Jeanne’s Pinwheel Crescents

Jeanne brought this appetizer to a neighborhood Christmas party recently, and she used a yummy mushroom filling to make “Mushroom Pinwheel Crescents”.  She said her kids love them the best when she uses a pizza filling to make Pizza Pinwheel Crescents (pictured above).  Another variation is for Spinach Florentine Pinwheels.

The best part is how they can be made ahead of time.  Right now I have two cookie sheets in the freezer all ready to take with us when we’re visiting our families for Christmas.  All I have to do is remember to get them out in time so they can thaw, and then bake them just before serving.  I tried these out on the family yesterday and everyone loved them.

• Start with this crescent dough recipe, which makes 4 – 12” x 4” rectangles.  (Mine actually were more like 6” x 16”.)  The filling recipes below are enough for 2 rectangles, which will make about 36 pinwheels. (About 18 each rectangle.)
• After the first rise, roll crescent dough into a rectangle on a floured countertop.
• Spread with 1/2 of the filling mixture.  (See below for filling options.)
• Roll up into a log, starting with a long side.
• Place on a buttered or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Repeat to use the other 1/2 of the filling.
• Chill in fridge at least 1 hour. (I omitted this step and they were still good, but Jeanne’s were prettier and kept more of the “pinwheel” shape.)
• Cut into 1/2” slices.  Place on buttered or parchment paper covered baking sheets.  (I let them rise a little on the cookie sheet, for about an hour.)
• Bake at 350* for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown.
• Best served warm and with more butter of course. 

GREAT MAKE AHEAD NOTES:

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made a day ahead and the log can be kept in the fridge.  The next day just slice and bake.  OR to make ahead even further out from when you’ll need them:  after slicing, lay out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to freeze.  Once frozen, transfer to a storage container to keep in the freezer until you’re ready to thaw and bake.  So simple!  Jeanne makes a lot of them at once to keep on hand for kids’ snacks.

FILLING OPTIONS (Remember, this is enough for TWO rectangles):

1. Pizza Pinwheels:
   • • 1 c. favorite pizza sauce (watch out for HFCS – I use organic)
     • 1 c. mozzarella cheese
     • 6 oz. pepperoni slices, cut into quarters (I couldn’t find pepperoni that didn’t have a rotten ingredient list, so I used about 2/3 c. crumbled sausage from our local farm – find more sources for healthy meat on my resources page.)
     • Mix together
     • UPDATE:  I just found a post from Real Food Wednesday where they show how to make a very similar recipe, and then they put it on a stick to make it even more appealing to kids for pizza lollipops!
2. Mushroom Pinwheels:
   • • 2 T. ranch dressing
     • 16 oz. organic mushrooms
     • 1 organic onion
     • 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
     • 4 oz. cream cheese
     • 1/4 c. chopped green onions (or 1/8 c. dried chives)
     • Chop onions and mushrooms very fine.  Sauté in small amount of butter or olive oil.  (Find sources for olive oil on my resources page.)  Remove from heat, mix in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Spinach Florentine Pinwheels:
   • • 2 – 10oz. packages frozen spinach, thawed, well drained, and minced (I’m assuming that about the same amount of fresh spinach would work well, too.)
     • 1/2 c. minced onion
     • 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
     • 1/2 c. crumbled bacon (Best from a local farm – find more sources for healthy meat on my resources page.)
     • 1/2 c. grated parmesan
     • 4 oz. cream cheese
     • Cook bacon until crisp.  Sauté spinach and onions in leftover bacon grease.  Remove from heat, add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.

Thanks, Jeanne!

Part of Wardeh’s Tuesday Twister Carnival, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, & Tasty Tuesdays

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