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A batch of homemade chocolate pinwheel cookies with chocolate and vanilla swirls on a white kitchen table, photographed from above.

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Beautiful, swirled chocolate and vanilla cookies with a buttery texture and perfect pinwheel pattern.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 37 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 160
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour Sifted
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter Softened
  • ¾ cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 large Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon Unsweetened cocoa powder For chocolate dough
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Powdered sugar Optional, for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon Milk or heavy cream If dough is too dry

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer or electric mixer For creaming butter and sugar
  • 2 Mixing bowls One for vanilla, one for chocolate dough
  • 1 Measuring cups and spoons Accurate measurement of ingredients
  • 1 Rolling pin For rolling out dough
  • 1 Parchment paper To roll and layer dough
  • 1 Sharp knife For slicing dough log
  • 2 Baking sheets For baking cookies
  • 1 Wire rack For cooling cookies
  • 1 Plastic wrap To chill dough logs

Method
 

  1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy
  2. Beat in egg and vanilla
  3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt
  4. Divide dough and add cocoa to half
  5. Chill dough for 2 hours
  6. Roll both doughs into rectangles
  7. Stack, roll into log
  8. Chill log for 4 hours
  9. Slice and bake at 350°F for 10–12 min
  10. Cool on rack

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.