Baked Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels with Bacon
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Forget wraps, these jalapeño popper pinwheels are made even better with flaky, buttery puff pastry! They have cream cheese, cheddar, bacon, green onions, spicy jalapeños, and ranch seasoning for a flavorful, bite sized appetizer. And from experience, I can tell you that they also go great with beer. Save this recipe for game days, holiday parties, and hanging with friends!
In a moment of delusion that has absolutely nothing to do with my New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to re-organize my entire house. You ever just walk into a room and realize everything is covered with cookie cutters and junk mail and little flakes of puff pastry? We can’t live like this.
Except for maybe the puff pastry flakes. They can stay for now. Because in-between organizing cookbooks by color and testing the ink in each pen I own, I’ve also been busying my days with my latest dinner party obsession – puff pastry pinwheels. First, we had cheesy spinach ricotta pinwheels then its wing-inspired cousin, buffalo chicken pinwheels, and now we’ve moved onto the popper variety.
Like my slow cooker jalapeño popper dip, these bites have cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon for good measure. Plus I added a bit of dried ranch seasoning which is how we used to season jalapeño poppers when I was in culinary school. So good! Basically, these pinwheels are for those of us who love a popper but with a little extra carbs.
Trust me. They’re totally worth just a little mess.
Puff pastry vs. tortillas
Typically, most pinwheels are wrapped up in tortillas. You know the ones. They were a big party app in the early 2000s. If you were there, you were there! And yes, you could totally roll up this filling in flour tortillas for a no-cook appetizer. I would just recommend roasting the jalapeños first to cook off the raw pepper bitterness first.
But, my favorite way to make these scrolls is with store-bought puff pastry. Specifically, all-butter puff pastry which makes these bites super flavorful and flaky like a pastry. I promise, it’s totally worth turning on the oven.
To make the filling, you’ll need a block of full-fat cream cheese, freshly-shredded cheddar cheese, fresh jalapeños, cooked and crumbled bacon, green onions, garlic, ranch seasoning, Morton’s Kosher salt, and black pepper. Also a large egg for the egg wash!
To make this recipe vegetarian, just leave out the bacon. You can replace it with more jalapeños if you want but it’s totally not necessary. Or try your favorite vegan/vegetarian bacon alternative instead!
Step-by-step instructions
Chilling the pinwheels is key! Not only does it give time for the flavors to meld, but it’s 100x easier to slice the pinwheels when they’re cold. Around 30 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the fridge should do the trick.
Prep in advance
What I especially love about these pinwheels is that they are make-ahead friendly. Just wrap the logs of puff pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, just slice the pinwheels, brush with egg wash, and bake!
Storing & freezing leftovers
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or zipper bag. Refrigerate the pinwheels for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. If you freeze the pinwheels, defrost them at room temp for 1 hour before reheating. Also, make sure you use a freezer-safe container so they don’t get icy!
How to reheat
Leftover pinwheels will lose their crispiness in the fridge, but it’s totally ok! We can remedy that problem thanks to an oven (or air fryer!). Just reheat leftovers at 350°F (177°C) for 5-6 minutes, or until they’re golden and hot all the way through.
I don’t recommend heating these up in the microwave. They’ll just come out soggy!
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Baked Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels with Bacon
Ingredients
Jalapeño Popper Filling
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (226 grams)
- 1 cup freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup finely diced jalapeños, (60 grams – about 3 jalapeños)
- 1/3 pound thick-cut bacon, cooked & crumbled (150 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon homemade ranch seasoning or store-bought (8 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons freshly-snipped green onions, plus more for garnish (10 grams)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 large cloves)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Baked Pinwheels
- 2 sheets puff pastry preferably all butter, thawed (520 grams)
- 1 egg
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer (optional)
- Bread knife
Instructions
Jalapeño Popper Filling
- Combine the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, diced jalapeños, cooked bacon, ranch seasoning, green onions, and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the filling until it's very well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (Or, you can mix everything together by hand with a rubber spatula.) Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Baked Pinwheels
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Roll one sheet of puff pastry into a 10×12-inch rectangle. Spread half of the jalapeño popper filling over the puff pastry sheet all the way to the edges. Starting with the long end towards you, tightly roll the puff pastry into a long log, sealing the edge well. Repeat with the remaining filling and sheet of puff pastry.
- Place the logs on a sheet pan, cover, and freeze for 20-30 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Once the logs are chilled, use a sharp knife to cut them into 1/2-inch slices, about 20-22 pinwheels each. Line the pinwheels 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans. Refrigerate any remaining pinwheels for later.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops and sides of the pinwheels with the egg wash. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the pinwheels are crisp and golden-brown. Repeat with the remaining pinwheels. Serve warm.
