Holiday Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid red food coloring
• 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture turns pale and creamy and gathers along the sides of the bowl.
2. Scrape the bowl, then add the egg. Mix until it is fully worked in.
3. Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough no longer shows dry streaks.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and cut it in half. Set 1 half aside. Put the other half back in the mixer bowl, then mix in the raspberry extract along with the red food coloring until the dough is evenly tinted.
5. Cut each half in half again, giving you 4 balls of dough: 2 plain and 2 raspberry. Pat each ball into a rough square or rectangle, then wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap. Let the wrapped dough firm in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or as long as a day.
6. Unwrap 1 dough piece and set it on wax paper or parchment paper. Cover it with another sheet of wax paper or parchment paper, then roll it into a 6 x 12 rectangle. If the dough is too firm to roll easily, give it a few minutes to soften before continuing.
7. While rolling, turn the dough packet over occasionally. If the paper starts to wrinkle, lift it away from the dough and smooth it back into place so those creases do not press into the dough.
8. Once rolled, slide the dough, still enclosed in the paper, onto a baking sheet. Do the same with the remaining 3 dough pieces, stacking the flat sheets on the baking sheet. After all 4 pieces have been rolled, move the baking sheet to the freezer for 15 minutes. The dough should feel firm, but not frozen solid.
9. Take 1 vanilla sheet and 1 raspberry sheet out of the freezer. Pull off the top paper from both. Carefully turn the raspberry dough over onto the vanilla dough, with the vanilla underneath and the raspberry above, then remove the paper still attached to the raspberry dough.
10. Trim the edges until the 2 sheets match. Starting from a long side, roll the dough into a 12-inch log, lifting away the bottom parchment as you go.
11. For the remaining dough, repeat the layering and rolling, but reverse the stack so the raspberry layer is underneath and becomes the outside of the log.
12. Seal each dough log snugly in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or leave it overnight; for longer planning, freeze it for up to a month.
13. Set the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
14. Take the chilled dough from the refrigerator. The underside may have a slight flat spot from resting, so lightly roll the log on the counter with your hands until it looks rounded and smooth again.
15. Cut the dough into rounds 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Arrange them on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges show just the faintest bit of browning.
16. Move the baked cookies onto a wire rack to cool. Continue cutting and baking the rest of the dough the same way. For storage, transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight container and keep them for up to 3 days.