Date, Fig and Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies
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Soft, chewy, and filled with a sweet, fruity, nutty filling, these fig, cranberry, and date pinwheel cookies are a crowd-pleasing dessert. Festive and delicious, they’re perfect for the holidays!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love these pinwheel cookies
- Key Ingredient Notes
- How to make pinwheel cookies
- 1. Prepare the pinwheel cookie dough
- 2. Make the filling
- 3. Layer the pinwheels cookies
- 4. Bake the cookies
- Tips for Success
- Make-Ahead Tips
- Storing Tips
- FAQs:
- More Holiday Cookies
- Date, Fig and Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
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Pin ItWhy you’ll love these pinwheel cookies
These Christmas pinwheel cookies have been my family’s favorite for years. According to my husband’s family, they’re very similar to cookies his grandmother used to make, which is a huge compliment!
- Flavor – Every bite is sweet, tangy, nutty, and delicious!
- Texture – The cookie dough itself is soft and chewy, and the filling adds a sticky, crunchy contrast.
- Large batch – This pinwheel cookies recipe makes 48 servings, making it perfect for bake sales, holiday gatherings, and gifting.
Date pinwheel cookies need quite a bit of chilling time, meaning they require a bit of planning. However, the steps are simple, and they come together easily!
Key Ingredient Notes
Cookie Dough
- Unsalted butter adds rich flavor. If salted butter is all you have, simply omit the extra salt in the dough.
- Brown sugar – Use light or dark brown sugar to add sweetness and a rich, slightly caramelly taste to the dough while keeping it soft. Keep reading to learn about the different types of sugars, and take a look at my tips to soften brown sugar if it becomes too hard!
- Eggs provide structure to the cookies, helping them hold their shape.
- All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but think it would work if you use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Baking Soda – Make sure it’s fresh, or your cookies won’t rise!
Filling
- Fresh cranberries – I don’t recommend swapping the fresh cranberries for dried or frozen varieties!
- Dried figs add a sweet flavor and chewy texture. I find them in the baking or nut and trail mix aisles of my local grocery store.
- Dates – Any dates will work, but I recommend using Medjool dates for the sweetest taste. Whatever you choose, make sure they’re pitted before you begin!
- Sugar – Granulated sugar enhances the sweetness of the fruit.
- Salt – A little goes a long way to balance the sugar and enhance the rest of the ingredients.
- Nuts – I use a combination of chopped walnuts and chopped shelled pistachios, but you can use one or the other if preferred.
How to make pinwheel cookies
1. Prepare the pinwheel cookie dough
- Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.
- Stir in the flour and salt, and mix just until well combined. The dough will be quite sticky at this point!
- Divide the dough into two equal parts, and wrap them in plastic wrap.
- Flatten each portion of dough into a square, and chill them in the fridge for at least an hour or ideally up to overnight.
2. Make the filling
- Remove the stems of the dried figs.
- Place the cranberries, dates, and dried figs in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until they’re finely chopped.
- Combine the chopped fruits, sugar, salt, and ½ cup of water in a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and cook until it begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. This usually takes about 8-10 minutes!
- Stir in the chopped nuts, and set the filling aside to cool completely.
Keep a hand on the processor
The food processor will be a little jumpy because the dried figs and dates are sticky. So, keep a hand on top to hold it in place!
3. Layer the pinwheels cookies
- Unwrap the chilled dough, and transfer it to a floured surface.
- Roll one of the dough pieces into a 14×11 inch (35x28cm) rectangle.
- Spread half the fruit filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough into a tight log, starting from the short end.
- Repeat the process, rolling the other half of the dough, and filling it with the remaining fruit and nut mixture.
- Wrap the dough logs with plastic wrap, and chill again for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
4. Bake the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cut the logs into ¼-inch (0.5 cm) discs.
- Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, leaving at least an inch between each piece.
- Bake until the cookies are lightly golden and set. This only takes 15 minutes!
- Cool the date pinwheel cookies on the baking sheets slightly. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Shape the cookies
If the rolls are flattened on one side, just gently squash them back into shape, creating a round log.
Tips for Success
- Avoid overmixing. Be careful to mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined and smooth. Continuing to mix is likely to overwork the gluten in the flour, which leads to dense, tough cookies.
- Don’t rush chilling the dough. The dough is very sticky and soft. So, chilling makes it much easier to shape, preventing overworking. It also allows the gluten to relax and the flavors to absorb for soft, chewy, flavorful cookies!
- Leave a border around the edge of the cookies. When spreading the filling over the dough, smooth it out in an even layer, and leave about half an inch all around the outer edges of the dough. This makes it easier to roll and prevents the filling from oozing out as it bakes.
- Slice the cookies evenly. For even baking, use a sharp, clean knife or even unflavored dental floss to slice the cookies into thin pieces ¼ inch in size.
Make-Ahead Tips
These cookies are a great make-ahead recipe! You can prepare the dough, divide it into two rectangles, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. Then, proceed with the recipe, rolling and filling the dough as normal.
