Purple Galaxy Cookies (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

01 - 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
02 - 2 cups powdered sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 tablespoons milk
05 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
06 - 1 teaspoon almond extract
07 - 3½ cups all-purpose flour
08 - ½ teaspoon salt
09 - Purple gel food coloring
10 - Black gel food coloring
11 - Purple sprinkles
12 - ½ cup black or chocolate sprinkles

# Instructions:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which takes about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and milk, then beat just until they're incorporated - don't overmix at this stage. Now add the vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, and salt. Mix everything together until you have a well-combined, smooth cookie dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
02 - Divide your dough in half. Take one half and add purple gel food coloring, starting with a few drops and mixing thoroughly, then adding more until you reach your desired shade of purple. With the remaining white dough, divide it in half again. Leave one portion white, and color the other portion black using black gel food coloring. You should now have three portions of dough: purple, white, and black.
03 - Dust your work surface with a light coating of flour to prevent sticking. Roll out the black dough into a 6×12-inch rectangle. Next, roll the white dough into the same size rectangle. Place the white dough on top of the black dough, and gently roll over it with your rolling pin to help the layers stick together. Now roll the purple dough into the same dimensions (it will be thicker than the other layers). Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of purple sprinkles over the purple dough, leaving about an inch border around the edges. Press the sprinkles lightly into the dough, then carefully roll the purple dough into a log, starting from one of the long sides.
04 - Place your purple dough log along one edge of the stacked black and white dough. Carefully roll the black and white dough around the purple log, completely encasing it. Squeeze gently as you roll to ensure the layers adhere well to each other. Once you have a large log, roll it in the black or chocolate sprinkles, pressing lightly so they stick to the outside. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, though overnight is even better for the flavors to develop.
05 - When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove the chilled cookie log from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into slices about ¼-inch thick. Place the slices on your prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie to allow for spreading. Sprinkle a few additional purple sprinkles in the center of each cookie for extra flair.
06 - Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, or until they just begin to brown around the edges. Be careful not to overbake as they can quickly go from perfect to too crisp. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cooling time allows them to firm up so they don't break when moved.

# Notes:

01 - These gorgeous spiral cookies feature a tri-color design with a purple center surrounded by contrasting black and white layers for a striking visual effect.
02 - The dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Just slice and bake when ready!
03 - For a different color scheme, try using holiday colors like red and green for Christmas or orange and black for Halloween.

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