If you search for a last-minute and easy appetizer finger food, you are in the right place. These appetizer pinwheels are perfect for any occasion, Easter, Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Most of the pinwheel appetizers you find online are prepared with tortilla or phyllo dough. This pinwheels recipe is quite different, much tastier and so easy to make. It is one of these make ahead holiday appetizers that the whole family will love it.
What I like about this pinwheels recipe is that I can make it a day before, because it has to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. The star ingredient of these roll ups is spinach, but believe me, even if you don’t like spinach so much you’re going to love these pinwheels with spinach, ham, cheese, and pickled cucumbers.
Jump to RecipePinwheels recipe with spinach crust – Less than 30 minutes baking
The most important part of this pinwheel recipe is to bake this so called crust. Don’t worry, it takes about 20 min to bake it, and maybe 10 minutes or so to prepare it.
Start by taking 6 eggs and removing yolks and whites in separate bowls. Add a teaspoon of salt to the bowl with egg whites and whip the egg whites for a few minutes. Once you make a foam from the egg whites, add egg yolks and mix them with a spatula or spoon.
Add 3 spoons of water and 3 spoons of milk and mix everything nicely. Now add 6 spoons of white flour and one pack of baking powder. Use an electric mixer again, but this time at the lowest speed, to mix the flour nicely.
The final step is to add 500 gr of frozen, thawed spinach to the bowl. You can defrost spinach in a microwave or leave at room temperature for a few hours before cooking.
Stir the spinach well into the egg and flour mixture, and spread it on the baking tray which is previously covered with baking sheet. Use the spoon or spatula to smooth the mixture evenly.
Bake the pinwheels crust at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 min. Use the toothpick to check if it is well baked.
Cooling off the crust and making a filling for the pinwheels
Once the pinwheels crust is baked you need to roll it, that is why it is also called roll ups. Roll the crust together with the baking sheet and if it is too hot, you can use baking gloves.
Leave it cool for 30 minutes or so, and in the meantime you can prepare the ingredients for the filling:
- 1 hard cooked egg
- About 250gr of finely chopped pickled cucumbers
- Grate the cheese or use the slices (I use the slices), 150 to 200gr of hard cheese like gouda
- 300 gr ham (I use slices)
- Mix 150gr sour cream with 400gr cottage cheese
If you use ham and cheese slices, you will need like 5 minutes or so to chop the cucumbers and mix the cottage cheese with sour cream. You can cook one egg at any time, I prefer to do it as soon as I put the crust to bake.
Rolling the pinwheels with the ham and cheese filling
Now when the roll is cooled off, you can unroll it and spread the cheese and sour cream mixture on it. Spread the mixture evenly and then add slices of ham and gouda cheese. Crumble the egg over the cheese and add chopped cucumbers.
Finally, roll the pinwheels carefully so the filling stays inside. If there is too much filling and you cannot roll the whole pinwheel you can roll the half of it, make a cut between and then roll the other half. This happened to me the first time I tried to make these pinwheels but the second time I managed to roll the whole pinwheel.
Cover the roll up with that baking sheet and a kitchen cloth, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Want a pinwheel recipe in different colors?
If your New Year’s Eve party is big, you can make two different batches of these pinwheels or split one in two equal halves. The secret is, instead of spinach you can add ajvar and have red pinwheels, or poppy seeds and have white pinwheels with black spots.
Rest assured, you will have a unique appetizer for New Year’s Eve appetizer that will stand out. Happy New Year!
Pinwheels recipe with baked spinach crust, ham and cheese
Ingredients
For the crust/biscuit:
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 spoons of milk
- 3 spoons of water
- 6 spoons of white flour
- 1 pack of baking powder
- 500 gr frozen spinach
For the filling:
- 1 hard boiled egg
- 300 gr ham (slices)
- 250 gr pickled cucumbers (chopped)
- 150 gr sour cream
- 400 gr cottage cheese
- 150 to 200 gr gouda (or any hard cheese)
Instructions
- Add egg yolks to that bowl and mix them with a spatula or spoon.
- Add 3 spoons of water and 3 spoons of milk and mix everything nicely.
- Add 6 spoons of white flour and one pack of baking powder. Use an electric mixer again, but this time at the lowest speed, to mix the flour nicely.
- Add 500 gr of frozen, thawed spinach to the bowl. Stir the spinach well into the egg and flour mixture, and spread it on the baking tray which is previously covered with baking sheet. Use the spoon or spatula to smooth the mixture evenly.
- Bake the pinwheels crust at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 min. Use the toothpick to check if it is well baked.
- Once the pinwheels crust is baked, roll the crust together with the baking sheet and if it is too hot, you can use baking gloves. Leave it cool for 30 minutes or so, and in the meantime you can prepare the ingredients for the filling.
- When the roll is cooled off, you can unroll it and spread the cottage cheese and sour cream mixture on it. Spread the mixture evenly and then add slices of ham and gouda cheese. Crumble the egg over the cheese and add chopped cucumbers.
- Roll the pinwheels carefully so the filling stays inside. Cover the roll up with that baking sheet and a kitchen cloth, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight.
