This recipe for Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Icebox Cookies makes tons of cookies that are perfect for holiday baking. They look beautiful and you can keep a roll in your fridge or freezer, ready to slice ‘n bake!
I’m very much a maker. I love to create things and make things from scratch, which is where my love of baking derives from. There’s such a feeling of satisfaction from being able to look around the kitchen and see a bunch of things you’ve made (cookies! jam! brownies!). Even though it takes more time, I get so much more out of making something myself than I do from buying it.
This spills over into my home decor too. When I moved into my apartment, I was obsessive about getting my apartment beautifully decorated and accessorized without spending all my money. Harder than it looks, folks – but I ended up DIYing some fun art pieces and knick knacks that now make my apartment look a little bit more fun and personalized.
One of my absolute favorite projects that I did was making these marbled clay ring dishes from A Beautiful Mess. They were super easy to make and so much fun, and the whole time I was making them, I couldn’t help but think about applying the same rolling and marbling technique to cookie dough – and it worked!
These cookies were a whole lot of fun to make, and I promise, making those beautiful swirly patterns is really super simple. The cookies are simple sable cookies. You do have to make two doughs – vanilla and chocolate, but you end up with a whole TON of cookies, perfect for sharing and gifting.
I used Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour, and it produces such perfect cookies! The quality of Bob’s Red Mill products is always top of the line, and this kitchen staple is incredibly versatile and perfect for all of your baking needs. My kitchen is stocked with their products! Get a Bob’s Red Mill coupon by clicking here.
As for how these cookies taste? They’re delicious! The vanilla and chocolate flavors are subtle but flavorful and they’re just crisp enough around the edges without being crunchy. They’re also perfect for gifting! The cookies stack like a dream and don’t take up too much space so they’re perfect to add to a gift or cookie box. This recipe also makes a ton of cookies and the dough can be made weeks in advance if stored in the fridge, or months in advance if stored in the freezer.
A trick to keep icebox cookies round: save your empty paper towel rolls, cut a slit down the side, and store your icebox cookies in the roll! It will keep the sides from getting flattened out.
These Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Icebox Cookies are a fun-to-make, easy-to-eat treat you’ll be glad you have 8 dozen of! Enjoy :)
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Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Icebox Cookies
Ingredients
For the vanilla dough
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the chocolate dough
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 oz. dark chocolate melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Begin with the vanilla dough. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Place the dough in a bowl or on a clean counter while you prepare the chocolate dough.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined. Place the dough in a separate bowl. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has firmed up, use your fingers to roll about 2 tablespoons of vanilla dough into a a long snake about 8" long. It helps to do this on a flat, non-stick surface. Repeat until you have three rolls of vanilla dough and three rolls of chocolate. Combine the smaller rolls into one big roll and twist together carefully - you don’t want to break the dough.
- You should have a thick, twisted log of dough at this point. Roll the dough gently to flatten out the sides, being careful not to make the log too thin - it should be about 2” diameter. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 2 weeks. Repeat with the remaining dough until all has been used.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice cookies 1/4” thick and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Dough can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Recipe Notes
Some people have reported needing more flour than called for - up to a cup in some cases. Since I no longer eat gluten, I cannot retest this recipe but if your dough seems too loose or grainy, add extra flour until a smooth dough forms. It should not be grainy or oily. Sorry for any inconvenience!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
That SWIRL! Can I even explain how perfect these little cookies are looking to me right now?? I so want a handful of these beauties to go with my coffee!
Rachel says
They would be perfect with coffee! Thanks, Sarah!
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
These look so delicious, I love the swirl look. These will make perfect Christmas gifts. Take care.
Rachel says
Thank you, Stacey! You take care as well.
traci | vanilla and bean says
These sweet little swirl cookies are just adorable and I love the flavors. A simple cookie yes, but one that holds so much flavor and texture, perfect for pulling from the freezer at a moments notice when unannounced visitors arrive! Delicious and so festive, Rachel! Thank you for sharing!
Rachel says
They’re definitely the perfect cookies for that, Traci. And the batch is HUGE, so they’ll last through many rounds of company :) thanks!!
Medha (Whisk and Shout) says
These look so delicious- Christmas cookie season has begun!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
Haha, I think having kids has robbed me of my love of home decorating. Thankfully not my love of cooking and baking though! These are so fun — I know they’d be a hit with my girls!
