Pink Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 4-5 drops red food coloring

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, and beat until they are well blended.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture with a large spoon to form a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and add peppermint extract and red food coloring to one of the halves, stirring well. Set it aside.

On a floured pastry cloth or counter, roll the plain cookie dough into a 16-inch x 13-inch rectangle, and set it aside. On lightly floured parchment paper, roll the pink cookie dough into a 16-inch x 13-inch rectangle. Lift the paper and place the pink dough face down on top of the plain dough. Peel off the parchment paper.

Starting with the long edge, roll the doughs together to form a 16-inch log. Turn the parchment paper over and place it next to the log. Roll the log onto the paper and transfer the cookie log to a cookie sheet. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill several hours until the dough is firm, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the cookie log, place it on a cutting board, and slice it into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place the pinwheel cookies on a lightly-greased cookie sheet and bake 8 to 9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies barely turn brown. Remove them from the oven, cool 1 minute, and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 6 dozen cookies