Jigsaw Pinwheel Cookies

Despite their horror-ish name and their bloody demeanour, Jigsaw Pinwheel Cookies are a light and buttery delight! Liberally dusted with red sanding sugar, the biscuit-like dough is rolled to form the look of Jigsaw’s red and white spirally cheeks. Complete with a splattering of homemade edible blood, these cookies are perfect for Halloween and the Saw franchise fan!

For as long as I can remember, or at least since that glorious day in 1991 when my parents bought our very first television, I have been a fan of horror movies. That love of the bloody, the gory, and the macabre has always fascinated me and I think my daughter inherited her love of horror movies from me. When I first tested this recipe, it was intended to be a white and red recipe for Canada Day. She convinced me to remake it and step it up a notch for Halloween. Jigsaw Pinwheel Cookies is brought to you by my kitchen and her imagination!

Between the two of us, we have tried our best to pull John.e over to the dark side in terms of horror movies. We have forced him to watch the classics, such as Misery, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even Exorcism. John.e loves older movies, so we thought that would win him over, but it didn’t. Next, we tried modern movies like the Annabelle series, yet still, he has not seen the light.

We even tried Christmas-themed horror movies, like Black Christmas and Krampus. Those, he tolerated, but I don’t think he loved any of them. McKenna and I have not given up, but most of the time, we squeeze in as many horror movies as we can whenever we are home without John.e. Do you know what, Dear Reader? Even though he is not yet a horror fan, he was a fan of these cookies. And, who wouldn’t be? Despite the grotesque look, they are quite delicious!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• Butter – The butter must be softened and completely at room temperature. You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, halve the amount of added salt further down this list.
• Sugar – There isn’t much sugar in the cookie dough, but there will be some added sugar for sweetness in the filling.
• Egg – This is used to bind the dough.
• Milk – Like the egg, this is used to bind and moisten the dough.
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder – There seems like a lot of this, and there is, but it is needed and it works!
• Salt

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• Butter – Yes, more butter! In this case, the butter is the glue that holds the other filling ingredient in place. When it melts in the oven, it melts the sugar and creates a sticky, sweet center.
• Red Sanding Sugar – This is where the sweetness comes from.

EDIBLE BLOOD INGREDIENTS:

• Corn Syrup – There are a lot of misconceptions about corn syrup because one of them is bad for you and the other one is just liquid sugar extracted from corn. We are using the latter, which won’t hurt anyone in moderation.
• Water
• Red Food Colouring
• Cornstarch
• Chocolate Syrup – This will deepen the red colour and make the edible blood look more realistic. If you don’t have chocolate syrup, you can use the tiniest drop of purple food colouring.

HOW TO MAKE JIGSAW PINWHEEL COOKIES:

As previously mentioned, there are three steps to this recipe. I’ve broken each step down into its own section so that the instructions are clear and concise.

PREPARING THE DOUGH

The first thing you will want to do is to prepare the dough. To do this, using only the amounts found in the dough ingredient list, add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined. Add the egg and beat into the butter and sugar. Next, add the milk and vanilla extract and beat those in too.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and beat well to combine. When a dough is formed, pat it into a ball and place the dough into the fridge to cool for 15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. While the dough is cooling, measure out the butter and red sanding sugar. Set those aside for now.

ROLLING AND SLICING – THE FUN PART!

Once the dough has cooled, roll it out in a lightly greased three-quarter-sized sheet pan. This will ensure you get a dough that measures 21 x 15″ but, don’t fret – it won’t be perfect! Use a pastry brush to brush the butter over the surface of the rolled dough. Sprinkle over the red sanding sugar. Carefully lift the dough slightly from one end and begin rolling the dough into a long cylinder, working your way down the side of the rolled dough. Try to roll as tightly as possible without breaking or tearing the dough.

Once rolled, use a sharp knife to slice the rolled dough into 1/3 inch slices. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each roll. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

PREPARING AND APPLYING THE EDIBLE BLOOD

This step is optional, but personally, I think adding the splattering of edible blood makes the cookies look more fitted to the Halloween theme. To make the edible blood, measure the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until very well combined. Whisk slowly! If you whisk vigorously, you will incorporate air bubbles into the blood. Try to avoid that.

Use a thin wire whisk to dip into the edible blood and drizzle it over the cookies in a gently swishing motion. If you want to create a spatter effect, dip a plastic straw into the edible blood and allow the excess to drip off. Hold the straw over the cookies and use your index finger to flick the straw in the direction of the splatter. Do not apply the edible blood until you are ready to serve!

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often in my recipes, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you cannot find sanding sugar, then I’m afraid this recipe is not for you.

You can find sanding sugar online, but it’s expensive in comparison to what you can find at a baking supply store. I buy most of my sanding sugar at Bulk Barn. They have just about every colour you will need!

CAN’T FIND RED SANDING SUGAR?

Don’t worry, Dear Reader, you can still prepare these Jigsaw Pinwheel Cookies without red sanding sugar. They might not be as vibrantly red in the center and you won’t get the glistening effect that the red sanding sugar creates, but the joint red and white spiral will still be evident.

Before spreading the butter onto the rolled dough, tint it heavily with red food colouring. Once that’s done, go ahead and spread the red butter over the dough. It would certainly be best if you topped the butter with coarse sugar, however, regular granulated sugar will do in a pinch.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most baked goods like these cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. They will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one or two, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Jigsaw Pinwheel Cookies, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these for up to three months.