Name: Eggless Icebox Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 44 min
Ingredients: 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz/228 g) unsalted butter, (softened); 1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated sugar; 3 oz (80 g) cream cheese, (softened); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Red and green gel food coloring; Coarse sugar for rolling ((optional))

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Eggless Icebox Christmas Pinwheel Cookies over a serving plate

WHY I LOVE THSE EGGLESS ICEBOX PINWHEEL COOKIES RECIPE

These Eggless Icebox Christmas Pinwheel Cookies will forever be on my Christmas baking list!

My family LOVES them and they’re super fun and easy to make. The only downside is that you have to refrigerate the dough. but on the other hand that allows you to make these festive cookies in advance, which is great in my opinion.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it makes tons of cookies that are perfect for holiday baking.

These crisp and buttery Eggless Icebox Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are simple, festive, and delicious Christmas goody.

Let’s get baking!

egg-free Christmas Pinwheel Cookies on a cake stand

EGGLESS ICEBOX COOKIES INGREDIENTS

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).

Unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
Granulated sugar – Also known as caster sugar.
Cream cheese – Use full-fat version.
Kosher salt
Pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour – Standard all-purpose flour works best here, skip the cake flour, bread flour and wheat flour.
Baking powder – Make sure they’re not expired
Red and green gel food coloring
Coarse sugar for rolling (optional)

EGGLESS ICEBOX COOKIES STEP BY STEP RECIPE PHOTO TUTORIAL

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).

1 – MAKE THE DOUGH

Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, beat together butter, granulated sugar, cream cheese, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add pure vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed of the electric mixer to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps. If desired, add any mix-in that you like, such as chopped nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, etc…

2 – DIVIDE THE DOUGH AND COLOR

Then divide into 3 equal pieces. Shape one piece of the dough into a disk and wrap it securely in plastic wrap. This will be the white layer. Return one of the pieces of dough to a mixing bowl, and with the mixer on “low,” add in the red food coloring until it reaches your desired color. Remove from bowl, shape into a disk, and wrap it securely in plastic wrap. Repeat to make the green layer. Refrigerate all 3 disks for 1 hour.

Christmas Cookies dough wrapped in plastic wrap

3 – ROLL OUT THE DISKS

Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface roll out each disk into a 4 x 6 inches rectangle.

Starting with the white dough as the base, stack the rectangles on top of one another. Run the rolling pin over the stack a few times to make sure everything is even. Then keep rolling to create a rectangle of 13 x 10 inches.

4 – FORM INTO LOGS

Starting from the long side, roll up the dough stack tightly to create a log. Cut the log into 3 pieces. Roll each log in coarse sugar, coating it evenly, if desired. Wrap logs with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to a month.

Eggless Icebox Christmas Cookies logs on a baking tray

5 – SLICE COOKIES

When ready to bake, using a sharp knife, cut the log into ¼ inch thick slices. Arrange slices on lined baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Keep the remaining logs in the refrigerator until the first batch bakes.

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knife cutting Egg-free Icebox Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

6 – BAKE

Bake for 13 – 14 minutes, or until slightly puffy and the edges look set. Let them cool in the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool and then bake the remaining cookies.

Icebox Pinwheel Cookies on a baking tray with parchment paper

VARIATIONS YOU CAN APPLY TO THIS RECIPE

This recipe is so simple and so easy to change up!! Here are some other ways we like to enjoy when making icebox cookies by using the same base recipe and modifying it just a bit.

Vanilla: follow the recipe up to step 5. Form dough into an 8-inch-long round; wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until firm, 30 minutes (or up to 1 month). Then bake as instructed.

Chocolate: use 1/3 cup cocoa powder in place of 1/3 cup flour; add 6 ounces of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to the base dough, along with the flour in step 3.

Pistachio: add 3/4 cup of chopped pistachio to the base dough, along with the flour in step 3. You can also substitute pistachios for any other nut of your liking.

Cranberry: add 1 cup of dried cranberries to the base dough, along with the flour in step 3. You can also substitute dried cranberries for any other dried fruit of your liking.

EGGLESS ICEBOX COOKIES STORING & FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

Make-Ahead: You can refrigerate the cookie dough for up to 1 month before slicing.

Store: Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Freeze: To freeze, just tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap, then into freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months, then let it thaw in the refrigerator before slicing.