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These Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies loaded with walnuts are a big hit every Christmas, consistently topping the list of most requested recipes! They’re made with a buttery pie dough that’s filled with a sweet and tangy mix of cranberries and walnuts, then finished with a drizzle of honey. Easy and fun to make, they’re even better to eat!
Christmas Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
Hey cookie lovers! We’re taking a slight and sweet detour today, straight to the land of cranberries and crunchy walnuts. Welcome to the world of Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies – your new favorite treat that’s as easy to make as it is delicious! This is one very impressive, and also very easy-to-make holiday dessert. An amazing take on dessert pinwheels filled with cranberries and nuts! These festive, flavorful cookies are the perfect welcome treat for guests, plus they look great on a cookie tray. It’s probably my most requested recipe come Christmastime! I don’t have many occasions to repeat recipes and yet, by popular demand, I find myself making these Christmasy pinwheel cookies every year. Full of sweet and tangy cranberries and crunchy walnuts, drizzled with honey for good measure, they are basically the definition of holiday flavors – and our family can’t get enough!
Why We Love These Pinwheel Cookies
- Easy to Prep: They are as simple to make as they are delicious – no need for intricate steps or complicated ingredients.
- Tasty: The contrast of crunchy nuts and soft, chewy dough is one amazing combo of textures and flavors!
- Kid-Friendly: My kids love making these with them, and of course, eating them.
- Festive: The mix of cranberries and walnuts captures the holiday spirit.
- Pretty: The cookies’ beautiful spiral and vibrant colors make them a visual feast.
Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies Ingredients
- Dried cranberries: Chopped.
- Walnuts: Chopped.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, or brown sugar for a more caramelized flavor.
- Orange Zest: For a burst of fruity citrus that pairs perfectly with walnuts and cranberries.
- Refrigerated Pie Crusts: Pillsbury Pie Crust or your brand of choice. This pinwheel recipe is possibly the only time that I opt for store bought pie crust – in my experience, homemade pie dough results in cookies that are far too crumbly!
- Butter: Melted.
- Egg: For the egg wash to coat the crusts.
- Honey: To drizzle over the pinwheels after baking.
How to Make Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies
My Cranberry Pinwheels are incredibly easy to make. They come together in minutes, and they’re kid-friendly. If you have little hands that want to help, by all means, this is the recipe for them! Here’s how to make these easy holiday pinwheel cookies:
- Mix the Filling: Combine the cranberries, walnuts, sugar, and zest for the filling.
- Prepare the Pie Crusts: Lightly flour your work surface and then roll out the pie crusts into two squares. Afterwards, give each pie crust a generous brushing with the melted butter.
- Fill & Roll: Sprinkle the filling evenly over the first pie crust, leaving a bit of a gap at one edge. Next, carefully roll the crust into a log, pinching the clean edge tightly against the roll to seal. You can dip your finger in water and brush the edge a bit to help it stick if needed. Repeat the filling and rolling with the second pie crust.
- Brush with Egg: Mix the egg wash and then lightly brush each log with the egg mixture.
- Cut: Use a sharp knife and cut each log into ½ inch slices, or roughly 10 pinwheels.
- Bake: Bake the pinwheels cut-side-up on a lined baking sheet, until golden brown. Arrange the pinwheels on a wire rack and then top each cookie with a drizzle of honey. Let them continue to cool completely, then serve!
Tips for Success
Thanks to feedback from some marvelous readers, along with some gained experience, here are extra tips for flawless pinwheel cookies:
- When Cutting the Pinwheel Dough: If you notice that the dough is becoming too soft, pop the logs in the freezer for about 10 minutes or so before slicing.
- Don’t Overfill: Make sure to use just enough filling to achieve an even layer, and then roll the dough tightly to close all the gaps.
- Cut to the Correct Size: If the pinwheel slices are too wide when placed on the baking sheet, there is a higher risk of the pie crusts coming apart while baking. Aim for ½ inch slices!
Variation Ideas
I used cranberries and walnuts for this recipe, but you can use whatever filling your heart desires! Not a fan of craisins? Sub in raisins! Feeling extra festive? Add in a pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice! Here are some other pinwheel cookie-filling variations I’ve been dreaming of:
- Blueberry, lemon, and pecan
- Hazelnut, chocolate chips, and apricot
- Macadamia, coconut, and dried pineapple
- Crushed candy cane and white chocolate chips
- You can also add in jams or preserves or mix up any of these variations with nuts of your choice.
How to Store Homemade Cookies
- Pinwheel cookies can be stored up to 1 week in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature.
- You can freeze these cookies before baking. Wrap the logs of rolled cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap, with an extra layer of aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn. Store the rolls in the freezer for up to 2 months, and leave them to thaw in the fridge before slicing and baking.
