BLESS THIS MESS
Pinwheel Cookies are a classic favorite, known for their eye-catching spiral patterns. These cookies are a combination of two different colors of dough that are rolled together and sliced to create beautiful swirled designs.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup of room temperature butter, ½ cup of butter-flavored shortening, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 egg, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat these ingredients together until they're well combined and creamy.
Add in the 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the butter mixture. Continue mixing until the dough comes together. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl when it's ready.
Divide the dough evenly into two separate portions. Leave one portion as is, and to the other, add several drops of pink food coloring. Mix the colored dough until the color is evenly distributed and you're satisfied with the shade.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough into a rectangle of roughly the same size. Aim for a thickness of about ¼ inch.
Carefully place one rectangle of dough on top of the other, aligning the edges as closely as possible. Starting at one end, roll the dough tightly into a cylinder, similar to making a jelly roll.
Pour the pink sprinkles onto a large plate or a flat surface. Roll the dough cylinder into the sprinkles, ensuring all sides are well coated. Once the cylinder is fully covered in sprinkles, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight to ensure the dough is completely firm before cutting and baking. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the chilled dough into disks about ¼ inch thick. Arrange the cookie slices on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between them to allow for spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 11 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden. Be careful not to overbake as the cookies should remain light in color.