It's always a good idea to have some appetizers on hand for your guests. Baked Jalapeno Pinwheels are a delicious and easy party appetizer that you can make in less than 15 minutes! If you're looking for a simple spicy, cheesy appetizer, then you will love these. They are super soft and chewy from the buttery puff pastry and filled with a delicious cream cheese mixture of diced jalapenos and cheddar cheese.
Looking for jalapeno recipes ideas? Try my jalapeno cheddar cornbread with a hearty bowl of chili or a nice stew! Or for something creamy, tangy, and delicious try this slow cooker buffalo chicken dip, it's perfect for events, parties, and family gathering.
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🧀 Jalapeno Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Jalapeno cream cheese pinwheels are a great appetizer to serve at parties, picnics, or BBQs. Baked in less than 15 minutes with puff pastry dough and filled with a delicious mixture of diced jalapenos and cheddar cheese, these pinwheels are easy to make and versatile too! You can either buy fresh jalapeño or canned jalapenos for this recipe.
For me, they are the perfect party food because it takes me less than half an hour to whip up 3 or 4 variations of pinwheels when it's game day. You can make a batch of them the night before or in the morning and store them in the fridge readily prepared for a game day party!
They are incredibly moreish and oozing with delicious cheeses mixed with jalapeno pinwheels in a light puff pastry. Open a can of beer and eat jalapeno pinwheels while watching the big game is what game days are all about!
🍽 What you need
For this great appetizer, you can either buy fresh jalapeño or canned jalapenos. Depending on how much heat you like, you can opt to increase or reduce the number of jalapeños. My taste buds are pretty strong on the spicy scale, so 2 jalapenos are mild for me, and sometimes I add one more for good luck, but my wife and some friends say that 2 is plenty… So you can judge after the first batch!
If you are buying frozen puff pastry, make sure to leave it out at room temperature around 20 minutes before rolling, so it is soft and foldable.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Baking dish or cookie sheet
- Electric whisk
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 spicy jalapenos - seeded and minced
- 6 ounces softened cream cheese
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces puff pastry - thawed if frozen
🔪 How to make Jalapeno Pinwheels
Step 1
Lower the oven rack to one below the top position. Set your oven to broil at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (degrees Celsius). Roast your whole jalapenos until dark and blistered.
Step 2
Once the jalapenos are roasted, remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the oven from broil to full oven.
Step 3
Remove seeds, charred skin, and roughly chop the jalapenos.
Step 4
Whisk the egg and water together for a minute and then set aside for later.
Step 5
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and shredded cheddar cheese until smooth, then add the chopped jalapeños and salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Step 6
Roll out the puff pastry sheet and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top.
Step 7
Gently roll the pastry over the filling. Make sure to tuck the roll in as tight as possible after each roll to keep it together.
Step 8
Use a serrated knife to cut the roll into 20 thick slices and lay them on a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Step 9
Brush each slice with the prepared egg wash and bake them in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Step 10
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving suggestions
Jalapeno pinwheels are the perfect appetizer for dipping in sour cream and chive dip, cheese sauce, or spicy salsa.
💭 Top recipe tips
- A quick tip when making perfect jalapeno cream cheese pinwheels is to wrap the roll in plastic wrap. You can put the plastic wrap under the puff pastry while rolling to make it easier to cover the pinwheel. Grab the ends of the plastic wrap with your fingers and gently swing the roll around. If done correctly, it should tighten the roll.
- Placing the roll in the fridge for 30 minutes will make cutting it into thick slices a lot easier. The pastry and filling harden as it cools, allowing you to cut it without falling apart.
- Add some crunch and saltiness to your pinwheels by mixing a small handful of diced bacon pieces and garlic salt to the filling.
- Feel free to use your favorite cheeses with this recipe. I sometimes add pepper jack cheese or mozzarella instead of cheddar and also ricotta.
- Extras like bacon crumbles add a nice touch!
📖 Quick Variations
Pinwheel recipes are very versatile, allowing you to create many variations of the same recipe. Whatever your favorite ingredients are, you can surely add them to roll-ups and pinwheels.
Love jalapenos? My favorite delicious recipes include blah blah blah
Mexican Pinwheels
These spicy pinwheels combine some of Mexico's favorite ingredients to create a deliciously spicy tortilla roll. Mexican pinwheels are super-tasty and filled with black olives, cream cheese, and jalapenos.
Bacon Pinwheels
The addition of bacon crumbles mixed with cream cheese, and ranch dressing wrapped up in flour tortillas. Bacon and jalapeno pinwheels are deliciously creamy, mildly spicy, and super-easy to prepare.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
Pinwheels are great for storing in the fridge for the whole family to enjoy throughout the week and for storing any leftovers from last night's dinner party. Perfect for a lunch box or game day!
Refrigerated
Transfer any leftover pinwheels to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can cover them on a plate with aluminum foil or wrap.
Freeze
I do not recommend freezing cooked pinwheels because during the thawing process, as they become soggy and don't taste as good.
Make ahead of time
Baked pinwheels are perfect for making in advance. I recommend freezing the sliced pinwheels uncooked for an hour and then transferring them to an airtight container. There's no need to thaw them, just place them on a lined baking sheet in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
👪 Serving size
The ever-popular jalapeno poppers have been present in my cooking for a long time, and this recipe is by far the easiest and in my top 3 delicious recipes to make for parties.
Give these jalapeno popper pinwheels a try for your next event. They are insanely moreish and serve 20 people with one batch.
📋 Recipe
Baked Jalapeno Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 jalapeños - seeded and minced
- 6 ounces cream cheese - softened
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese - shredded
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- to taste salt and pepper
- 8 ounces puff pastry - thawed if frozen
Instructions
- Turn your broiler on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together until combined and foamy then set aside.
- Roast the jalapeños in the top of the oven until blackened and blistered - about 4 inches from the heat source. Turn the oven from broiler to regular heat, leaving the temperature at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the jalapenos to cool, then peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds, and roughly chop.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and sugar well. Add some salt and pepper and the jalapeño pieces and stir to combine.
- Roll out the pastry sheet a little with a rolling pin, then spread the cheese mixture evenly over the surface.
- Roll it up tightly from the short side, like a jelly roll. Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into about 20 1" slices, and lay them on baking paper lined baking sheets.
- Brush each slice with the egg wash, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- A quick tip when making perfect jalapeno cream cheese pinwheels is to wrap the roll in plastic wrap. You can put the plastic wrap under the puff pastry while rolling to make it easier to cover the pinwheel. Grab the ends of the plastic wrap with your fingers and gently swing the roll around. If done correctly, it should tighten the roll.
- Placing the roll in the fridge for 30 minutes will make cutting it into thick slices a lot easier. The pastry and filling harden as it cools, allowing you to cut it without falling apart.
- Add some crunch and saltiness to your pinwheels by mixing a small handful of diced bacon pieces and garlic salt to the filling.
- Feel free to use your favorite cheeses with this recipe. I sometimes add pepper jack cheese or mozzarella instead of cheddar and also ricotta.
- Extras like bacon crumbles add a nice touch!
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