Love Pinwheel cookies?  You will get rave reviews with this easy cranberry pinwheel cookie recipe. Fesh chopped cranberries, orange rind, mixed with diced walnuts or pecans rolled into a log is chilled, then sliced and  baked to perfection.  So pretty for a Cookie Tray!  You will want to purchase extra bags of cranberries to freeze so you can have this cookie any time of the year.

How to Make Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies

Serving these Cranberry Pinwheel cookies will be the hit of your cookie tray or for gift giving. Dough can be made ahead, frozen then sliced and baked when you need em.  Easy to slice and bake. I like to make ahead two recipes, wrap the dough logs in freezer wrap, then slice and bake as needed. That way you always have fresh baked cookies for trays and gift giving.

Make the Cranberry Nut Filling

Begin with a food processor fitted with steel blade. Process fresh cranberries. Process until finely chopped, remove and place in bowl to set aside while you make the dough.  Next process pecans or walnuts until ground.  Mix cranberries, nuts and orange rind to bowl while you make the dough.  Set aside. If you want a strong cranberry presence double the filling recipe.

Dough for Log Pinwheel

1. Cream butter and sugar at medium speed with mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat until light and fluffy about 5 minutes. Make sure your butter is at room temperature.
2. Add room temperature egg and vanilla extract. If you would like you could add 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract in addition to vanilla.
3. Gradually add all purpose flour, baking powder and salt to butter sugar mixture. Dough will come together easily and will be firm to touch.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour before assembling.
4. Turn dough on floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10″ square.
   Spread cranberry-nut mixture leaving a 1/2 ” border on 2 opposite sides
   Roll up dough like a jelly roll, cover with plastic wrap and foil then freeze 8 hours or until needed. Dough log will freeze up to 30 days.
5. Baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.  Cut roll into 1/4″ thick slices and place cookies 2″ apart on baking sheet. Bake on top rack in oven at 375 for 14-15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing. Store cooled pinwheels in covered container. Cookies will be semi soft. If you want the cookies to be crunchy, do not store in covered container. Place in ziplock bags and freeze until serving. Thaw one hour before serving. You can warm them in the oven at 300 if desired.

For Gift Giving 

Try placing each cookie in a CD envelope or make your own.  I put red and green tissue paper inside the envelope for a festive touch.

Cranberry Pinwheel Cookie Recipe

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Easy quick recipe with festive touch. Fresh cranberries and ground pecans or walnuts with orange zest is processed and filled inside a butter cookie refrigerated dough. Rolled into a log, sliced and baked makes a beautiful cookie for gift giving.

• Author: Liz Bushong
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 14-15 minutes
• Total Time: 45-50 minutes
• Yield: 36 cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

1/2 cup butter, softened, no substitutes
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup ground walnuts or pecans
1 tablespoon grated orange rind- optional

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Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar at medium speed with mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla.
3. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Cover dough and chill for 1 hour.
5. Filling:
   Process cranberries in food processor to finely chop, remove to medium bowl.
   Process nuts to ground, add to cranberries and grated orange rind to medium bowl-set aside
6. Roll Log
   Turn dough on floured surface, roll into a 10″ square
   Spread cranberry-nut mixture leaving a 1/2 ” border on 2 opposite sides
   Roll up dough like a jelly roll, cover and freeze 8 hours or until needed
7. Baking Cookies
   Cut roll into 1/4″ thick slices. Place slices on parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
   Bake on top rack in oven at 375 for 14-15 minutes.

Notes

Freeze up to 2 months.  Be sure to wrap in parchment or wax paper, then foil when freezing.

Tip:  The finer the cranberries the easier it will be to slice the cookies especially if slightly frozen.

Tip:  Best results, allow cookies to thaw slightly before cutting and baking.

This recipe was inspired by Cranberry Walnut Swirls-Southern Living Patty Van
2004. I purchase several bags of cranberries during Thanksgiving season to freeze so I can bake these cookies anytime of the year. These make a pretty Cookie for the cookie tray or gift to give.

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While everyone goes shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I like to get in my kitchen and bake several batches of cookies that can be made ahead and frozen. A lot of my cookies are unbaked rolls of cookie dough that I will slice and bake right before I put together cookie trays.  I make several cookie trays for family, friends, and my husband Doug’s co-workers.

There are certain cookies that always get rave reviews and those are the cookies that I am sharing.  Ricotta Lemon Cookies, Poinsettia Cookies, and Cranberry Walnut Cookies.   Other Christmas Cookies for trays include, Santa Meringue Hats, Snowmen Oreo Pops, Maple Leaf Cookies,  Stained Glass Chocolates,  and Kit Kat Christmas Trees.  I freeze cookies without decoration then decorate a few at a time when putting together my cookie trays.  Be sure to check out how to Assemble a Show Stopping Cookie Tray.

Hope you try these cookies. You will love em!  XO Liz

Other Christmas Ideas You Might Like to Try:

How to Make a Boxwood Wreath DIY