Neapolitan Pinwheel Cookies

Yield

28 cookies.

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until evenly combined, with a texture like wet sand. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. With the mixer running, add the egg, then each egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined.

Divide the dough into thirds. Shape one third into a rough square and set aside. Return another third to the mixer, raise the speed to medium-low, and mix in the cocoa powder until combined; shape into a rough square and set aside. Clean the mixing bowl and paddle attachment. Put the last third of dough in the mixing bowl and beat in the ground strawberries and pink food coloring or beetroot powder until combined; shape into a rough square and set aside.

Draw a 7-by-9-inch rectangle on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the sheet over. Working with one square of dough at a time, put the dough in the center of the rectangle. Using a lightly floured rolling pin and a dough scraper, roll and shape each piece of dough until it is ¼ inch thick and fits the rectangle. Layer each dough rectangle between sheets of parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Peel the parchment paper from the rectangles, then put one sheet of parchment on the counter and set the chocolate dough on it. Top with the vanilla dough, lining the edges up as evenly as possible, and press down gently. Top this with the strawberry dough. Let sit at room temperature until it’s just soft enough to roll out, about 10 minutes more. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the stack out to a 9-by-11-inch rectangle, flipping it over a few times for even rolling. Trim the edges (you can press the trimmings together into rounds and bake them, too).

Working from one of the long edges, carefully roll the dough stack up like a jelly roll, stopping regularly to smooth out any cracks. Wrap in parchment and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set the racks to the second-from-top and second-from-bottom positions.

Remove the roll from the freezer and slice crosswise into disks about ¹⁄3 inch thick. Lay the pieces 1½ inches apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, then switch the positions of the baking sheets and bake until the bottoms are light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Let the cookies rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.