Bella says
these look so yummy I love icebox cookies they always turn out so good!
http://xoxobella.com
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
Such a gorgeous swirl Rachel! And I am so with you – the sense of satisfaction and achievement of creating baked goods and breads (then getting to enjoyment of eating them and watching others enjoy them!) is what keeps me in the kitchen – I love it! <3
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These cookies are gorgeous, Rachel! The swirls are just perfect and I love the chocolate and vanilla combo! Yay for using Bob’s Red Mill flour too, they’re my favorite! I love those clay ring dishes too, they look so cool! Pinned :) Can’t wait to try these!
Rachel says
Thanks so much, Kelly! The ring dishes were so fun to make and look so cute scattered around my apartment :) thanks for the pin!
marcie says
I’ve never made ice box cookies but I love the idea of having them on hand for cookie emergencies! These would be perfect on the holiday dessert tray — they’re so pretty, and Bob’s Red Mill is the best!
Rachel says
Thanks, Marcie!! :)
Abby says
GORGEOUS cookies, Rachel. Love! <3
David @ Spiced says
What a fun recipe! I love the chocolate + vanilla swirl…and I could definitely see a need for 8 dozen of these in my kitchen. Maybe this afternoon! :-)
Vicky & Ruth- May I Have That Recipe says
I love chocolate vanilla swirl cookies! Not only are they beautiful but they are also delicious!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
I have made icebox cookies only once, but I love the idea! This is perfect for the holiday season (aka: cookie making season)
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I wish I was more crafty and could do DIY projects, but sadly, it’s a skill that I lack, at least in home decorating! These cookies look gorgeous, Rachel! I love the swirls and how thin they are. What a perfect cookie to munch on!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
these cookies are so beautiful and look delicious!
dianne says
once baked, how and how long to store them?
Rachel says
Hi Dianne, you can store them for up to 3 days for best texture at room temperature in an airtight container, or for up to a month in the freezer in an airtight container.
Gabby says
I want to shape these into holiday shapes using cookie cutters… is that possible?
Rachel says
Hi Gabby, I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure, but I don’t remember them spreading much so it might work. Can’t make any guarantees though! I’d love to hear if it works if you try it.
Mary says
Just finished making these. They are chilling in the fridge. I can hardly wait to bake them for a New Year’s Eve party tonight! The swirl on the unbaked ones looks divine! Can’t wait to taste them.
Rachel says
I hope they were a hit, Mary! Enjoy!
Margaret Warshaw says
Once you combine the small rolls and make one large log and wrap it in plastic, where does the remaining dough come from. I’m confused.
Rachel says
Hi Margaret, I’m not sure what you mean. Once you’ve rolled all the dough together, there is no more remaining dough – it should all be in the dough logs. If you measure the dough out as mentioned, you should have two rolls of dough. Let me know if you have any questions!
Amy Seigle says
What did I do wrong? There was very little batter and they melted and got gloppy when I tried to roll them into snakes, despite being chilled for two hours. All over my hands and counter! How can these possiblybake into 96 cookies?
Rachel says
Hi Amy, without being in the kitchen with you it’s hard for me to know what went wrong. Did you change anything about the recipe? I’d be happy to help troubleshoot but I don’t any info about the conditions you were working with that could’ve caused issues.
Kate Broughton says
I think there is an error in the amount of flour called for. I found this recipe today and just wanted to make the chocolate portion, so I followed the instructions for the chocolate dough only, expecting that this portion would make 4 dozen cookies rather than 8 dozen. I ended up with a greasy, grainy, wet lump that barely resembled dough, and it sure as heck didn’t look like it would make 48 cookies. However, when I added another cup it produced a silky dough which shaped a perfect log. My hunch is that each of the doughs needs 2 cups of flour rather than 1 cup. (The raw dough tastes great, by the way!)
Rachel says
Thanks for sharing this, Kate! Since this is an older recipe before I went GF, I’m unable to retest as written but I’ve added a note to the bottom of the recipe noting that you may need more flour than the recipe calls for, based on your comment. I appreciate you sharing your insight!
Shayna Aldrich says
Quick question: if frozen, do i thaw before baking or do i slice and bake right out of the freezer? And will that change the time or temp?
Rachel says
Hi Shayna, you’ll want to slice and bake while they’re still cold from the freezer, that’s how to recipe is designed so no need to change time/temp.