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These Pinwheel Cookies are a treasured family favorite straight from Grandma’s cookbook! Delicious vanilla cookie dough is rolled up with a sweet raisin filling that bakes into the most nostalgic treat. They’re the perfect Christmas cookies but just as delicious any time of year.
Even if you’re not a raisin lover, trust me, your whole family will fall for these!
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These pinwheel cookies are sneaky little delights with delicious raisin-filled swirls, simple to look at but impossible to stop eating. They’ve been a hit with my cousins for years, and now we keep the tradition alive in our own kitchen.
I’ll never forget standing in my grandma’s kitchen, pouring the vanilla and feeling trusted to help. Baking these cookies instantly brings back those warm, silly, perfect memories. Grab a kid, make a batch, tell some stories, and pass the magic (and the vanilla) along.
Pinwheel Cookies Ingredients
This great recipe has two parts: the cookie dough and the raisin pinwheel filling. I’ve seen recipes online for date pinwheel cookies, but my family has always made the filling with raisins.
Here’s what you’ll need to make pinwheel cookies:
- Vanilla Extract: Boosts flavor and adds warmth
- Shortening: Provides structure and tenderness for the cookie dough
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with spreading
- Brown Sugar: Adds moisture, chewiness, and rich flavor
- Eggs: Bind the dough and add moisture
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the cookie dough
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors
- Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and brown
- Raisins: Sweet filling for the pinwheel center
- Water: Moistens the raisin filling
How To Make Grandma’s Pinwheel Cookies:
Don’t let the pretty pinwheel pattern fool you into thinking these cookies are tough to make! These Christmas pinwheel cookies require little prep work and are super simple to shape and bake.
- Blend: Combine raisins, water, sugar, and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Boil: Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix: Prepare the cookie dough in a large mixing bowl and roll it into a large rectangle sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread: Evenly spread the raisin filling over the piece of dough.
- Roll: Roll the dough tightly into a log of dough, just like you would for cinnamon rolls.
- Slice: Cut into cookies and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake until lightly golden and set.
Can I Add Other Flavors or Mix-Ins to the Filling?
Some pinwheel cookie recipes call for chopped nuts, different flavor extracts, or other mix-ins in the filling. We’ve always stuck with the classic version, so we can’t say for sure how additions might change the texture or bake time. If you experiment with nuts or other flavors, let us know in the comments how they turn out—we’d love to hear!
Do I Need To Use Shortening?
You can use half shortening and half butter in the dough, though we usually stick with all shortening. Don’t swap all butter, the texture will change.
Make sure shortening and butter are at room temperature so the dough isn’t crumbly. If it’s still dry, add a splash of water.
Can I Make the Dough Ahead of Time?
You can easily make the dough ahead of time. The vanilla cookie dough can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator to chill. When you pull the chilled dough from the fridge, it may take a few extra minutes to bake.
For longer storage, make the dough logs with the raisin filling and freeze them until ready to bake.
If freezing unsliced, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Sliced cookies can go straight into an airtight gallon-sized ziploc bag. Baking from frozen will require a little extra patience and a few additional minutes in the oven, but the cookies come out just as delicious!
Storing Pinwheel Cookies
These pinwheel cookies stay fresh for 3-5 days when kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
You can also freeze them once completely cooled. Store in freezer-safe bags or containers, and when ready to enjoy, simply thaw on the counter. They’ll taste just as delicious as when freshly baked!
These pinwheel cookies are a timeless treat your whole family will love. Bake a batch, share some stories, and enjoy a sweet bite of tradition!
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- The Best Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Sweet Glazed Lemon Cookies
- White Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
- …All of our cookie recipes!
Watch How These Cookies are Made…
Raisin Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Shortening, or half butter half shortening
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs, large
- 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
For the Filling
- 3 Cups Raisins
- ½ Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon McCormick Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a blender, combine the raisins, water, sugar and vanilla, mix until smooth and pour into a small saucepan.3 Cups Raisins, ½ Cup Water, ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar, ½ teaspoon McCormick Vanilla Extract
- Boil for 5 minutes and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the shortening and sugars for 1 minute.1 Cup Shortening, 1 Cup Granulated Sugar, 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- Add the eggs and mix again.2 Eggs
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and add into the wet ingredients until a thick dough forms.4 Cups All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a big rectangle.
- Spread the raisin mixture all over the dough and roll the dough like pinwheels or cinnamon rolls.
- Slice into cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, and allow to cool for 2-5 minutes on the pan then remove to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe didn’t work for me. It didn’t form a thick dough. It was more like pastry dough and there was no way you could roll it. I ended up making bars, pressing half dough on bottom of pan with a layer of raisin and crumbles on top. Suggestions?
It should be a roll-able dough with the flour to fat ratio. Are you sure all your measurements were correct and nothing was forgotten? I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
We make Apricot Pinwheels. Our family love them.
Yummmm! I love apricot everything! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment!
this recipe doesn’t work. the dough is crumbly and useless
Update: added water (1/4 cup) then mixed to dough consistency. Then I refrigerated the dough, after rolling and spreading the raisin sauce, for about an hour
Yay!!
I’m sorry you had some problems with the dough! Be sure your shortening (and butter if you used half and half) are room temperature and that you are using large size eggs. If it still seems too dry, you could add water or milk a tablespoon at a time until it is a good consistency.
I love recipes that are passed down through generations.
That rich center inside those buttery cookies look amazing. Gotta love McCormick. It’s a staple in our kitchen. I live close to their factory in Maryland. The surrounding area smells like vanilla when it’s vanilla day at the factory. It’s magical.
There is almost nothing better than a good family recipe for tradition – these cookies look so good!
Oh, I wish we could get the recipes mentioned in the comments, too! Family heirloom recipes are the best! Merry Christmas, everyone!
My husband is the baker in our family and we always make his mother’s famous hermit bars !! They smell like ginger and molasses and cloves and they are perfection.
I love family recipes! They are so precious! These cookies look s festive and delicious!
My mom’s recipe for sugar cookies is always a standout. Or her fudge. I can’t decide which is the more essential Christmas treat!
My mom always made Date Nut Pinwheel cookies but ONLY at Christmas…never any other time of the year. We loved them! Thanks for bringing back the memory! My mom just passed away last January at age 95!