Red and Pink Swirl Cookies
These red and pink swirl sugar cookies look festive without being fussy. You’ll make one simple dough, tint a couple portions, then press and gently swirl the colors together for that classic pinwheel look. They bake up soft, buttery, and perfect for Valentine’s Day or any time you want to switch up the colors.
Servings 24
Calories 164kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 each egg
- 1 each egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups AP flour
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
To Make The Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups granulated sugar
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.1 each egg, 1 each egg yolk, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Mix in the baking soda and salt, then add the flour in ½ cup increments until a soft dough forms.¾ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2½ cups AP flour
- Divide the dough into three equal portions, leaving one plain and tinting the other two light pink and one red. Wrap each portion and chill for at least one hour.
How To Shape The Swirl Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop or measure the dough into level 1-teaspoon portions (level, not heaping). I like to scoop all the dough at once so I can see that I have the same number of dough balls for each color. You’ll need 3 portions per cookie: one plain, one pink, and one red.
- Press one piece of each color together in the palm of your hand, keeping the dough in a ball.
- Place your other palm on top and gently roll in a slow circular motion, just until the dough ball forms a swirl. Don't over-roll, or the colors will blend together.
- Flatten the dough balls slightly and place them 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. These cookies spread to about 3 inches wide, so bake 6 cookies per standard sheet.
Bake
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops look set. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Cookie Tips
- If you want perfectly even color portions, weigh the dough. My batch weighed 1lb 14.8 ounces, so each of the 3 portions was about 10.2 ounces. This keeps you from running out of one color before the others.
- Chilling matters; it helps the cookies hold their shape and keeps the swirls clear. If the dough feels soft or sticky while shaping, pop it back into the fridge for 10 minutes.
- These cookies spread to about 3 inches wide when baked. Using a level 1-teaspoon portion (not heaping) helps control the spreading and keeps the yield consistent.
- Don't over-swirl the dough. Too much blending results in a single color rather than distinctive swirls.
- Leave 2-3 inches between cookies on the baking sheet, as they may bake together.
- How to fix misshapen cookies if the cookies spread unevenly: Use a large round cookie cutter to gently scoot them into shape while they’re still warm. Place the cutter over the cookie and move it in a small circular motion to round the edges.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg