Fig Pinwheels are scrumptious cookies that strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory. A classic tea cake dough is filled with fig preserves and then rolled into classic pinwheels to make a festive dessert for any occasion.
Make the Cookie Dough
2 Combine the softened [wprm-ingredient text="½ cup unsalted butter" uid="1"] and [wprm-ingredient text="¾ cup granulated sugar" uid="3"] in the base of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.) Beat until creamed together, about 2-3 minutes.
16 Pour in [wprm-ingredient text="¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract" uid="4"] and break [wprm-ingredient text="1 egg" uid="5"] into the mixture. Beat with the creamed butter and sugar until combined and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
17 Finally, add [wprm-ingredient text="3 tablespoons buttermilk" uid="6"] to the rest of the wet ingredients. Beat until combined. The batter will look broken or curdled. This is OK! This buttermilk gives the batter a unique tangy flavor, and the batter will come back together when the dry ingredients are added.
3 Sift [wprm-ingredient text="2 ½ cups all-purpose flour" uid="8"], [wprm-ingredient text="1 teaspoon baking powder" uid="9"], [wprm-ingredient text="¾ teaspoon baking soda" uid="10"] and [wprm-ingredient text="¼ teaspoon kosher salt" uid="11"] into another large bowl. Whisk to combine.
4 Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients incrementally, mixing until just combined.
5 Roll out a length of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Dollop the batter into the wrap in the rough shape of a rectangle. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Shape the Cookies
8 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, and set aside.
9 Once dough has chilled, roll into a 11″ by 17″ rectangle on a floured surface with a rolling pin. It should be about ⅓" thick.
10 Slather [wprm-ingredient text="1 cup fig preserves" uid="13"] onto the dough, spreading as evenly as possible until about 1" from the edges. (If you spread it all the way to the edges, it will leak out of the cookies.)
11 Carefully, roll the dough up like you would a cinnamon roll in a round, doing your best to keep the dough as tightly wound as possible.
18 Place the rolled up dough on the lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for another hour to firm up the dough.
Bake the cookies
19 Preheat the oven to 350℉.
12 Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to slice it into 24 separate cookies. (They will be about ½" thick.)
13 Transfer these cookies to a prepared baking sheet.
14 Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tops of cookies are puffy and slightly golden brown.
15 Let cool and then enjoy!
