Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: The Cookie Clause

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (128)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(128)

Cook Time:
13 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
about 3 dozen

Times:

Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 0 min
Cook: 13 min
Total:: 2 hr 58 min

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Ingredients

1 batch Sugar Cookies, recipe follows
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

Directions

Divide the dough in half and add chocolate and vanilla to 1 half and incorporate with hands. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract, and crushed candy to other half of dough and incorporate with hands. Cover both with plastic and chill for approximately 5 minutes. Roll out doughs separately to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Place peppermint dough on top of chocolate and press together around the edges. Using waxed paper or flexible cutting board underneath, roll dough into log. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place cookies 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Sugar Cookie:

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice, as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen, 2 1/2-inch cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 to 9 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
k sheffield, PA 10-26-2009
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awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

awesome cookie, gave as gifts people loved them!! learn to bake to the morons that couldn't figure this one out!
recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Megan Long Beach, CA 01-21-2009
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terrible.
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

i love alton just as much as the next guy, but i made these cookies for christmas and not one person in my huge family liked... them. my brother said the peppermint part looked like vomit, and that they looked better than they tasted! they were very dry and had no flavor to them at all. the time it took wasn't really an issue; i'll spend hours on a dish if it comes out well. i'm not sure what everyone else here did that i didn't, but there is no way i would ever make these again. Read more
recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Duxall Sun Prairie, WI 12-15-2008
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Pinwheels will be a regular (with minor adjustments!)
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Pretty fast and easy to make, but I am making a few adjustments before I make them again. I made two batches of sugar cookie... dough, and flavored each one in the mixer bowl. To one batch I added 3/4 c crushed soft peppermint candies, 1/2 t vanilla extract, and 1 t peppermint extract. To the other batch I added 1/2 c natural process cocoa, 1 t vanilla, 1 egg yolk and 1T extra milk. I divided each batch in half for the rolling, and everything went pretty smoothly. Next time though I will use something besides McBrandName peppermint extract ? it just wasn't the right mint flavor to set off the chocolate.Read more
recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Maxine Bloomfield Hills, MI 12-15-2008
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Great cookies- here are some hints to lessen the challenge
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was inspired by watching Alton on TV and then challenged by all of the reviews. Here is what I found helpful. 1) when you... "roll" them out, roll each dough on one of those flexible cutting "boards". Once you can no longer roll, just use your fingers to spread the dough. 2) roll the mint layer first and then put it in frig while rolling the chocolate (again using fingers to spread instead of using a rolling pin). 3) Do NOT overbake! 4) use Silpats or parchment on pans 5) READ THE DIRECTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE BEGINNING. 6) follow directions to a T! I loved them the way they are without changes. Fun to see your accomplishment afterward. Thanks Alton, I can always count on you.Read more
recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Tonya Burlington, MA 12-13-2008
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Delicious!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I don't know what is up with all of the negative comments regarding this recipe. Sure it took some work to... prepare...especially if you don't have Santa helping out, but the outcome was well worth it! As for the person who said they made them at 8pm and wasn't finished until 10 well Alton did mention they had to chill for 2 hours. I think they are well worth the time and they came out wonderfully. Perhaps this should only be reserved for those who traditionally don't use slice and bake cookies!Read more
recipe Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Krysta San Jose, CA 12-04-2008
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Too much work for the flavor.
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

The flavor's good, but they're a pain to make! The doughs are hard to mix in the second stage. Also, the peppermint dough was... sticky to roll out and the chocolate dough was way too dry. It kept crumbling while I was working with it, including while I was cutting the cookies from the roll. I love watching AB's show, but these cookies are a bit of a miss. I noticed last time I was watching that even the chocolate dough he was rolling out on the set looked dry.Read more