Old Fashioned Pinwheel Cookies for Spring + Video
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Old Fashioned Pinwheel Cookies are soft, chewy swirl cookies with a fun, colorful center. They’re so bright and cheerful, and there are so many ways to make this recipe your own. Bake up a batch of these simple, spring sugar cookies for a sweet Easter treat!
Old Fashioned Pinwheel Cookies
Our Christmas pinwheel cookies have been a favorite for years. After sharing them on Facebook, we realized we needed another version for springtime sugar cookies!
They’re such a fun way to celebrate Easter and also make an adorable sweet treat for a baby shower or graduation party.
You could even get the kids involved in making a batch of old fashioned pinwheel cookies to gift to Mom or Grandma for Mother’s Day!
Recipe Video
To see us make this spring cookies recipe from start to finish, watch the video in this post!
Speaking of cheerful cookies, you’ll have to try these delicious circus animal cookies next.
Buttery Italian Easter cookies are another favorite around here, and there are even spring decorated cookies that look like bunny Peeps!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You don’t need any expensive ingredients to make this spring cookies recipe — just a simple batch of sugar cookie dough to get started!
- Sugar Cookie Dough – Use our easy homemade recipe, or make your favorite. To make things super simple, even store-bought refrigerated cookie dough will work!
- Pastel Nonpareils – These round sugar sprinkles add the perfect festive touch to these spring swirl cookies.
We used pastel colors that we found at Michael’s, but you can use any color you’d like.
Or, you can substitute the nonpareils with colored sugar, jimmies, or other types of sprinkles. - Pink Gel Coloring – Gel coloring is much easier to work with, and you don’t need as much as you would with liquid food coloring.
Plus, liquids can change the consistency of the dough.
If you don’t have gel coloring, you can still use regular liquid food coloring to make your pinwheel cookie dough.
Tips and Tricks to Make Perfect Spring Sugar Cookies
- Use gel color sparingly.
A little goes a long way, so start with less than you think you’ll need. You can always add a little more if you’d like.
The color will also deepen as the dough sits in the refrigerator, so keep that in mind!
- Chill the dough twice before slicing.
Between the temperature in the kitchen and the heat from your hands, it will soften as you roll it. And that means it will squish and flatten if you try to cut it right away!
In fact, you may need to chill it between coloring and rolling the two doughs together too.
Wrap it tightly in plastic once you form the log and chill for at least 1 hour. Then, roll the log in sprinkles and chill again before slicing and baking.
- Cool for just a few minutes on the baking sheet.
Remove these spring decorated cookies from the oven when the edges are set and the tops no longer appear shiny.
They will finish baking and firm up a bit more on the sheet pan. But don’t just leave them there — they’ll end up overbaking!
After cooling for about 5 minutes, transfer them carefully to a wire rack until completely cooled.
Prep Ahead
- Make sugar cookie dough
- Separate and color dough
- Roll colors together and chill
What You Will Need for This Recipe
- Stand Mixer or large mixing bowl with Hand Mixer for making the dough.
- Rolling Pin – In a pinch, an empty wine bottle will work!
- Baking Sheets lined with Parchment Paper – Used for anything from cookies to roasting, a good baking pan will last for years.
- Cooling Racks – Cool a large batch of treats without taking up a lot of counter space.
- Gel Food Coloring is perfect for baked goods and coloring frosting.
Storing and Freezing Springtime Sugar Cookies
Store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
For longer storage (up to 6 months!), you can freeze old fashioned pinwheel cookies — baked OR unbaked.
Place baked cookies in a zip-top freezer bag, being sure to press out the air as you seal it. They keep well in the freezer for about 6 months.
Freezing unbaked cookie dough is a fantastic way to bake ahead for the busy holiday season! We do it all year long with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.
By freezing the cookie dough rather than the baked cookies, you can bake off as many or as few as you need at a time.
- Roll and slice the dough as directed.
- Flash-freeze the rounds on a baking sheet.
- Once firm, transfer to a zip-top bag for storage.
- Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Spring Cookies Recipe FAQ
Old fashioned pinwheel cookies are made by stacking 2 colors of cookie dough on top of each other and rolling them together into a log shape.
Decorate the outside of the log with nonpareil sprinkles, jimmies, or colored sugar if desired. Then, simply slice and bake — it couldn’t be any simpler!
Rolling the dough up perfectly can be a little tricky, but keep in mind that it really doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect. Just take your time.
Tuck the end closest to you as tight as you can without squishing the dough. This will make rolling easier and create that perfect, neat swirl design in your springtime sugar cookies.
Absolutely! Almond or lemon extracts are perfect for any theme, but they are especially lovely for spring sugar cookies.
If you want to match the pink color, try some strawberry extract.
Or if you want to make a batch of old fashioned pinwheel cookies for St. Patrick’s Day, use mint extract and green gel coloring instead!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Spring Dessert Recipes
Old Fashioned Pinwheel Cookies for Spring + Video
Equipment
- gel food color pink
- nonpareils pastel colors
Ingredients
- 1 batch TSRI sugar cookie dough, or refrigerated cookie dough
- pink food coloring, gel is best
- nonpareil sprinkles, they are the little balls
Instructions
- Separate batch of sugar cookie dough into 2 halves.Add 1/2 of your cookie dough to a stand mixer and add pink food coloring until your mixture reaches your desired color. *Note: You can also knead food coloring into dough until completely combined if you do not have a stand mixer. I recommend wearing gloves for this.
- Place the pink cookie dough on parchment paper. Roll the pink cookie dough into a rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Set aside.
- Place plain cookie dough on sheet of parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into a rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Stack cookie dough sheets on top of one another, with the parchment on the outside.Remove the top sheet of parchment and run a rolling pin gently over the dough, to help the 2 doughs become one.
- Begin on one long end and roll the cookie dough into a log, removing the remaining parchment as you go. *Note: If the dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then try again.
- Once the dough is formed into a log, if desired, use your hands to shape the log thinner at the top and rounded at the bottom. This way, when it is sliced, it will look like an egg shape. Wrap the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, pour sprinkles onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Unwrap dough and roll it through the sprinkles. Rewrap the swirl cookie dough and refrigerate 1 hour, or as long as overnight.
Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Slice cookies and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet; space them about 1 inch apart. Bake according to your sugar cookie directions, or until the cookies feel set.
- Allow pinwheel cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published April 2020, updated and republished February 2025
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Hi these look super cute and I plan on making for Easter, if we use you sugar cookie recipe you list in this post, do we bake them for the time listed in said sugar cookie recipe (9 to 11 mins). Thanks so much.
No matter what colors or flavors you use, once you get the hang of making pinwheel cookies you’ll always want to come up with more. This is such a good classic recipe to have on hand.
Can you substitute Jello for the gel?
Hi Mel!
I don’t see why not! Let us know how it turns out.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Wow! These pinwheel cookies were a breeze to make and turned out absolutely delicious! I love how easy Donna and Chad’s recipes are to follow.
Hi Allison!
We’re so glad you enjoyed!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
I made these cookies following Donna’s recipe but swapped the pink food coloring for blue to match my party theme. They turned out perfectly and were a hit with everyone!
Hi Christina!
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn