Fig Pinwheels are scrumptious cookies that strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory. A classic tea cake dough is filled with fig preserves and then rolled into classic pinwheels to make a festive dessert for any occasion.
Combine the softened butter and sugar in the base of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.) Beat until creamed together, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the vanilla and break the egg. Beat with the creamed butter and sugar until combined and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Finally, add the buttermilk to the rest of the wet ingredients. Beat until combined. The batter will look broken or curdled. This is OK! This buttermilk gives the batter a unique tangy flavor, and the batter will come back together when the dry ingredients are added.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into another large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients incrementally, mixing until just combined.
Roll out a length of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Dollop the batter into the wrap in the rough shape of a rectangle. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Shape the Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, and set aside.
Once dough has chilled, roll into a 11″ by 17″ rectangle on a floured surface with a rolling pin. It should be about ⅓" thick.
Slather a cup of fig preserves onto the dough, spreading as evenly as possible until about 1" from the edges. (If you spread it all the way to the edges, it will leak out of the cookies.)
Carefully, roll the dough up like you would a cinnamon roll in a round, doing your best to keep the dough as tightly wound as possible.
Place the rolled up dough on the lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for another hour to firm up the dough.
Bake the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to slice it into 24 separate cookies. (They will be about ½" thick.)
Transfer these cookies to a prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tops of cookies are puffy and slightly golden brown.