Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

This is a sponsored post for California Lavash. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my own personal view. 

Winter came really early here in Central Arkansas, and I do mean really early. Yesterday, without any warning whatsoever, tiny little snowflakes began to drift lazily from the slate-gray sky. Of course, any Southerner worth their stuffing immediately goes outside to take about 50 snow selfies with the few flakes of snow that we might be lucky enough to keep around for a couple of hours.

However, I wasn’t worried about snow selfies yesterday; all I wanted to know was if I had what I needed to make these wonderfully delicious Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels!

Because after all, if you’re going to be snowed in for 5 whole hours, you’ve gotta make sure you have good food to eat!

With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to share these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels as a fast and easy Holiday appetizer option. I made this pinwheel recipe last year for a Christmas party and they were a huge hit with everyone there!

Cranberry Cheddar Pinwheels

Do you have any special holiday traditions that you do every year with your family or friends? Our family Christmas tradition was to go to my Granny’s house every year for Christmas Eve. We would go over to her house every Christmas Eve night and the whole family would gather for party food and fun and then we would exchange gifts.

Every year we would order pizza from the local pizza shop and I would make a large vegetable and fruit tray. Mom would come through with her famous cheese dip and someone always made pinwheels. We ate, laughed, opened presents, and listened to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra crooning Christmas tunes on the radio. Oh, the memories! I’ve always associated party food and appetizers with fun and happy times and I love making fun appetizers such as these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels!

How to Make Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

If you don’t have any special Holiday traditions, I encourage you to build some this year with your family and friends. A great place to start building traditions is to involve good food! Let’s start making these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels by preparing the green onion. Rinse 3-4 stalks of green onion under cool water to remove any dirt and then use herb scissors or a good paring knife to cut or dice the onion into small pieces. You’ll need 1/2 worth of diced green onion so you may need to dice more than 3-4 stalks of green onion depending on how large the stalks are.

Ingredients for Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Once the green onion is diced and measured out, go ahead and measure out 1/2 cup of dried cranberries as well. You will also need 8 ounces of cream cheese, 6 ounces of sharp white cheddar cheese, and two  California Lavash Traditional flatbread. 

Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Place eight ounces of cream cheese in a microwave-safe medium-sized mixing bowl. If you’ve had your cream cheese sitting out for a little while, you may not need to microwave it to soften it. If you forgot to set the cream cheese out as I did, go ahead and microwave it for about 30 seconds or until completely softened.

Soften the Cream Cheese for the Cranberry Pinwheels

Once the cream cheese is soft, stir it with a spoon until it is completely smooth and no lumps remain. Satin-smooth cream cheese is key for these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels!

Freshly Shredded White Cheddar Cheese Makes These Holiday Pinwheels Delicious

Once your cream cheese is prepared, set it aside and let the Sharp White Cheddar Cheese take center stage. Some opt for Feta cheese in these Cranberry Pinwheels, however, I find the flavor of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese to be perfectly complementary to the sweetness of the cranberries.

Pinwheels with Cheddar Cheese

Shred 6 ounces of Sharp White Cheddar Cheese and add it to the mixing bowl containing the cream cheese. There is just something about freshly grated cheese that is so delicious!

Combine the Ingredients for the Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Combine the dried cranberries, diced green onion, and shredded sharp white cheddar cheese with the softened cream cheese in the mixing bowl.

The Secret Ingredient for this Pinwheel Appetizer

Stir all of the ingredients together until smooth and well blended. Now we’re going to add our very last ingredient. Our secret ingredient that really takes these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels from good to great. Add 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to the cream cheese mixture. Stir the Worcestershire sauce into the mixture until well combined.

