Sunday, March 8, 2015

St. Pat’s Pinwheel Cookies



It's time for eating, drinking, and wearing of the green. March is here, temperatures are climbing, and we've sprung ahead. Is it just me, or does everything seem more positive and hopeful? While you're letting that marinate, why not whip up a batch of St. Patrick's Day cookies?  This recipe, adapted from Bake at 350, is crispy, flavorful, and a dream to work with. You can tint it any color that you like, roll it and cut it with your shamrock cookie cutters, or do what my daughter-in-law, Emma, did and turn it into pinwheels.

St. Pat’s Pinwheel Cookies

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cold
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl. Divide dough into equal halves. Leave one half as is, and tint the other as deeply green as you like.

On a floured surface, roll each half of dough into equal rectangles approximately 1/8" thick. Place the white rectangle on top of the green rectangle. Roll doughs together, tightly, from the long ends. Pinch edges to seal. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Slice roll into 1/4" thick rounds. Place rounds on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets. Place entire baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes (this step is important in helping the cookies keep their shapes nice and clean). Remove and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just barely starting to turn golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely prior to decorating.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

24 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

I totally agree, Pattie, things are looking warmer and more positive this Spring ahead morning! (I did sleep a bit later though:)

The Pinwheels look oh so festive! I'm ready for eating drinking and the cooking of the green. Marion would LOVE them!

Thanks for sharing, Pattie...

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Really cute cookies!

Terri Steffes said...

Those cookies are adorable! How festive for St. Patty's day! They would go perfectly with my Shamrock Shake! I am visiting from Kathleen's!

Rattlebridge Farm said...

Beautiful, festive cookies. I'm going to beg Bandy to make some for me. Happy St. Pat's (early).

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Oh yum! You've got my number with those cookies!

Anonymous said...

Those cookies are fabulous!

xinex said...

Oh they are so pretty!...Christine

Anonymous said...

Those cookies look both lovely and delicious!

Marigene said...

Pattie, if I hadn't already made the shamrock cookies for the table, I would be scrambling to make these gorgeous pinwheels...I have saved the recipe, though.
Enjoy the remainder of the week.

Sarah said...

Oh, I need a bowl of these! They are so festive and a favorite cookie here. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

Hi Pattie, Spring Ahead weekend always throws me off a little bit but I think I'm back to normal today. Your cookies caught my eye--they look so pretty and tempting. Happy St. Patty's Day! Linda

Kathleen said...

Those look delicious, and so pretty too! So glad you joined in the blog crawl! I see many have visited already, they are crawling along!
Happy St. Paddy's Day, Pattie! :)

Unknown said...

Mmm. These colors are so bright! And I have a weakness for sugar cookies already :) Thanks for sharing at Create It Thursday!

Diana of Diana Rambles said...

Those are so adorable!

Parsimonious DĂ©cor Darling said...

These are so cute!

candlelightsupper said...

What a fun cookie... I will have to try this one for sure. Thanks for posting the recipe.

thepaintedapron.com said...

Your cookies are just adorable, Pattie, how did you ever get that deep green?
Jenna

Cathy said...

Cookies are such a fun thing to make for St. Paddy's Day! Love your green and white pinwheels. Visiting from Kathleen's. Happy St. Patricks Day

Candy S said...

Yummy looking cookies - I love the bright green in the pinwheels.

Lady of the Manor said...

These cookies looks so yummy! I think I might be able to make them, too. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

lorraines resources and rewards said...

love the recipe perfecting timing for st. pats day visiting from rattlebridge hop have a great day

Miz Helen said...

Hi Patti,
Happy St. Patrick's Day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen

Miz Helen said...

Congratulations!
Your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen

Morsels of Life | CJ Huang said...

What a nice St. Patrick's Day cookie! I also like how you can easily change it to suit any holiday. :) Thanks for stopping by and sharing this on Five Friday Finds! I'm looking forward to what you share this week. :)