Sweet and spicy meet in these Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Pinwheels puff pastry filled appetizers.
These will be a hit at your next game day or any fancy holiday party!
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Tailgating Snacks Month
I love having a batch of this pepper jelly in the fridge for all kinds of occasions.
In this case, it’s football season, so I wanted to make something fun and delicious.
And, it’s Tailgating Snacks Month here on the blog! So I wanted to make something for you guys that would knock your socks off!
I totally hit it out of the park with this one. It’s easy to make and so delicious.
Confession: we ate the whole batch while watching the first game of the season. We were stuffed! But it was so good.
These pinwheels would also be great at a fancy holiday party, you know, if you’re going to have any of those this year. Who knows how the rest of the year or even next year will play out? Sigh.
But, back to the recipe …
Other uses for this pepper jelly
This pepper jelly recipe makes more than you need for this recipe.
Could you use bottled pepper jelly from the store?
Yes, of course, but I do think this recipe for pepper jelly rocks it! And I think it’s worth the time to make it. It’s THAT good!
Besides, it makes a nice big batch. And you can eat it with cheese and crackers on a cheese plate. Plus you can make these great recipes: Pepper Jelly Shrimp or Pepper Jelly Cheese Balls.
Can these be reheated?
Yes, if you have a few leftover, simply store them in a covered container in the fridge for up to a couple days. Then, pop them back in a 400° F oven for about 5 minutes, and you’ll have great pinwheels again.
Some prep work:
If you have frozen puff pastry sheets, you’ll need to thaw them so they are nice and pliable. Thawing the frozen puff pastry sheets.
Thaw time may vary; you want the puff pastry to unfold easily but still be cold after thawing.
To thaw at room temperature, remove the pastry sheets from the box and outer wrapping. Thaw the sheets on the counter for about 40 minutes.
To thaw in the microwave, remove one pastry sheet from the box and outer wrapping, and wrap the sheet in a paper towel.
Working with one sheet at a time, microwave on high for 15 seconds. Turn the pastry sheet over. Microwave on high for another 15 seconds.
If pastry doesn’t unfold easily, microwave for another 5 seconds on each side.
Using the puff pastry
Unfold the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Remove parchment paper. The pastry should be ready to roll and shape.
If the pastry cracks when unfolding, sprinkle the crack with a little water and press the edges together to seal.
If thawed pastry sheets become warm or sticky after thawing, place in the freezer for 5 minutes, or the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes, then they should be ready to use.
Other puff pastry recipes you’ll love
Pesto Puff Pasty Pinwheels
Lemon puff pastry sticks
Blueberry breakfast pastry
French onion tart
Sausage and potato pot pies
Poached pear puff pastry
Pepper Jelly Pinwheels Recipe
Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
Pepper Jelly:
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 jalapenos seeded ribs removed and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground
Pinwheels:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup pepper jelly
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 17.3 ounces puff pastry thawed
Instructions
Make the pepper jelly:
- Mix all pepper jelly ingredients (vinegar, sugar, chopped peppers, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until reduced by a little more than ½, making about 2 cups of pepper jelly.
- Allow jelly to cool. It will thicken as it cools. You will want ½ cup of pepper jelly for this pinwheels recipe.
Make the pinwheels:
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and ½ cup of the pepper jelly together.
- Beat the egg and the water in a separate small bowl.
- Unfold one pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Remove the parchment paper from the pastry sheet. Lightly roll out the pastry using a rolling pin so that the pastry is flat and all roughly the same thickness.
- Spread half of the cream cheese pepper jelly mixture onto the pastry sheet. Starting at the short side closest to you, roll up the pastry like a jelly roll. Cut the log into 10 slices, about ½ inch thick each. Lay the slices flat on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush rolls with egg mixture.
- Repeat with second puff pastry sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I swear – wrap puff pastry around anything and I love it — but these were EXCEPTIONAL. Thank goodness I swiped one off of the plate before I sat them down or I wouldn’t have even gotten one!
Ive seen lots of stuff rolled into a pinwheel, but this was so interesting that I had to make it!! My family gobbled them up. And I thought they were so easy to make. Just mix and bake!
