Cream Cheese and Chive Pastry Pinwheels Recipe

By Max Falkowitz
Updated Mar. 21, 2019
20110518-152328-cream-cheese-chive-pinwheels.jpg
Photograph: Max Falkowitz.

These pinwheels have a retro aspect to them I really like. That and they need all of three ingredients—which are completely adaptable to what you have on hand. Plus they can be made ahead of time, and stored for a couple days or frozen and baked off as needed. I like having these on hand for a quick snack or an impromptu first bite before a long brunch or dinner.

Recipe Details

Cream Cheese and Chive Pastry Pinwheels Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 3 hrs
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but cold

  • 12 ounces cream cheese or chevre, softened

  • 3/4 cup minced herbs, packed (such as chives, dill, parsley, or tarragon)

  • Optional additions: lemon zest, finely minced garlic

Directions

  1. On a floured work surface, roll puff pastry out to between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thickness, about a 16 by 16 inch square. With an icing or offset spatula, spread cream cheese in a thin layer across pastry, leaving 1 inch of one side bare. Evenly sprinkle on herbs (as well as any optional additions) and add salt.

  2. Starting with the side opposite the bare 1 inch of pastry, roll pastry into a log. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in freezer for about an hour, or until log is very firm but not rock hard.

  3. Ten minutes before retrieving log from freezer, heat oven to 375°F, with one rack in the upper third and another rack in the bottom third. Using a sharp knife, cut log into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on two parchment-lined aluminum baking sheets.

  4. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate pans on racks and continue to bake until pastry is well-browned and crisp to the touch, about another 15 minutes. Transfer pinwheels to a cooling rack lined with paper towels to cool and drain before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

  5. To store, transfer pinwheels to a large, airy container and leave loosely covered in a cool dry place. Pinwheels will keep several days at room temperature. Frozen as a log, pastry will keep for weeks.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
321 Calories
26g Fat
17g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 321
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 34%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 211mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 48mg 4%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 88mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)