Sometimes I love a recipe that's complicated. It might be several hours of work, many ingredients, and maybe even a bunch of gadgets, tools, bowls and appliances. The feeling of accomplishment when it's done is satisfying.On the other hand, I also adore recipes that are easy and fun. I like the idea that I can make something quickly and it looks like I spent a lot of time on it.
This recipe is definitely easy and fun and creative. Made simple by the use of packaged cookie mix from Betty Crocker®, the result is still pretty darned impressive, with three colors in the swirl. And did I mention that it's pretty tasty, too? Yup. Tasty.
These cookies help you spread the cheer with the simple surprise of a three-color swirl that's unexpected. To add even more holiday flair, you could roll the edges of the cookies in red and/or green sugar, but I'm sure you'll agree that they're pretty great without any flourishes.
For this sponsored post, I shopped at Walmart:
I didn't realize there were sooooo many cookie mixes. I brought home the Peanut Butter Cookie Mix:
And the Sugar Cookie mix, which had directions for both drop cookies and cut-out cookies:
And then the fun started happening. Because it's always fun in my kitchen.
Three-Flavor Pinwheel Cookies
1 package Betty Crocker® Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
, prepared according to package directions (requires oil, water, and egg)1 package Betty Crocker® Sugar Cookie Mix
, prepared using "cutout cookie" directions (requires butter, flour, and egg)2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line several baking sheets with parchment paper if you will be baking immediately.
After the two cookie mixes are prepared, remove about 1/3 of each dough and place that in a separate bowl along with the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Mix well.
Pat each dough to form a square and stack them on top of each other. Use a rolling pin to roll the combined layered dough to form a rectangle about 13x16 inches. It doesn't need to be precise - you can eyeball it.
Starting at one of the long sides, roll up the dough jellyroll style, making a nice, tight roll. The roll should be about 2 inches in diameter, and evenly thick from end to end. If the roll is uneven or too thick, you can simply roll it on your work surface to even it out and squish and press it as needed. Part of the fun of these cookies is that they're not all the same, so you needn't take the rolling too seriously. Have fun with it.
You can refrigerate some or all of the dough to bake later, if desired. Just wrap it in plastic wrap until you're ready to make cookies.Otherwise, cut the roll into pieces about 1/2 inch thick and place them on the prepared sheets, leaving space between them. They don't spread a lot, but they do spread a little.
Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to brown, and the bottoms are slightly browned.
If you choose to refrigerate before baking, the cookies will take about two minutes longer to bake.
Let the cookies cool on a rack before storing.
Don't they look fun? And everyone who ate them loved them. So ... what sort of creative things are you doing for the holidays? Hmmmm? Cookies, perhaps?
Want to make these cookies and save a little money? You can get a coupon here.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Betty Crocker. The opinions and text are all mine.
