.
Starting at the shorter end of the rectangle, roll the dough as tightly as possible into a log, using the bottom parchment paper to help you roll it tightly.
Step 4: Chill the Pinwheels Dough Log
Wrap the log of dough in the parchment and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. This will help the pinwheel colors distinct.
Step 5: Slice and Bake Your 4th of July Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, set on the counter, and use a sharp knife to slice the roll into 14-inch slices. Place the sliced dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the baked cookies from the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. Serve with milk.
Can you freeze cookie dough and baked pinwheel cookies?
This cookie dough will last in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze the dough and then slice and bake at will. Stored in an airtight container, the baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
4th of July Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Red food coloring
- Blue food coloring
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the butter until smooth then add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and airy. Add the eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition, and then whisk in vanilla.
- Mix together the flour, butter, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and whisk on low until fully incorporated.
- Remove the dough and separate it into three equal dough balls. Shape one section of the dough into a 4 x 4 inch square, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Add one of the other sections of dough back to the mixer. Add in the blue coloring and mix until the dough is the shade of blue you want. Wash the mixer and whisk and repeat with the dough and red food coloring. Shape the blue and red layers into squares and wrap like the first one.
- Refrigerate the three dough squares for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour, place the white slab and sprinkle flour over the top of that slab. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the slab and roll out the “white” piece of dough as uniformly as possible into a rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Place to the side and repeat with the blue and red slab.
- Peel the top layer of parchment paper off the white dough. Peel the top layer off the blue dough and flip the dough side down on top of the white dough. Remove the parchment from the then top of the blue dough. Remove the top parchment from the red dough and flip it onto the blue dough. Do not remove the second parchment paper from the top of the red dough. Lightly roll the 3 layers together until the dough is about a 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.
- Starting at the shorter end of the rectangle, roll the dough as tightly as possible into a log, using the bottom parchment paper to help you roll it tightly. Wrap the log of dough in the parchment and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, set on the counter, and use a sharp knife to slice the roll into 14-inch slices. Place the sliced dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the baked cookies from the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool to room temperature. Serve with milk.
