Description
Delightfully festive and flavorful peppermint swirl cookies featuring a beautiful red and white swirl pattern made by layering and rolling colored doughs. These soft, buttery cookies combine classic vanilla and peppermint extracts with a crunchy sugar or crushed peppermint candy coating, perfect for holiday celebrations or anytime you crave a refreshing minty treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Additional Ingredients
- Red gel food coloring (enough to color half the dough)
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar or crushed peppermint candies for coating
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the large egg, followed by the vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the batter is well combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined, forming a soft dough. Avoid overmixing to preserve tenderness.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Leave one half plain and add red gel food coloring to the other half, mixing until the color is uniform.
- Chill Dough Balls: Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This firms the dough and prevents color bleeding.
- Roll Out Dough: Once chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll the plain dough into a 10×12 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this step with the red dough to the same dimensions.
- Layer Dough Rectangles: Carefully place the red dough rectangle on top of the plain dough rectangle, gently pressing them together to adhere.
- Roll Together into Log: Starting from one long side, roll the layered dough tightly into a log, pressing gently to remove air pockets and ensure an even swirl pattern.
- Second Chill: Wrap the dough log tightly in plastic wrap and chill again in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until very firm. This ensures the swirls hold their shape when sliced.
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Coat Dough Log: Remove the chilled dough log from the refrigerator. Optionally brush lightly with water or whisked egg white, then roll it in coarse sugar or crushed peppermint candies to coat evenly.
- Slice Cookies: Using a sharp knife, slice the dough log into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Avoid overbaking to keep them soft.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to avoid adding extra liquid to the dough, which can affect texture.
- Firm chilling of the dough is crucial to prevent colors from blending and to maintain sharp swirls.
- Rolling the dough log tightly ensures well-defined swirls without gaps.
- Coating the log in coarse sugar or crushed peppermint adds a delightful crunch and enhances the peppermint flavor.
- Slice cookies evenly to ensure uniform baking.
- Do not overbake; cookies should remain soft and tender with slightly golden edges.
