Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

overhead view of chocolate walnut pinwheel cookies

I’m so excited to be posting the recipe for these Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies today! These are one of my favorite cookies because they have both a buttery cookie base and a sweet chocolate filling – the best of both worlds! These cookies are made with cream cheese cookie dough, which is incredibly light and flakey with a tart and lightly sweet flavor. When combined with the rich dark chocolate and nutty walnut in the filling, it makes for the most delicious bite.

How to Make Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Cream Cheese Cookie Dough

This Cream Cheese Cookie Dough is one of my favorites. It’s slightly tart, barely sweet, and so buttery that it melts in your mouth. Plus, it’s so simple to make! Combine the cream cheese, butter, and sugar in a large bowl, mixing until well combined. Add the flour and salt and mix to form a soft dough. Separate the dough into two equal portions and form a square of dough from each. Since this dough will be rolled out into a rectangular shape, forming it into a square before chilling will make it easier to keep that shape when rolling out. Wrap each square of dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

Chocolate Filling

The filling for these Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies is set with an egg white, which helps the chocolate stay in place in the cookies. To make the filling, melt together the chopped chocolate and melted butter, either in the microwave in 30-second intervals or on the stove over low heat. Once the chocolate and butter are melted together, allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Finish by whisking in the egg white until the filling is smooth, glossy, and shiny.

Assembly and Baking

Take the wrapped cookie dough out of the fridge when you are ready to make the cookies. If you chilled your dough overnight, it might be too hard to roll out right away, so let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes so that it is a little more pliable. Roll out each dough square into a rectangle, about 9×12 inches in size. Spread half of the chocolate filling onto each rectangle and sprinkle with walnuts. Once filled, roll each rectangle up to form a 12-inch dough log. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and return it to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, which will make the logs easier to slice.

Once you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the cookie dough logs from the fridge and slice them into individual cookies, about ½-inch thick. Bake the cookies at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of each cookie are golden brown. The cookies will still be soft when removed from the oven, so carefully transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool and set before eating.

Storage

These Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies will keep well in a covered container at room temperature for 4-5 days. To store them for longer, either freeze sliced cookie dough or freeze the baked cookies. The baked cookies will freeze well in an airtight container for up to two months. Allow them to come to room temperature when you’re ready to eat them. To freeze the cookie dough, fill and slice the cookies as directed before placing them on a baking sheet and freezing for about 30 minutes to one hour, or until hardened. Then, place the frozen dough into a sealed bag or container and freeze for up to two months. When you’re ready to bake, simply bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms and sides of the cookies are lightly golden brown.

I love these cookies! The dough is slightly tart, mildly sweet, and deliciously flakey, while the filling is rich and chocolatey, with nutty bites of walnut. Plus, the pinwheel makes for a beautiful and unique design. These cookies are fun, delicious, and easy to make, which will make this a recipe you’ll want to revisit again and again!

Check out these other delicious Sugar Dusted Sweets cookie recipes by clicking on the images below!

Chocolate Walnut Pinwheel Cookies

Cream cheese pinwheels filled with chocolate and chopped walnuts.
Prep Time30 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, chocolate pinwheel cookies, chocolate walnut, chocolate walnut cookies, chocolate walnut pinwheel cookies, pinwheel cookies, walnut
Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 8-oz package (226 g) cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) sugar
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp (2 g) salt

Chocolate Walnut Filling

  • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (60 g) chopped chocolate
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup (25 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 egg white room temperature
  • ¾ cup walnuts finely chopped

Instructions

Cream Cheese Cookie Dough

  • In a large bowl, mix together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until well combined.
  • Add the flour and salt. Stir to form a soft dough.
  • Separate the dough into two equal portions and form each into a thick square. Wrap each square of dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Chocolate Walnut Filling

  • Melt together the butter and chocolate, either in the microwave (30-second increments) or in a double boiler.
  • Allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Stir to combine.
  • Whisk in the egg white until fully incorporated.

Assembly and Baking

  • Roll out each cookie dough square into a rectangle approximately 9×12 inches.
  • Spread half of the chocolate mixture onto each rectangle and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
  • Roll up the rectangles to form two 12-inch logs. Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Slice each dough log to form approximately ½-inch thick cookies.
  • Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the bottoms and sides of the cookies are lightly golden brown.
  • Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Enjoy!

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