More Holiday Cookies to Try
- Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies
- Rocky Road White Chocolate Chip Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Black and White Meringue Cookies
- Chai Spiced Snowdrop Cookies Recipe
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Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberries,, chopped
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts,, I use Pillsbury Pie Crust
- 2 tablespoons butter,, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the cranberries, walnuts, sugar, and orange zest in a mixing bowl; mix until thoroughly combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into two squares. Generously brush the pie dough with the melted butter.
- Spread the cranberry filling over the top of the pie dough. Do not overfill – that will make it harder to roll and cut.
- Roll each pie dough into a log and pinch the edges to seal.
- Combine the egg and water in a small bowl and beat until well blended. Brush the logs with the egg mixture.
- Carefully cut each log into 10 slices. If you're having issues with slicing the log because the dough is too soft, put it in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
- Place the slices, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven; place the pinwheel cookies on a cooling rack and drizzle a teaspoon or more of the honey over each pinwheel.
- Let cool before serving.
Notes
- Cutting the Dough: If the dough gets too soft, chill the logs in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
- Filling: Use just enough filling to cover the dough evenly; roll tightly to eliminate gaps.
- Slicing Size: Keep slices at about ½ inch or slightly bigger to prevent the crusts from unraveling during baking.
- Mix It Up with other fillings, jams, preserves, or a mix of different nuts.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
It looks like you used fresh cranberries in the pictures. What do you recommend.
Please use dried cranberries.
I couldn’t find any puff pastry. Would phyllo dough work? Would cooking time be different? How many layers do you think if I use the phyllo dough? I’m not good at conversions.
I have not tested these with phyllo, but I can tell you that they will be very flaky if you do make them with phyllo. Make sure to brush every layer with butter before adding it on top of the next… I think about 5 sheets should be okay.
After reading comments about the rolls coming apart while cooking, I may have a couple of hints.
Resist an urge to be too generous with the filling and roll up tightly enough to close gaps as a loose roll will fall apart.
Do Not Overlook STEP #8. When filling leave a clear 1/2″ border of dough at the final edge. You’ll pinch this clean edge to the roll to create a seam that will hold the roll together from end to end (you can brush the edge with a little bit of wet finger first to help it stick together).
Try to make slices 1/2″ apart. If sections are too wide when laid on their side, a pie crust dough may come apart in the oven since it isn’t a ‘rising’ type of dough.
Happy baking! Kids love cooking these and there are never any left!
I made these at Christmas but most came out of shape but everyone still loved them and so easy to make. Today made them again after reading everyone’s reviews. I refrigerated them for about 10 minutes before cutting & cut straight down with a straight blade knife, they turn out perfect. Will diffently make again evdn for entertaining.
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! ๐ Thank YOU!
Did you use sweetened cranberries, like craisins or unsweetened cranberries because can’t seem to find unsweeten cranberries
I have used both, dried unsweetened, and dried sweetened. My sweet tooth’s vote was for the sweetened (craisins). ๐
wondering if using mini muffin pans would keep them from unraveling
I used a large muffin tin instead. The mini is too small, I believe.
Yes, they look so delicious, but the dough didnโt hold itโs shape like in the picture. Look more like a flower instead of a pinwheel! I even put the log in the freezer for 15 minutes for easy slicing. Can you tell me what went wrong?
I made these yesterday and they were sooo good! I didn’t use all of the butter (bad me) so as I was cutting them, they were unrolling a bit.
Also, I cut mine straight down, not sawing it, and that worked much better.
I’ll be making this recipe again.
Val
Could one add some cream cheese
Hi! I’ve used brie cheese so I think cream cheese would be great.
Can’t wait to make these. I’ve read some of the comments about freezing for a while for easy cutting. Also to add cheeses, I think chocolate would be nice also. Maybe tomorrow I’ll make them.
I hope you’ll enjoy them! Thank YOU! ๐
I wish I could attach a picture of how bad these turned out. They completely fell apart while baking and were not salvageable. I 100% followed the directions and was incredibly disappointed. I was so excited to make these, but it was a disaster.
Liz,
So dis mine. Glad I tried them ahead of my party!
๐
Linda๐ฆ
Maybe I will chill them Before cooking next time.
I spread softened cream cheese instead of butter, sprinkled some sugar on the tops and used dental floss to cut them. Perfection!
That’s great! I’m very happy you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Can you use puff pastry dough instead of pie dough?
Hi!
Yep, puff pastry dough will work.
Totally making this! If you use the hazelnut, choc chip and apricot combo – would you skip sugar and honey? Would it be too sweet?
Hi!
I’d still use the honey ๐but not as much – use just enough to have it all stick together.
I gently press the mixture into the dough before rolling up. I helps the rolling go easier and helps keep them from falling apart. I have a question though. If you only get tan half inch slices from each square, are you making a 5″ square?
Wonder if these can be made day before. Just do not do egg wash.
Hello. Did you make them the day before? Did it work?