Using California Lavash Traditional Flatbread  to Make the Best Pinwheel Appetizers

Can I just brag on these California Lavash Traditional Flatbreads for a minute? These healthy and delicious flatbreads make these Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels so incredibly delicious! The flatbread doesn’t become moist or soggy with the cream cheese mixture and it is so tender and soft, it’s like biting into a cloud of healthy goodness! Oh, did I mention that they are organic, low calorie, kosher, and free of any nasty preservatives or artificial flavors? You just can’t go wrong there! You’re going to need 2 of these Traditional Flatbreads for this recipe.

Organic Flatbread Makes these Cranberry Pinwheels Healthy and Delicious

Cut off a square of plastic wrap that will fit your flatbread and lay it flat on the counter. Lay 1 California Lavash Traditional Flatbread on top of the plastic wrap.

Adding the Cranberry Cream Cheese Mixture to the Flatbread

Spread half of the Cranberry Cream Cheese mixture on to the flatbread using a spoon or spatula.

Spread the Cranberry Cream Cheese Mixture Evenly on the Flatbread

Using your spoon or spatula, spread the Cranberry Cream Cheese mixture evenly over the entire flatbread. Make sure that the mixture is dispersed evenly and not all piled up in one place.

The Easiest Way to Roll a Pinwheel

Once the Cranberry Cream Cheese mixture is evenly spread over the entire surface of the flatbread, you’ll want to roll it all up. Start rolling your flatbread from the left and tightly jelly roll it all the way to the right until it looks like a pumpkin roll.

Chill the Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels Before Slicing

Once your flatbread is rolled, take the plastic wrap that the flatbread was sitting on and wrap it tightly around the flat bread. Repeat the above 4 steps with the second flatbread until both are rolled up and wrapped tightly in the plastic wrap. Place the wrapped flatbreads in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Whatever you do, don’t skip this step! Chilling the Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels before cutting them allows the cream cheese to firm up slightly and makes for mess-free slicing.

The Key to Easily Cutting a Pinwheel Appetizer

Now that you’ve chilled the pinwheels for 15 minutes, which really is the key to easy slicing, it’s time to cut them into individual pieces. Use a good, sharp, paring knife to slice the pinwheels into individual, 1/2 inch thick slices. You should have approximately 15 Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels once you’re finished cutting both rolls.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels Make a Beautiful Holiday Appetizer

Once you’ve sliced the rolls into pinwheels, place the pinwheels on a pretty platter or cutting board as I did here. Garnishing these pinwheels with a few dried cranberries and sprigs of rosemary lend an extra festive appearance.

What to Serve with Pinwheel Appetizers

If you’re hosting a Holiday party and you’re at a loss for what to serve with these beautiful Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels, allow me to help you out! I’ve got some more great Holiday appetizers here such as my Easy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip.  Other reader favorites include my Pigs in a Blanket Appetizer.

No matter how you choose to celebrate the Holidays this year, I hope you make new and treasured memories and traditions with your family and friends. May your holidays be merry and bright!

5 from 2 votes

Print

Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

These fast and easy Cream Cheese Pinwheels are savory and delicious; filled with smooth cream cheese, diced green onion, sweet cranberries, and sharp white cheddar cheese spread on a flatbread. Perfect for any Holiday party appetizer! 

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Pinwheel Appetizer, Pinwheel Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes

Servings 15 pinwheels

Author Amy - The Speedy Spatula

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup diced green onion
• 6 oz sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 California Lavash Traditional Flatbreads

Instructions

1. Place the cream cheese in a medium sized mixing bowl and heat in the microwave or set out until it is completely softened. 

2. Stir the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, then add in dried cranberries, finely diced green onion, shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. 

3. Stir the above ingredients until well combined.

4. Lay out a large square of plastic wrap and lay one California Lavash flatbread on the plastic wrap.

5. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the flatbread, then starting from the left hand side, roll the flatbread tightly all the way across to the right side like a jelly roll.

6. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the rolled flatbread and place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. 

7. Repeat with the second flatbread.

8. Once chilled, remove from the fridge and unwrap. 

9. Slice each flatbread into individual 1/2 inch thick pinwheels to create approximately 15 individual pinwheels.

10. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

These Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.