Who doesn’t love a good cookie dough swirl recipe? I certainly do. From its bright hue to nostalgic flavor, swirled cookie dough is fit for both kids and adults to enjoy. Want to know the best part? Making this seemingly intricate cookie dough is about as easy as any other dough out there. If you don’t believe me, stay tuned. I’m breaking down the details on how you can achieve beautifully swirled cookie dough using only a few ingredients and a food dye. Let’s learn how!
Table of Contents
- What Is Cookie Dough Swirl?
- Bakeable Cookie Dough Swirl Recipe
- Cookie Dough Swirl: Attractive to the Eye, Sweet on the Tongue!
- FAQs
Simple Cookie Dough Swirl Recipe
- Total Time: 5 hrs 44 mins
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon blue food coloring
- round sprinkles, also known as “nonpareils“
Instructions
- Begin by using a hand mixer to beat your butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add your egg, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Gently sift your flour into the mixture. Continue stirring until well incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Divide your dough in half.
- To one half of your dough add your blue dye until it reaches the desired color. Work the food coloring into the dough using gloved hands.
- Place your uncolored dough onto plastic wrap and lay wax paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll your cookie dough out into a 12×9-inch rectangle. Repeat the process with the colored cookie dough.
- Place your uncolored cookie dough on top of plastic wrap and layer your colored cookie dough on top. Use the plastic wrap beneath to help you roll your cookie dough into a loaf.
- Once rolled, place your nonpareils on a baking sheet or large tray. Roll your cookie dough loaf into the sprinkles to get it completely covered.
- Chill your cookie dough for about 5 hours.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, and slice it into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
- Place the rounds onto a prepared baking sheet and place them into a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool 1-2 minutes before eating.
- Serve with a glass of ice cold milk!
Notes
- You can use any food coloring you want and can color both layers of dough instead of just one.
- If you don’t want to use food coloring, try cocoa powder instead.
- Feel free to use any type of sprinkles you wish. Though we love nonpareil sprinkles, you could just as easily use traditional rainbow jimmies or even confetti sprinkles!
- Feel free to swap the butter in this recipe for vegan butter.
- Remember that it is unsafe to eat raw cookie dough that isn’t specifically advertised as being edible.
- Prep Time: 5 hrs 30 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: dessert
Keywords: cookie dough swirl
What Is Cookie Dough Swirl?
Cookie dough swirl is bakeable cookie dough that is swirled with two colors. The colors you use are totally up to you, which is part of the reason this is one of my favorite recipes.
Whether you want to combine pink dough with plain dough for Valentine’s day vibes (speaking off, check out my red velvet cookie dough recipe!) or want to swirl your dough with red and green for the holidays, there are plenty of ways you can express creativity when whipping up this recipe.
Bakeable Cookie Dough Swirl Recipe
Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for! Making bakeable cookie dough swirl cookies is a breeze and only uses a few basic ingredients to pull off.
Just be sure to note the specific technique used when combining the dough, as this method is what causes the colors to swirl together so beautifully.
Ready? Let’s get baking.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon blue food coloring
- round sprinkles, also known as “nonpareils“
Directions
- Begin by using a hand mixer to beat your butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add your egg, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Gently sift your flour into the mixture. Continue stirring until well incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Divide your dough in half.
- To one half of your dough add your blue dye until it reaches the desired color. Work the food coloring into the dough using gloved hands.
- Place your uncolored dough onto plastic wrap and lay wax paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll your cookie dough out into a 12×9-inch rectangle. Repeat the process with the colored cookie dough.
- Place your uncolored cookie dough on top of plastic wrap and layer your colored cookie dough on top. Use the plastic wrap beneath to help you roll your cookie dough into a loaf.
- Once rolled, place your nonpareils on a baking sheet or large tray. Roll your cookie dough loaf into the sprinkles to get it completely covered.
- Chill your cookie dough for about 5 hours.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, and slice it into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
- Place the rounds onto a prepared baking sheet and place them into a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool 1-2 minutes before eating.
- Serve with a glass of ice cold milk!
Notes and Substitutions
- You can use any food coloring you want and can color both layers of dough instead of just one.
- If you don’t want to use food coloring, try cocoa powder instead.
- Feel free to use any type of sprinkles you wish. Though we love nonpareil sprinkles, you could just as easily use traditional rainbow jimmies or even confetti sprinkles (like in funfetti cookie dough)!
- Feel free to swap the butter in this recipe for vegan butter to make the cookie dough dairy free.
- Remember that it is unsafe to eat raw cookie dough that isn’t specifically advertised as being edible.
Cookie Dough Swirl: Attractive to the Eye, Sweet on the Tongue!
Although seemingly complex, making bakeable cookie dough swirl isn’t nearly as hard as it looks. The results are satisfyingly attractive cookies that taste just as good as they look.
Give these a try, and don’t forget to come back and let me know what you think.
See you next time!
FAQs
How to jazz up cookie dough?
Add spices, use chocolate chips (or other chocolate types, really!), add nuts, use flavored extracts, use other mix-ins (dried fruits, etc) and use different sugars! Remember to adjust the baking time and temperature depending on any changes you make to the recipe to ensure that your cookies turn out just right.
How to make cookie dough rollable?
To make cookie dough rollable, you need to ensure that it has the right consistency and texture. You can chill the dough, use the right flour, avoid overmixing, use liquid sparingly, use parchment paper to assist you, and work quickly.
