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Coconut Pinwheel Cookies standing against a black background

Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels

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  • Author: Cindy Gibbs @ My Country Table
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 40
  • Yield: 18 1x

Description

These Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels are so adorable and easy to make and they have a delectable filling made of coconut, white chocolate, and cream cheese.   A great treat to make for Spring or Easter!  


Ingredients

Units Scale

Cookies

  • 2 cups all purpose flour, more for dusting
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, unsweetened can be used
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • Granulated sugar


Instructions

Cookies Step 1

  1. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Mix on high speed until the cream cheese is smooth and free of any lumps. Add the butter and mix again until mixture is very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, sugar and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are well combined, about 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and mix just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over mix. Over mixing makes dough tough.
  3. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a rectangle shape. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until firm. While the cookie dough is refrigerated, make the filling.

Filling

  1. Using a hand held mixer, mix the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until smooth again. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the coconut and white chocolate chips. Set mixture aside.

Cookies Step 2

  1. Remove 1 half of dough from the refrigerator at a time, leaving the second one until you’re ready to use it.
  2. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I used parchment paper for these, trying not to work too much excess flour into the dough. Roll the dough into a rectangle, trying to roll it to about 7 x 14 or 8 x 13 inch rectangle and about 1/8 inch in thickness. I concentrated more on the thickness, making sure I didn’t roll the dough too thick.
  3. Using a square cookie cookie, cut cookie dough into squares. Note, Martha used a fluted 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter. I used a fluted 3 1/4 inch cookie cutter. If you don’t have a fluted one, feel free to use a plain one. You really don’t want to go much smaller with the size of the cookie cutter though. The cookie dough needs to be big enough to fold in the corners to form the pinwheels.
  4. Cut out the cookies and use a metal spatula to transfer them to ungreased cookie sheets, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches between them. I placed 6 cookies on each cookie sheet.
  5. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel cutter, (if you want fluted edges), cut 1 inch slits diagonally from each corner to almost the center of each dough square.
  6. Place one rounded teaspoon of the filling mixture in the center of each dough square. Lift up and fold inward every other dough tip into the center, pressing slightly to seal. This forms the pinwheel.

Egg Wash

  1. Whisk together the egg and oil. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each pinwheel with the egg wash, be careful to not brush the edges of dough with egg wash. This will cause cookies to adhere to the cookie sheet. I also don’t wash the tips of the dough. I find it causes excess browning on the tips.
  2. Sprinkle the tops of cookies generously with granulated sugar or coarse sugar if preferred.
  3. Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and barely golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes. Using a sharp metal spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.
  4. Store cookies in an airtight container. Cookies can be frozen for up to one month. Place between layers of wax paper when freezing.
  5. These cookies look adorable when displayed on skewers in a jar of sugar.

Notes

  • Prep time does not include refrigeration time.