Orange & Fig Pinwheels – Trendy & Old-Fashioned!

Every once and awhile, I have to giggle at the way recipes come and go, and then come back again. Orange & Fig Pinwheels is one of those recipes. Pinwheel cookies are now everywhere on Pinterest, as are fresh figs. Combine the two and you have one trendy recipe – fig pinwheel cookies.

That said, they remind me of a cookie my grandma used to make. After a quick search in her favorite cooky (yes spelled cooky) book, I found a similar recipe. I guess when a recipe tastes good, it just makes sense that it keeps reappearing in a slightly new form.

We’ve updated this recipe by using a touch of orange juice and grated orange peel. Freezing the rolled-up dough logs helps form perfect pinwheels. Just be sure to use a sharp knife for slicing the dough. I like to make the dough and shape the logs one day, and bake the next. It’s always handy to have some dough in the freezer to pull out and bake when needed. Just make sure you wrap it tightly. I recommend baking the cookies within 3 months of freezing the dough for best results.

Begin by mixing up the cookie dough. It needs to be refrigerated for about 2 hours before rolling it out. Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together until creamy.

Add the eggs, orange peel and vanilla, and continue beating until well-mixed.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and baking soda. Beat until well-mixed.

Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic food wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).

While the dough is in the refrigerator, a food processor makes the preparation of the filling a breeze. Just place the figs and sugar in the food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Then add the orange juice. Cover and process until smooth.

Place the fig mixture in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, which takes about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 30 to 45 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, it is ready to be rolled out. Roll out dough, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), on a lightly floured surface to form a 10x9-inch rectangle.

Spread with half of the cooled fig mixture, leaving about a ½-inch border of dough along the edges.

Roll up tightly, starting with the short side, to form a 9-inch log.

Wrap in plastic food wrap. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F. Remove one log from the freezer. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices with a sharp knife.

Place pinwheels onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Repeat with remaining log.

Enjoy these trendy, no, I mean old-fashioned, no, I really do mean trendy, cookies. And aren’t they pretty?

Do you have a favorite cookie like these Orange & Fig Pinwheels? Tell me about your trendy-yet-old-fashioned favorite when you come back to rate and review this recipe.