Cherry cookie dough and almond cookie dough are swirled together to create these light, crisp, and flavorful Cherry Almond Pinwheel Cookies. If you're looking to add color, pattern, and festive flavor to your holiday cookie trays, these will do the trick!
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix to combine.
Divide the dough in half. To one of the halves, add the cherry extract and red gel food coloring. To the other half, mix in the ground almonds. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill until firm: about 2-3 hours.
Between 2 sheets of wax paper, roll each portion of dough into an 8x15 rectangle. Place on a cookie sheet and chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the wax paper from both, placing the almond rectangle on top of the cherry rectangle. Starting with a long side, roll up the dough tightly. Then, roll in coarse sugar and chill again for about 1-2 hours or until firm.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the dough log into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Baked for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove from the sheet pan to cool completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
The bottom of these cookies can burn quickly. (I learned this the hard way.) Keep an eye on them near the end of their baking time in order to prevent burnt bottoms.