My festive gluten free pinwheel cookies bring playful holiday color without any decorating required. They start as a buttery gluten free sugar cookie dough with loads of vanilla that's layered and rolled into a vibrant red, green, and white swirl that looks like it came straight Santa's workshop.

A stack of red, green, and white pinwheel cookies sits next to a glass of milk on a red surface, with more cookies visible on a plate in the background.

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Skill Level: Confident beginner
Flavor Remix: Swap the vanilla for peppermint extract for a candy caneinspired swirl.
Allergy Watch: Dairy Free Option, Nut-Free

If you love Christmas cookies that feel cheerful but don't require advanced decorating skills, this one's for you! Instead of relying on frosting or sprinkles, the design is baked right in.

Based on my sugar cookie cutouts recipe, the extra egg yolk keeps the dough moist and workable, which solves the usual gluten free struggle of dough cracking the second you try to roll it out. This version holds its shape and slices cleanly so that each layer is distinct.

This recipe can be made dairy free using dairy free baking butter sticks.

Ingredient Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: Use any 1:1 gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Butter: Use unsalted butter or reduce the salt added by ¼ teaspoon.
Vanilla Extract: Or use an equal amount of vanilla paste.
Sugar: I used white sugar but coconut sugar works as well, the cookie will just be a bit more golden brown.
Food Coloring: You can use any type of food coloring; gel, liquid, powder etc.

Baking ingredients arranged on a white surface: eggs, sugar, butter, gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and red and green food coloring.

How to Make Pinwheel Cookies

A step-by-step visual guide for making gluten-free pinwheels. You can skip to the recipe for the full written instructions.

A metal whisk rests in a white bowl filled with flour mixture, with part of an egg and a measuring cup visible at the edge of the frame.

Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup to ensure you don't add too much.

A metal mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar, with two eggs and a small glass of vanilla extract nearby on a white surface.

Creaming together the butter and sugar before adding the remaining wet ingredients incorporates air, making the cookies light.

A metal mixing bowl filled with coarse, pale cookie dough sits on a light-colored countertop.

Add the flour one cup at a time. Mix until the dough just comes together.

Three disks of dough in yellow, green, and red, each wrapped in plastic wrap, are placed on a light-colored surface.

Use a scale to divide the dough. I think it is easiest to use the paddle attachment to incorporate the color. Chill before rolling out.

A sheet of red dough rolled out on top of green and yellow dough layers, resting on clear plastic wrap on a light surface.

Roll each layer between parchment paper. Stack each piece and then trim the edges to make them equal size.

A rolled cake with a green outer layer and red and white inner layers, wrapped in plastic wrap, placed on a light textured surface.

A snug roll creates a well-defined swirl. Chill for as long as possible. I prefer overnight if I can.

A roll of green and red swirl cookie dough partially sliced into round pieces, displayed on a wooden cutting board.

Slice into rounds and bake immediately. Keep the slices cold until you are ready to bake.

A metal baking sheet with six unbaked spiral cookies featuring red and green swirls, evenly spaced on the tray.

Bake just until puffed with set edges. The cookie should not spread.

Cook on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Recipe Tips

If the dough cracks while rolling, let it rest at room temperature for two to three minutes, then continue.
If the dough warms too quickly, transfer the parchment to a sheet pan and chill for ten minutes before rolling again.
Trim the edges of each color layer to create sharp, matching rectangles. This improves the swirl dramatically.
Press the layers together lightly with your rolling pin before rolling the log to prevent gaps.
Bake one test cookie to check spreading. If it spreads too much, chill the tray for fifteen minutes before baking the rest.

A plate of spiral cookies with red, white, and green layers sits on a red and white surface next to a glass of milk.

Make Ahead and Storing

Make Ahead: The dough log can rest in the fridge for up to two days.

Storing: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.

Freezing: Freeze the unbaked cookie log tightly wrapped for up to two months. Thaw just enough to slice, then bake. Baked cookies also freeze well for two months.

📖 Recipe

A plate of spiral cookies with red, green, and white swirls arranged on a white cloth, with a glass of milk in the background.

Gluten Free Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

A festive slice and bake sugar cookie recipe. My Gluten Free Christmas Pinwheels are made from a buttery layered dough rolled into a bright holiday swirl. These vibrant red, green, and white cookies bake up tender with crisp edges and make a playful addition to any gluten free Christmas dessert tray.

5 from 1 vote

Author: Jen Wooster

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 15

Chill Time: 2

Total Time: 40

Servings:

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Ingredients

▢ 15 ounces gluten free flour blend about 3 cups
▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 2 eggs 1 egg plus 1 yolk at room temperature
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ red and green gel food coloring

Instructions

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
15 ounces gluten free flour blend, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium until pale and fluffy. About 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, and vailla. Beat until well combined.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Reduce speed to low and add the flour a cup at a time. Mix until the dough just comes together.
Divide the dough into three equal portions, use a scale if you have one. Leave one plain and tint the other two red and green using gel food coloring. Mix in the color by hand or with a brief mix in the mixer
red and green gel food coloring
Shape each portion into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill for 1 hour or until firm.
Roll each color between parchment sheets into a rectangle about 6x13 inches. Stack the rectangles in this order: green on the bottom, white in the middle, red on top. Trim the edges and roll into a tight spiral log. Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Slice the chilled log into rounds about ¼-inch thick. Bake 13 to 15 minutes until the cookies spread and puff up. Cool on the baking sheet.