Disclosure: This recipe for a Monte Cristo Pinwheels contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanksgiving week continues and today I’m sharing an appetizer everyone will love! Inspired by a popular sandwich, these baked Monte Cristo Pinwheels, with sweet ham, tender turkey, tangy Swiss cheese and Triple Berry Jam, are sweet and savory and will be a hit at all season long!
I love that Thanksgiving traditions are so similar and yet can be so unique and different in every home across the nation. Yes, we all gather with friends and family on the same day, and usually all have turkey, but the best way to make said turkey (fried, smoked, oven roasted) and the sides that go with it, can vary from region to region.
And dare I say it, there are even those families that don’t fuss over a big meal at home, but take advantage of the handful of restaurants open on Thanksgiving and go out to eat before heading out to shop.
Even the best time to serve dinner various from family to family. Some host Thanksgiving dinner early in the afternoon, so more like lunch, so those who want to sit and relax after the feast while cheering on their favorite football team can.
Other families wait to have Thanksgiving dinner around actual dinner time.
But no matter what time you eat, having plenty of snacks and appetizers on hand for when guests arrive early to help or hang out, should definitely be part of every holiday gathering!
One of the appetizers I always make is some variation of pinwheels. They are a great party app because they are so easy, made with store bought dough and deli meats and cheeses, and EVERYONE loves them!
Taking short cuts, like using store bought dough, sauces and spreads in the kitchen during the holidays or when preparing such a big meal, especially if you are hosting and making most if not all the food, is essential for making Thanksgiving dinner a hit and less stressful as the host!
My latest version of my “famous” pinwheel appetizer is inspired by a popular sandwich. I picked up everything I needed for these Monte Cristo Pinwheels, including that important jam dipping sauce, while stocking up on Friendsgiving staples at the grocery store.
For those who may be unfamiliar, Monte Cristo Sandwiches are typically served with raspberry jam for the most perfect sweet and salty combination. In this easy holiday appetizer recipe, we used mixed berry jam for a twist, however, of course you can use the traditional raspberry jam.
My Monte Cristo Pinwheels was such a hit at Friendsgiving that I know I will be making this appetizer all holiday season long!
What are your “go to” super easy appetizer recipes for the holidays? Please share in the comments below!
Helpful Tips and Information:
How to keep the pinwheel shape while baking?
I have personally made these Monte Cristo Pinwheels MANY times and have never had any issues with the pinwheel shape not holding up during baking. Many readers have also made these pinwheels with great success!
With that said, I have received a few reader comments regarding problems with the pinwheels holding their shape while baking, so please follow these tips and the recipe exactly as written to ensure that your pinwheels come out perfectly every time:
- I usually use crescent dough “sheets” instead of crescent rolls with the perforated lines. If you use crescent dough with the perforated lines, separate the dough into 4 rectangles making sure you pinch the lines together and roll over them with a rolling pin to seal completely. You could also use puff pastry dough instead of crescent dough.
- Only spread a very thin layer of jam onto the dough. I recommend placing the jam in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 15 seconds. Then use a silicone pastry brush to brush a THIN layer of jam onto the crescent dough.
- Make sure your meat and cheese is very thinly cut. I recommend getting meat from the deli counter and having it “shaved” or sliced at a .5. You could also use grated cheese, instead of sliced cheese, to make it easier to roll up.
- Use a serrated bread knife to cut the dough and cut the pinwheels to be about 1½ inches thick.
- You can bake the pinwheels in muffin tins sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to help them hold their shape while baking.
- While I have never tried freezing these pinwheels, I think they would freeze just fine! I would recommend freezing the pinwheels AFTER baking and allowing them to cool completely. Then transfer the cooled pinwheels to a freezer safe baggie. When ready to eat, reheat from frozen on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees until heated through.
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Monte Cristo Pinwheels
Inspired by a popular sandwich, these baked Monte Cristo Pinwheels, are sweet and savory will definitely be your go to appetizer recipe all season long!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls*
- 2 tablespoons mixed berry or raspberry jam, plus more for serving
- 4 very thin slices deli ham
- 4 very thin slices deli turkey
- 8 thin slices deli Swiss cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, optional for serving
Instructions
- Please read the "Helpful Tips and Information" section in the article above before making this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) or parchment paper and set aside.
- Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into four rectangles (two triangles pressed together at the seam to form the rectangle). Press together the perforations at the seam and gently roll over the perforations with a rolling pin to seal. (See pictures in article above.)
- Place jam in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 15 seconds. Use a silicone pastry brush to brush a VERY THIN layer of jam onto the top of each crescent dough rectangle.
