These Halloween black and orange pinwheel cookies are super easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients and they're perfect for kids. They will make a fun addition to any party table!
If you're looking for a cute, kid-friendly dessert to make this Halloween, these black and orange pinwheel cookies are just the thing! They are easier to make than they look but will definitely impress your party guests.
For all my beginner bakers, you will find detailed ingredient and equipment notes, step-by-step images and my top tips below. If you're an experienced baker, feel free to skip straight to the recipe card at the end of the post for the condensed version. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make black and orange Halloween pinwheel cookies.
- Butter: Softened butter is best. You can soften it by leaving it out at room temperature for 60 minutes before you start baking or you can pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds (being careful not to let it melt). I like to use salted butter to save adding salt separately.
- Sugar: Caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) will give your cookies the best texture and mouthfeel. You'll need 120g plus a little extra to sprinkle on top.
- Egg: Just 1 medium egg. This will bind the rest of the ingredients together and give a slight leavening effect.
- Vanilla extract: For extra flavour. I used 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract but you could swap 1 teaspoon for orange extract if you fancy something different.
- Baking powder: ½ teaspoon is the perfect amount to give the cookies a little lift without making them too cakey.
- Flour: Plain or all-purpose flour is what you'll need for this recipe, as self-raising flour has too much raising agent in it for these cookies. They should be quite dense, so we don't want them to puff up too much in the oven.
- Food colouring: In black and orange. Food paste or gel will work better than liquid colourings as you'll get a much more vibrant colour with less product. I used PME Tiger Lily orange and Colour Splash black.
Equipment
All the kitchen tools you'll need for this recipe...
- Baking tray: One that's large enough to fit 15-18 cookies, or you can use two smaller trays.
- Baking paper: To stop your cookies from sticking to the tray. Of course, if you're using a non-stick tray, you can skip the baking paper.
- Mixing bowl: A medium-sized bowl to make the dough in.
- Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon for mixing and a teaspoon for measuring the vanilla extract. You'll also need dental floss or a serrated knife to cut the cookie dough into neat slices.
- Plastic gloves: These are not totally essential but they will prevent the food colouring from staining your hands. Black is especially tricky to wash off!
How to make Halloween black and orange pinwheel cookies
Step 1: To a mixing bowl, add 120g of softened butter and 120g of caster sugar (imperial measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post). Beat them together until soft and fluffy.
Step 2: Add 1 medium egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well to incorporate.
Step 3: Add 250g of plain flour and ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Mix it in, and when the mixture is starting to stick together, use your hands to press it into a ball of dough. If it's a bit sticky, add more flour and if it's too dry, add a small splash of milk to help it come together.
Step 4: Divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces (you can weigh each piece with a scale if you want to be precise). Add a few drops of black food colouring to one piece and a few drops of orange food colouring to the other. Use gloved hands to knead the colours in until there are no streaks left. You can add more flour as you go if the dough gets too sticky.
Step 5: Between two sheets of baking paper, roll the black dough out into a rectangle that is around ¼-inch thick. Then do the same with the orange dough, trying to make the rectangles roughly the same size.
Step 6: Use the baking paper to lift the black dough up and place it directly on top of the orange dough. Use a knife to trim off any uneven edges to make a perfect rectangle.
Step 7: Starting with the longest side closest to you, roll the dough into a log shape. Refrigerate this for 30 minutes.
Step 8: While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens) and line a large tray with baking paper.
Step 9: Remove the dough from the fridge and use floss or a serrated knife to cut off any uneven edges. Divide the log into 15-18 slices.
Step 10: Place the cookies onto your lined baking tray and bake for around 10 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they're firm to the touch around the edges and soft in the middle.
Step 11: Sprinkle your black and orange cookies with sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool on the tray, then enjoy!
Top tips
- Use dental floss for an ultra-clean cut (don't worry, your cookies will not taste minty whatsoever). Just place the floss under the log where you want to cut it then cross the two ends over one another to create a loop. You can watch the video in the recipe card if you're unsure.
- Halloween pinwheel cookies are not super sweet so you can add a drizzle of glacé icing or spread some buttercream on top if you like.
- Refrigerating your cookie dough is a MUST. They will not hold their shape in the oven if you skip this step.
- Gel food colouring will give a more vibrant colour than liquids. If your dough becomes sticky after you add the colouring, just add a little more flour.
FAQs
These will last for up to 5 days if you keep them in an airtight container. For the best texture, store them in a cool, dry place such as a kitchen cupboard.
Yes! You can freeze Halloween pinwheel cookies in airtight containers for up to 3 months. To prevent them from sticking together in the freezer, you can either pre-freeze them on a baking tray and then pop them into a freezer bag, or you can separate them using pieces of baking paper. Once defrosted, do not refreeze.
I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour so I cannot confirm whether or not it will work. I'd recommend using an already gluten-free pinwheel cookie recipe to ensure success.
More Halloween desserts:
- Halloween shortbread biscuits
- Halloween Mickey Mouse cookies
- Ghost chocolate strawberries
- Nutella puff pastry mummies
- Halloween fudge
- White chocolate ghosts
- Cookie Monster brownies
I hope you like these Halloween black and orange pinwheel cookies. If you make them at home, please let me know how it goes by leaving a rating and comment below. Enjoy!
Black & Orange Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 120 g Butter, softened (1 stick)
- 120 g Caster sugar/superfine sugar (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) plus a little extra for dusting
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 Medium Egg
- 250 g All-purpose flour (2 cups)
- ½ Teaspoon Baking powder
- Few Drops Black gel food colouring
- Few Drops Orange gel food colouring
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until smooth. Then mix in the vanilla extract and the egg.
- Add in the flour and baking powder. Mix well and when it's starting to stick, use your hands to press everything together into a ball of dough.
- Divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces. Add black food colouring to one piece and orange food colouring to the other, then use your (gloved) hands to gently knead it in until there are no streaks left.
- Between two sheets of baking paper, roll the black dough into a rectangle that's around ¼-inch thick. Repeat with the orange dough, aiming to make it roughly the same size as the black one.
- Use the baking paper to lift up the black dough and place it directly on top of the orange one. Trim off any uneven edges to make a neat rectangle.
- Carefully roll the dough into a log shape, starting with the longest side closest to you. Loosely cover the log and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 180°C/350℉ (160°C/320℉ for fan or convection ovens) and line a large tray with baking paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Use floss or a serrated knife to cut any uneven edges off the log then divide it into 15-18 equal-sized slices. They will look quite small but they'll puff up as they bake.
- Place the cookies onto your lined tray and bake for around 10 minutes. They should be firm to the touch around the edges and soft in the middle. When they come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle the extra sugar on top.
- Leave them on the tray to cool completely then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it's too dry, add a splash of milk.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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