Sweet Things Remembered

These pecan pinwheel cookies are soft, buttery cookies swirled with a sweet cinnamon-brown sugar filling and crunchy pecans. Inspired by the nostalgic Little Debbie Pecan Spinwheels, they’re a fun homemade twist on a childhood favorite!

Thinking back to childhood, most people can remember at least one favorite Little Debbie snack. For me, it was Zebra Cakes, Caramel Bars, Chocolate Chip Cream Pies, and Cosmic Brownies. While I plan to recreate those at some point, this recipe is inspired by a snack I didn’t like, but it was one that my mom bought often. That snack is Pecan Spinwheels. We called them Pecan Pinwheels, though, and it wasn’t until this past year that I realized that wasn’t the correct name. That’s not the point of this story, though.

I think my mom thought that my siblings and I all liked Pecan Spinwheels, but it was just my sister who did. I would eat them every so often, but overall I just wasn’t a big fan. At that time, there were three of us, so with three kids eating them, my mom would buy enough for three. And, they would disappear like there were three kids eating them. Remember how I said it was just my sister who liked them, though? Yeah, it was just her. She ate them so quickly, though, that it seemed like it was all of us. Hence, the reason my mom kept buying them.

Even though I didn’t care for that particular snack, I still wanted to create a recipe based on them. I mean, the flavor was pretty good; I just thought they were dry. I decided on a cookie version of Pecan Spinwheels, and I must say I like these much better than the original. I’m sure that my sister will like them, too.

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough:

• Butter, softened
• Granulated Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Egg
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour
• Cinnamon

For the Filling:

• Brown Sugar
• Butter, melted
• Cinnamon
• Pecan, finely chopped

Equipment

• Mixer with paddle attachment
• Measuring Tools
• Rolling Pin

How to Make Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

Make the Dough:

• Using a mixer, cream 1 cup softened butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, around 5-7 minutes.
• Add 1 egg and beat until fully incorporated. Then add 1 tsp vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, stir together 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 3 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, and mix until just combined.

Make the Filling:

• In a small bowl, mix ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ cup finely chopped pecans.

Assemble & Bake:

• Roll out the cookie dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
• Spread the filling over the top of the rolled out dough, and then press it in slightly to help it stick to the dough when rolling.
• On the long edge, gently roll the dough into a log shape, and then wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • When I roll my dough, it does start to break in some places. You should be able to press it back together and keep going. If it turns out messy, don’t worry. Once you wrap it in the plastic wrap, you can smooth it out, and the cookies will turn out fine.
• While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment.
• Once the dough is chilled, unwrap the log and slice the cookie dough with a knife into ½ inch thick cookies.
• Place the cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges are set and starting to turn golden.
  • The amount of time with vary depending on how thick you cut your cookies. If they are thicker, they may take a little longer to bake, while thinner cookies will take less time.
• Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let the cool completely, and enjoy!

Questions You May Have

Do I have to chill the dough?

Yes. Because we are filling and rolling the dough with this cookie, you need to chill it so everything has a chance to set before trying to slice the dough into individual cookies.

Can I use this dough to make cookies without doing the filling?

Absolutely! The dough used in this recipe is actually modified slightly from a dough I use to make cut out sugar cookies. If you want just a plain sugar cookie, omit the cinnamon and add ½ tsp almond extract. Then, you can roll out the dough and use whatever cookie cutter shape you choose. For cut out cookies, you do not have to chill the dough.