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Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

December 16, 2015 · 11 Comments

Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas· Dessert Recipes· Holiday Baking & Gifts

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Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies are rich, buttery and simple to make. Easy enough for snack and a must have on your holiday baking list.
Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

These Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies are rich, buttery and simple to make. A must add to your holiday baking list!

These Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies are rich, buttery and simple to make. A must add to your holiday baking list!

This year I decided to join The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and make these Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies. The Cookie Swap is in it's 5th year and is hosted by Love & Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen.

In the swap, bloggers from around the world make 1 dozen homemade cookies and share them with each other; while at the same time raising money and awareness for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.

Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Cookies for Kids' Cancer is a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease.

By participating in this cookie swap we are not only contributing to the food blogger community, but also supporting a great cause.

Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

I was very impressed with the cookies I received from my fellow food blogging friends and let me just say, they didn't last long in this house. My family and I loved each and every one of them.

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German Springerle Cookies from Alisa Huntsman

Not only did we get to make and taste some fabulous cookies, we received some amazing swag to help make our baking a little easier.

A huge thank you to our sponsors Dixie Crystals, Land O' Lakes and OXO who will be matching our donations (up to $3000) this year.

FB Cookie Swap Vendor Goodies

And now for these Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies. These cookies use the same dough as a Rugelach cookie; which is a cream cheese cookie filled with jams, nuts or raisins.

However, instead of shaping them into crescents, I rolled the dough into a rectangle, topped the dough with cinnamon sugar and chopped walnuts; then rolled it tightly and cut them into disks forming a pinwheel.

Cinnamon.Walnut Pinwheels DoughI did start off by trying to make Rugelach, but I must have cut the triangles too small because the crescents didn't keep their shape nicely when baked.

So I decided to roll and slice the dough instead. This way was much less time consuming than forming the crescents and the taste was rich and buttery just like the classic Rugelach cookie.

Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

 

How do I make Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies?

Making these cookies takes a little more time than regular scoop and bake, but they're well worth the effort.Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well blended; then add salt and gradually add the flour on low speed until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough in half with lightly floured hands, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and remove dough from the refrigerator. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.

On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of chilled dough into a rectangle; about ¼-inch thick. Spread half of the sugar mixture on top of the dough and tightly roll the dough lengthwise; then cut into ½-inch thick slices.

Place the slices 1" apart on a baking sheet topped with cooking spray, parchment paper or silicone mat. (approx. 16 slices per disk). Bake for 15-18 minutes until they are lightly brown. To cool, transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

These Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies are rich, buttery and simple to make. A must add to your holiday baking list!

I'm so glad I participated in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this year. I hope Lulu the Baker, Taste Cook Sip and Confessions of a Cooking Diva liked these cookies as much as we did and can't wait to see all of the new cookie recipes through this swap.

I think they're are going to be over 400 of them this year! ~Enjoy and Happy Baking!

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Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies are rich, buttery and simple to make. Easy enough for snack and a must have on your holiday baking list.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 minutes mins
Total Time 48 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup softened unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well blended; then add the salt and gradually add the flour on low speed until the dough comes together.
  • Divide the dough in half with lightly floured hands, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and remove dough from the refrigerator.
  • In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of chilled dough into a rectangle; about ¼-inch thick.
  • Spread half of the sugar mixture on top of the dough and tightly roll the dough lengthwise; then cut into ½-inch thick slices.
  • Place the slices 1" apart on a baking sheet topped with cooking spray, parchment paper or silicone mat. (approx. 16 slices per disk)
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes until they are lightly brown. To cool, transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

Notes

*Please add an additional 1 hour for chill time
Keyword cookies
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Cinnamon Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nettie says

    December 16, 2015 at 9:05 am

    5 stars
    Carrie, love your gorgeous cookies! This is my second year participating and I had the best time, kept baking until I got to 20 dozen! Merry Christmas sweetie! Love, Nettie

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      December 16, 2015 at 1:09 pm

      Thanks Nettie, it was a lot of fun. Now I can't wait to look at everyone else's recipes too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family Nettie. Love-Carrie xo

      Reply
  2. alicia szemon says

    December 16, 2015 at 8:44 am

    these look too good! i want to make them!

    Reply
  3. Sandra Watts says

    December 16, 2015 at 8:41 am

    5 stars
    So many great recipes. I want to try them all!

    Reply
  4. Melissa Cushing says

    December 16, 2015 at 8:29 am

    5 stars
    What a delicious sounding and different cookie that I know I will love! This is the season for baling and this is a perfect addition to my Christmas Cookie Tray! Thanks for sharing and I will be making! 🙂

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      December 16, 2015 at 1:08 pm

      I'm so glad you like them, thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!

      Reply
  5. Ronald Gagnon says

    December 16, 2015 at 8:17 am

    5 stars
    You had me at cinnamon and walnuts, but the addition of cream cheese takes these out of the cookie arena and raises them to the "must haves"

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      December 16, 2015 at 1:08 pm

      Thanks Ronald, I hope you enjoy them. Happy Holidays!

      Reply

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