I’ve always been gifted jars of pepper jelly (or bought them) and have never made it myself. Your recipe was so simple to follow and turned out delicious!
These are brilliant! I LOVE pepper jelly. The only downside is I ate waaaay to many of these. 😉
I love appetizers and game day food! These were so perfect for our football watching this past weekend. Sweet and spicy. Yummy!
Can you freeze these before you bake them?
Lise, I like your idea – that way you have some appetizers all ready in the freezer. I’ve never tried it, but I think it would work. Freeze them in a single layer, like on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Then, pop them in a ziptop bag. For baking, I’ve never baked puff pastry directly from frozen so I think you’d want to thaw them before baking. Put them in the fridge overnight and they should defrost. Then, bake as directed. Baking them from frozen would take a little testing, probably add some time to the baking time, and keep the temperature the same – keep an eye on them as they bake to see how they are doing.
Can i prepare the pepper jelly cream cheeaw pinwheels ahead of time and freeze until want to bake them? and do i cut them before freezing or leave rolled up in plastic wrap until ready to use… thank you
Gloria, yes, you can prepare them ahead of time and freeze them. I would cut them before freezing, and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen they can be placed in a ziptop bag or freezer safe container. You may wish to place parchment paper in between each piece to make sure they don’t stick. Let them thaw in the fridge before you’re ready to bake them.
I have seen jars of pepper jelly that you can buy at a specialty shop. Can I use that instead of making my own pepper jelly?
Steff, yes, you can use that other jar. And, like I said in the post, but I do think this recipe for pepper jelly rocks it! And I think it’s worth the time to make it. It’s THAT good!
I made these today for a party tonight that got cancelled unexpectedly due to covid. The pinwheels have already been baked. Do they will freeze and reheat well. I hate to throw them away and I don’t want to eat them all myself! They are delicious, by the way.
Carolyn, oh I’m sorry to hear about the party being canceled for that reason. I hope the person gets a mild case. Yes, you can freeze them and reheat them. I have a toaster oven that I like to reheat things like this in. Take them out of the freezer the night before you want to heat them, and let them defrosting the fridge overnight. I would reheat them at 350 for probably 10-15 minutes. I’m glad you love them! 🙂 Thanks!
Not sure if mine turned out right. What is the cream cheese / pepper jelly mixture supposed to be like. Mine ended up very very soft. It didn’t take much to cover the pastry and I had a lot left over. When cooked, you really barely tasted the pepper jelly, and the cream cheese, not at all?? I needed them for a function an hour later, so just added more pepper jelly on top. Everyone liked them, but They didn’t come out the way I had anticipated.
Marcia, I’ll try to help you trouble shoot here. First you make the pepper jelly. Yes, there’s more pepper jelly than you will need for the recipe for the pinwheels. If you are saying your pepper jelly was very soft, you should cook it longer to let to thicken and allow it to cool. The pepper jelly makes about 2 cups when it is finished cooking. You will only use 1/2 cup of that pepper jelly. It will thicken as it cools. The pepper jelly is thick. Then the 8 ounces of cream cheese should be softened to room temp. Mix the cooked, cooled, and thickened 1/2 cup of pepper jelly into the 8 ounces of cream cheese. It should be thick but soft. A spreadable consistency. You should have used the whole amount of the 8 ounces of cream cheese plus the 1/2 cup of pepper jelly to spread on the puff pastry. Good brands of foods will make a difference as well. Pepperidge farm or Dufour puff pastry are my top choices. You can find them in the freezer section. Philadelphia cream cheese is always best. I’m not sure, but it sounds like you didn’t use up all of the cream cheese mixture in making the pinwheels. I hope that helps.
Can I make these up the night before and keep in fridg til ready to bake? Or can I make and bake them, then reheat for party?
Joanne, yes, you can do both. If you don’t bake them, place them on a baking sheet and cover the whole thing with plastic wrap. Then bake up fresh for the party. If you do bake them, let them cool completely, then refrigerate tightly covered in a container. Then, pop them back in a 400° F oven for about 5 minutes, and you’ll have great pinwheels again.
This was so delicious.Overloaded my pastry but still so tasty.
Scarlet, sounds like maybe you used more than the 1/2 cup of pepperjelly.