Tri-color Pinwheels

2½ cups flour

1½ cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

7-8 drops red food coloring

7-8 drops green food coloring

Powdered sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, egg, baking powder, vanilla, salt and rum if desired. Beat at low speed for about 3 minutes, until dough is smooth.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Mix red food coloring into one, green into another and leave the rest plain. Shape each portion into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours.

Divide each portion in half. Sift powdered sugar onto a piece of wax paper. Lightly coat rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out a portion of green dough into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining green, pink and plain dough using a fresh piece of wax paper for each.

Layer one plain rectangle onto a green one (remove waxed paper); top with pink dough. Starting at one long side roll dough tightly, jelly roll fashion, peeling back wax paper on the bottom. Repeat with remaining dough, starting with pink at the bottom. Wrap and refrigerate both rolls until firm, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease several cookie sheets.

Slice each roll crosswise into ¼-inch slices, place 1 inch apart on prepared pans and bake 11 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and cool on rack.

Makes 80 cookies.

Nutrition values per serving: 45 calories, 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 6 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 0 protein, 10 mg cholesterol, 25 mg sodium.