chocolate peppermint pinwheels

one last christmas cookie post before the big day. as if you even have time for one more or haven't had your christmas cookie plan together for the last three weeks.

...or up to your ears in candy canes? add them to the peppermint half of the dough for extra crunch and minty flavor.

anyway, nothing says christmas like peppermint. how about peppermint + chocolate?

the only hard part about these cookies is waiting two hours for them to chill.

to make sure the doughs were rolled out the same size, i rolled each of them the width of my waxed paper, and then rolled them out to equal lengths. the cookies cut off the end are always the test cookies anyway, since they aren't rolled all nice and pretty.

chocolate peppermint pinwheels
adapted from alton brown
15 minutes prep, 2 hr chilling, 30 minutes baking; makes 3 dozen

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
red food coloring, optional

1. sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
2. beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add the egg and milk and mix to combine.
3. gradually add the flour until the dough forms. divide dough in half.
4. to half the dough, add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.
5. to the other half of the dough, add the egg yolk, peppermint extract and red food coloring, if you wish. form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.
6. when the dough is chilled, roll the chocolate and peppermint into equal size rectangles about a quarter inch thick. place the peppermint rectangle over the chocolate rectangle. starting at one side, carefully roll up the dough into a log. wrap the log in plastic and chill 1 hour.
7. preheat your oven to 375F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
8. slice the dough into half inch thick slices and bake 10-12 minutes. let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.