Or, prepare the cookie dough logs, and store them wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 day. This way, all you have to do is slice and bake!
I don’t recommend preparing the filling in advance and storing it on its own. It tends to become pretty stiff as it chills in the fridge, which makes it difficult to work with.
Storing Tips
- Store leftover date pinwheel cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Or, transfer them to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze cooled cookies for up to 1 month. I recommend freezing them on a baking sheet until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and freeze until you’re ready to eat.
- Thaw frozen cookies in the fridge or at room temperature, and enjoy!
FAQs:
What are pinwheel cookies?
Pinwheel cookies are cookies made with either two types of dough layered on top of each other or cookie dough and filling. Once layered, the ingredients are rolled into a log and sliced into cookies, which creates a pretty striped pinwheel effect.
How do you fold pinwheel cookies?
To fold the dough, roll it out into an even rectangle, and gently pull up one end. Then, roll it over tightly, and continue to roll the dough like a log.
What do you roll out cookies on?
Roll your pinwheel cookie dough out on a clean, lightly floured surface. Just use your all-purpose flour for dusting the surface!
More Holiday Cookies
Date, Fig and Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies
Soft and chewy cookies filled with sweet and fruity filling and crunchy nuts.
Ingredients
For dough:
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For filling:
- ½ cup (50 g) fresh cranberries
- ½ cup (85 g) dried figs
- ½ cup (70 g) dates
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup shelled pistachios chopped
Instructions
Prepare the cookie dough
- In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until well combined.
- Stir in flour and salt and mix just until just combined. The dough will be quite sticky and it’s normal.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Flatten into a square and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
Make the filling
- First, remove the stems of the dried figs.
- Place cranberries, dates and stemmed dried figs and process until finely chopped, a minute or two. (Warning! The processor will be a little jumpy, since dried figs and dates are quite sticky.)
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped fruits, sugar, salt and ½ cup of water. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
- Then reduce the heat and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in chopped nuts and cool completely.
Shape the cookies
- Now, once the cookie dough is chilled, it’ll be easier to work with. Unwrap the dough on floured surface and roll into 14x11in (35x28cm) rectangle.
- Spread half of the fruit filling evenly over the dough and roll it from the short end into tight log. Do the same thing with the other half of dough and filling.
- Wrap the logs with plastic wrap again and chill for another 30 minutes, or overnight.
Bake the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cut the log into ¼-inch-thick (0.5cm) disks and place the cookies at least an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or silicone mat. If the rolls are flattened on one side, just gently squash it to form into a round.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Cool the cookies on the sheets for 3-5 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Notes
Make Ahead Tips:
– Prepare the dough, divide it into two rectangles, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. Then, proceed with the recipe, rolling and filling the dough as normal.
– Or, prepare the cookie dough logs, and store them wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 day. This way, all you have to do is slice and bake!
– I don’t recommend preparing the filling in advance and storing it on its own. It tends to become pretty stiff as it chills in the fridge, which makes it difficult to work with. Storing Tips:
– Store leftover date pinwheel cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Or, transfer them to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
– Freeze cooled cookies for up to 1 month. I recommend freezing them on a baking sheet until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and freeze until you’re ready to eat.
– Thaw frozen cookies in the fridge or at room temperature, and enjoy!
– Prepare the dough, divide it into two rectangles, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. Then, proceed with the recipe, rolling and filling the dough as normal.
– Or, prepare the cookie dough logs, and store them wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 day. This way, all you have to do is slice and bake!
– I don’t recommend preparing the filling in advance and storing it on its own. It tends to become pretty stiff as it chills in the fridge, which makes it difficult to work with. Storing Tips:
– Store leftover date pinwheel cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Or, transfer them to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
– Freeze cooled cookies for up to 1 month. I recommend freezing them on a baking sheet until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and freeze until you’re ready to eat.
– Thaw frozen cookies in the fridge or at room temperature, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 93kcal
Carbohydrates: 14g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 4g
Sugar: 8g
Sodium: 77mg
Did you make this?Share a comment or a review below!
Recipe was easy to follow. I didn’t put dates in mine and used hazelnuts instead of the nuts listed. They turned out really good. It’s like a more elevated Fig Newton cookie. It’s a good choice for people who prefer fruit desserts over chocolate/super sweet stuff.
Hi, Robyn! I’m so happy you tried and loved this recipe!! And your hazelnut version sounds amazing. I’ll have to try that as well! Thank you for your feedback!
My late grandma kept a jar of these in her kitchen. I made your recipe today and I’m bringing them to Thanksgiving tomorrow. Tasting these cookies warmed my heart and baking them felt like a hug. THANK YOU!
Aww, that’s so sweet. I’m so happy you found my recipe; it brought you sweet memories. Thank you for your feedback, Amanda!
These cookies were Garrat’s Grandma’s favorite Christmas cookie minus the cranberries. I’m going to have to make your version for Christmas this year. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Rosann. It’s funny you commented on this post, as I had just baked these cookies couple days ago and we’ve been snacking on them lately. 🙂