- Top jam with two slices of cheese, one slice of turkey and one slice of ham.
- Starting at the short side of the dough, roll up dough sheet into a long log shape. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into approximately 5 slices. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the egg and water to form an egg wash. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the egg wash over raw pinwheels.
- Bake pinwheels in a 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet and transfer to a serving plate.
- Pour powdered sugar into a small mesh colander and dust the pinwheels with powdered sugar. Serve warm with additional jam for dipping.
Notes
Please read the "Helpful Tips and Information" section in the article above before making this recipe.
*Note: Cresent dough "sheets" are recommended as they are easier to work with. If using puff pastry or crescent dough sheets you will have one large piece of dough (not 4 small rectangles) that you will place all the toppings on.
Baking Tip: To help hold their shape, pinwheels can be baked in a muffin tin that has been generously sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
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I love pinwheels, but haven’t tried one like this. It sounds AMAZING! (client)
I’ m not finding Smucker’s fruit & honey spread where I live in San Francisco
Hi Janet! We really like Smucker’s “Natural” Fruit Spread and it is available at all major grocery stores. It would work perfectly for this recipe.
This looks so good! What a fun snack to make with kids!
Do you think these could be frozen and reheated?
Hi Sharon! While I have never tried freezing these pinwheels, I think they would freeze just fine! I would recommend freezing the pinwheels AFTER baking and allowing them to cool completely.
Then transfer the cooled pinwheels to a freezer safe baggie. When ready to eat, reheat from frozen on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees until heated through.
If you do try freezing them, let us know how they turn out!
Can these be put together and frozen individually for single servings? Always looking for a quick breakfast. Thank you for your response.
Hi Cathy! While I have never tried freezing these pinwheels, I think they would freeze just fine! I would recommend freezing the pinwheels AFTER baking and allowing them to cool completely.
Then transfer the cooled pinwheels to a freezer safe baggie. When ready to eat, reheat from frozen on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees until heated through.
If you do try freezing them, let us know how they turn out!
Great recipe I used a combination of smuckers Red Plum Jam and Tabasco Pepper Jelly. The dough get s warn fast so I I snipped the rolle on top where I wanted to cut and then finished with the perforated knife.
Can these be put together and refrigerated to bake the next day?
If you want to make these ahead of time, we recommend going ahead and baking them and then reheating them in a low 300-degree oven until heated through.
The recipe says 1 can of dough sheets but then says to unroll 4 rectangles. How are you getting 4 sheets from one can? All I find are the pillsbury dough sheets in 8oz cans with 1 sheet.
The recipe as written is using canned crest “rolls”. In a standard can of crescent rolls there are 8 rolls in the can. You will need to press together 2 rolls to form a rectangular shape and repeat this with all 8 rolls to form 4 rectangles.
If you are using canned crescent dough “sheets” there is only one sheet in the can and thus you would have one large rectangle that you would put all the ingredients on top of. For more tips please see the “helpful tips” section in the main article.
Made these for Christmas Eve dinner. What a hit! I did roll along the ling side of the dough. Very delicious! I used polaner all fruit seedless jam. Everyone thought it was delicious!
Great flavor but my rolls released a significant amount of liquid while baking – not sure if was from the ham or the raspberry jam – as a result, my puff pastries never really got crispy/flaky. After I “drained” the excess fluid on paper towels they weren’t so soggy and thankfully they were severable and delicious! Next time, I’ll just serve the raspberry jam (heated?) on the side or add a dollop to the top of each one after cooking. Thanks for the easy appetizer recipe.
Hi Kim! Thanks for sharing all your feedback! We are happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
You do want to make sure the jam on the dough is very thin. We recommend placing the jam in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 15 seconds. Then use a silicone pastry brush to brush a THIN layer of jam onto the crescent dough.
And yes, sometimes deli meat that comes prepackaged in the refrigerated section can be quite wet. Next time, we would recommend getting the deli meat sliced fresh from the deli counter.
Your article mentions easy cream cheese dip as well as getting “dipping sauce” ahead of time. Is the dip intended for these rollups? I didn’t find anywhere on your recipe index. I love monte cristo sandwiches and can’t wait to try these.
Hey Kelly! There is no cream cheese in this recipe, only the Swiss cheese that is listed in the recipe. The “dipping sauce” for these Monte Cristo Pinwheels is just the raspberry or mixed berry jam.
We hope you give the recipe a try! They are definitely a fan favorite! If you make them, please report back and let us know how they turn out. Enjoy!