Last Updated on March 30, 2026 by Lisa Keys
Christmas pinwheel cookies are my husband's favorite. This festive holiday bite is filled with marmalade, nuts and spices. Plus, they really dress up a cookie tray with that lovely spiral.
Baking for my husband, Bill, and a few others is my therapy. Baking a few sweet treats is the cure for the winter blues. The photos illustrate just a few recipes I tried.
Tapping into that inner strength I created 3 inspired original recipes which were totally delightful plus a few tried and true favorites. It would not be a Christmas cookie tray without Caitlin's favorite jam thumbprints, my favorite molasses, or these melt in your mouth spirited shortbread.
Truth be told, I had a meltdown the day after Christmas. In a room full of people and surrounded by our children, I suddenly felt like half of me was missing. Out of nowhere, his absence overwhelmed me. Gosh, I miss him! Cookies cannot change that, though I wonder which one he would have chosen as his favorite.
What gets you through the holidays?
Here is the recipe for these Christmas pinwheel cookies. If you dislike orange marmalade, feel free to swap it for raspberry jam to achieve a Linzer tart flavor. I clipped this recipe from a magazine decades ago and have made these spicy, fruit-filled, nutty slice-and-bake cookies ever since. I love that you can make the dough ahead of time, store it in the fridge or freezer for a week, and then slice and bake them fresh whenever you need. This one is a keeper!
Cookie ingredient substitutions
- Use any marmalade or jam that your heart desires
- Use pecans, almonds or hazelnuts instead of walnuts
- No allspice? Try any combination of warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)
- any moist dried fruit like cherries, apricots or golden raisins can be used
Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup dark seedless raisins
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
Instructions
- In medium-sized bowl, combine first 4 ingredients and 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar.
- Into large bowl, measure flour, shortening, egg, and 1 cup packed light-brown sugar. Knead ingredients until dough holds together.
- On sheet of waxed paper, roll out half of dough into a 14" by 6" rectangle; spread with half of nut mixture. Starting with a 6-inch side, roll up dough. Repeat with remaining dough and nut mixture. Wrap and refrigerate rolls 2 hours or until firm enough to slice. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 1 week before baking.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease large cookie sheets. Cut one roll crosswise into ¼ inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 inch apart, on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. With pancake turner, remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining roll. Store cookies in tightly covered container.
Krista says
I bake, cook and avoid social media and Tavel somewhere warm for a few days.
Sunshine is good for the soul!!
Congratulations on the new grand baby...my little nieces help me get trough it when it gets tough
Hope you found some peace and joy through your celebrating ❤️
Lisa says
Such a good plan to follow. Thank you for sharing. I was taken by surprise by my emotions. The grief took over in a split second. I don't believe I ever felt that sense of half of me was gone like I did in that moment. Thankfully, we recover. I mentioned to my husband that there are certain social situations that I guess I must prepare better for or avoid completely. FB for sure! Always love hearing from you <3. You add so much wisdom to the group.
Lisa Keys says
This recipe is a family favorite. Husband just loves the warm spices combined with orange marmalade.