Christmas Pinwheel Sugar

image credit  www.bakedbyrachel.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 C unsalted butter softened
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 3/4 C all purpose flour
• 5 drops super red Americolor gel food color
• Holiday colored nonpareils

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla, followed by salt and baking powder. Scrape the bowl as needed. Mix in flour, adding one cup at a time. Continue mixing until fully combined and no streaks remain. Divide dough into two equal portions. Return one half of the dough to the bowl. Add 5 drops of red gel food color to the bowl. Mix until dough is evenly colored. 
• Place untinted dough between two large sheets of wax paper. Roll out dough to a 9x16-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to the refrigerator to chill, keeping both sheets of wax paper in place. Repeat process with red dough. Refrigerate both layers of dough for 15-20 minutes. 
• Place the red dough down first, removing the top layer of wax paper. Remove one sheet of wax paper from the untinted dough. Carefully flip the untinted dough down onto the red layer. Remove the remaining top layer of wax paper. Trim the dough to an even rectangle. Beginning at one of the short ends, carefully roll dough into a tight log. Pull up gently on the remaining layer of wax paper to help roll the dough. Wrap dough log in wax paper. Wrapped dough may be placed inside of two large drinking glasses or the center of a paper towel roll cut down the length. This will help to keep it's round shape. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
• Add holiday nonpareils to a large shallow dish or tray. Unwrap dough log and begin rolling in the sprinkles. Continue rolling and pressing sprinkles into the dough until it is completely covered and no dough shows through. Rewrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for an additional 1-2 hours. 
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 
• Unwrap the sprinkle covered dough log. Slice off the end. Carefully slice 1/4-inch slices, spacing roughly 1-2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Return remaining dough to the refrigerator until ready to slice and bake. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to sit on the pan for 1 minute before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. 

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