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These colorful swirl cookies are a fun and festive addition to your holiday baking list. Soft, chewy and full of vanilla-almond flavor, these gluten free pinwheel cookies are made with tinted dough rolled into a spiral for a pretty result that looks like it came from a bakery. Despite their impressive appearance, they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. With just a bit of time and a few pantry staples, you’ll have a tray of bright, cheery cookies ready to impress.
Gluten free pinwheel cookies are a festive swirl of red, green and vanilla dough with a soft texture and buttery almond-vanilla flavor in every bite.
If you’re baking up a storm for Christmas you might also like to make pignoli cookies, Nutella cookies or chocolate dipped peppermint meringue kisses.
Why You’ll Love It
Eye-catching appearance: The red, green and white swirls look festive on any cookie tray.
Holiday favorite: These cookies are perfect for parties, exchanges or gifting.
Gluten free friendly: Use a 1:1 gluten free flour to make them accessible for all.
Make-ahead friendly: You can chill or freeze the dough log in advance.
Christmas Pinwheel Cookie Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Gluten free flour: A 1:1 blend ensures these cookies hold their shape and texture.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create the cookie structure.
Unsalted butter: Provides richness and a tender texture.
Eggs: Bind the ingredients and contribute to the dough’s structure.
Vanilla extract: Adds a classic cookie flavor.
Almond extract: Gives the cookies a sweet, nutty depth.
Baking powder: Helps the cookies rise and stay soft.
Red and green food coloring: For the classic Christmas pinwheel look.
How to Make Gluten Free Pinwheel Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the dough base: Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, extracts, flour and baking powder.
Divide and color the dough: Separate into three parts, tint one red, one green and leave one plain.
Roll out each dough: Form rectangles of even size and layer one on top of the other.
Roll into a log: Carefully roll the layered dough into a tight cylinder.
Chill the dough: Refrigerate the log to firm up for slicing.
Slice and bake: Cut into rounds and bake until just set.
Substitutions and Variations
Swap the extract: Use lemon or peppermint instead of almond for a different flavor.
Use different colors: Try blue and white or red and white for other holidays.
Add sprinkles: Roll the log in festive sprinkles before slicing for extra flair.
Make with regular flour: Use all-purpose flour if gluten free isn’t required.
Serving Suggestions
With a festive drink: Pair them with a Santa’s hat cocktail, white punch or spiced holiday punch.
With other sweet treats: Enjoy these pinwheel cookies with Christmas marshmallow pops and reindeer rolo pretzels.
How to Store Pinwheel Cookies
Store: They will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.
Freeze: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Let them defrost at room temperature.
Top Tips
Roll dough evenly: Make sure all layers are the same thickness for even spirals.
Chill thoroughly: A cold dough log slices cleanly and bakes evenly.
Use a sharp knife: This prevents squishing the dough when slicing.
Work quickly: If dough softens while assembling, return it to the fridge.
Gluten Free Christmas Pinwheel Cookie FAQs
Yes, a hand mixer works fine for creaming the butter and sugar.
Yes, wrap the log well and freeze it for up to a month.
About ¼ inch thick slices will bake evenly and hold their shape.
No, you can leave the dough plain or use natural colors.
Gluten Free Christmas Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
Gluten Free Pinwheel Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 Cups gluten free flour, gluten free 1:1, or use all purpose flour if you prefer
- 1 1/3 Cups granulated sugar
- 1 Cup unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- red food coloring
- green food coloring
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and airy, about 4 minutes
- Once light and airy add in the eggs, salt, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add in the flour and baking powder. Mix until combined.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal amounts.
- Cut a 15-inch square of plastic wrap or parchment paper and lay it down on your work surface. Very lightly sprinkle with flour.
- Take one piece of the dough and lay it on the parchment paper. Gently roll the dough out into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches, use a little flour if needed to prevent the rolling pin from sticking. Dust off any excess flour from the rolled dough, then set the rolled dough aside.
- Take another piece of dough and set aside for a moment while you work with the last piece of dough in the bowl. Add green food coloring to the dough that is in the mixing bowl, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Rinse and dry off the bowl and the mixer so that no green food color is left behind.
- Place your last piece of dough back into the mixer and add in the red food coloring. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Now that all of the dough has been rolled out, bring the white piece of dough and set it in front of you. Carefully flip the red piece of dough on top of the white dough (plastic wrap/parchment side up), then peel off the plastic wrap/parchment. Dust off any excess flour from the red layer, then repeat the process with the green dough, flipping it on top of the red dough, peeling off the plastic wrap/parchment and dusting any excess flour off.
- Use a rolling pin to gently roll the stack of dough a bit, the purpose of this is to ensure all of the layers stick together.
- Using a long knife or a pizza cutter, trim the 2 x 12-inch sides of your stack of dough, so that all 3 layers are even.
- Starting on one of the 12-inch sides, tightly roll the dough, just like you would cinnamon rolls, into a log. You can use the plastic wrap/parchment on the bottom to help roll it up evenly and tightly. It is important to roll them tightly so that all of the layers stick together.
- Wrap your cookie log in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 45 minutes (or overnight) to chill.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a couple cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper
- Remove the cookie dough log from the refrigerator and unwrap it. If you want to add sprinkles to the outside, this is where you would roll in sprinkles to cover the outer portion completely.
- Use a very sharp knife to slice the log into ¼-inch slices. Place the slices onto your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the edges have set, then cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
Chill thoroughly: A cold dough log slices cleanly and bakes evenly.
Use a sharp knife: This prevents squishing the dough when slicing.
Work quickly: If dough softens while assembling, return it to the fridge.
Nutrition
Gluten free pinwheel cookies are a fun and festive way to brighten up your holiday cookie spread. Whether you’re baking for a party, preparing gifts or just making memories in the kitchen, these cookies are as tasty as they are eye-catching. With almond and vanilla flavor, a soft texture and a cheerful spiral pattern, they’re sure to become a seasonal tradition that everyone looks forward to year after year.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I’m a pretty experienced baker, regular and gluten free, but these did not work at all for me. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour and followed the recipe exactly. When finished making the dough, I could tell it wasn’t firm enough to roll, so I refrigerated each of the thirds, separately, for 90 minutes. Still not firm enough to roll, so tossed it all in the garbage.
So sorry that happened. That’s beyond frustrating, especially when you could tell right away the dough wasn’t going to roll. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 can sometimes make a softer dough depending on humidity and how the flour’s measured. And gluten-free dough usually needs a bit more structure to hold up. If you do want to make these again, try weighing the flour, chilling longer (2 to 4 hours or overnight) and then rolling between parchment with a light dusting of 1:1 flour. If it still feels too soft after chilling, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour at a time or add 1 tablespoon cornstarch until it firms up.
2 of my kids can’t have gluten but I didn’t want them to miss out. They loved these.
I need to try these. It is hard to find cute gluten free cookies