Black and White Pinwheel Cookies

Black and white, spiraled together — these look like more work than they are. Two doughs from one base, rolled up and sliced.

They keep well and they photograph well, which makes them the right thing to have in the tin when people come over.

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/2 sticks butter (6 oz), at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder

Method

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.

Add the room-temperature butter and work it into the flour with your fingertips.

Add the milk and egg and keep working the dough.

Add the powdered sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and vanilla, and knead until you have a smooth, even dough.

Divide the dough exactly in half. Sift the cocoa into one half and knead it in until the color is uniform, with no streaks.

Roll each half separately between two sheets of parchment, to about 1/4 inch thick. Aim for the same size and shape — matching rectangles roll up cleanly.

Peel off the top sheets. Lay the cocoa dough on top of the plain one, lining up the edges.

Starting from one long side, roll the two layers up together into a tight log. Keep it snug as you go; gaps become holes in the spiral.

Wrap the log and chill for at least 15 minutes. Longer is better — a cold log slices cleanly, a soft one squashes into ovals.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Slice the log into rounds about 1/4 inch thick and arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving space between them.

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. The edges should be set but not colored — these are meant to stay pale.

Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving them; they firm up as they cool.

Chef’s note

If the log softens while you are slicing, put it back in the refrigerator for ten minutes. There is no rescuing a warm cookie dough once it starts to spread.