*From the archives. Spread a little cheer this Holiday season with these simple pinwheel cookies.

The Holidays are the time for indulgences, meaning pastries, cookies, cakes, pies and what have you. In that spirit we’ve dusted off our baking gear for the season to bring you a slew of great recipes for you and yours.

So as the dulcet tones of Twisted Sister’s “Twisted Christmas” waft through the house along with the smells of fresh-baked cookies, I bring you the first of twelve cookie recipes for your Holiday gatherings, or just for noshing with family around the TV for the Rudolph marathon.

(I know. I know. I’ve dated myself horribly but in my defense I also listen to the classics, like Bing Crosby with David Bowie doing “Little Drummer Boy”, The Andrews sisters, and one or two Elvis Christmas Albums. Then there’s Manheim Steamroller, TSO and Amy Grant. I just love Christmas!)

This recipe is inspired by Alton Brown’s Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie recipe, but done the quick and dirty way, minus the peppermint, which I am not a fan of in anything with dough. (In hot cocoa fine, but not in a cookie, please!)

Yield: 32 cookies

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies Recipe

Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 batch sugar cookie dough. (You may use store bought or make your own. We chose expediency and a laughing dough-man.. Lazy, I know)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate

Instructions

1. If using pre-made dough, Let dough come to room temperature. Divide the dough in half, add chocolate and vanilla to 1 half of dough and incorporate with hands. (We had an issue here, as we used melted chocolate rather than the powdered variety. I ended up having to warm the dough in a 150-degree oven for a few minutes to get the chocolate to incorporate. I’d suggest the powder!)
2. cover both halves of dough and chill for approximately 5 minutes. Roll out dough halves separately to approximately 1/4-inch thick. Place chocolate dough on top of plain sugar cookie dough and crimp gently around edges. Use wax paper or a flexible cutting board to roll dough into a log. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Heat oven to 375°F.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place cookies 1-inch apart on a greased baking sheet, parchment paper or Silpat and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

32

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 21Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

I think when we revisit these we’ll add 1/4 tsp of orange extract to the plain cookie dough, just for a bit more flavor, and orange is a good compliment to the chocolate.

Also, consider using floss to cut the cookies from the log, which will make a much cleaner cut without squashing the rounds. Just wrap the floss around the log in a loop then pull through. Otherwise you may want to use a warm knife. Dip in hot water and wipe dry before cutting.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Rugleach pinwheels, from Smitten Kitchen
• Railway Cookies, from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict