These savory, festive Pumpkin Pinwheels are the perfect fall appetizer! Serve them with Thanksgiving dinner, or make a batch for a Halloween movie night!
For whatever reason, I’ve always been intimidated by puff pastry. Even though you can buy it pre-made in a box, it still seems so *~fancy~*. But fear not, these Pumpkin Pinwheels are easy enough for puff pastry newbies, like me!
What is puff pastry?
Puff pastry is a type of dough that’s similar in texture to a croissant, though thinner. It’s made from layers of butter and dough, which creates those characteristic flaky layers. I’ve heard that making it from scratch is very time-consuming, so boxed is the way to go for me! But don’t worry, it’s incredibly easy to work with. And more importantly – totally delicious!
How do you make Pumpkin Pinwheels?
Because puff pastry is usually sold frozen, you have to thaw your dough so you can work with it. While it’s thawing, you can make the savory pumpkin tomato sauce. Then, you’ll spread the sauce onto the rolled-out dough, add on brie and parmesan, roll them up, and cut into slices. After firming up in the freezer for a bit, the pinwheels only need about 20-25 minutes in the oven to get golden brown.
As soon as I took these pinwheels out of the oven, my husband immediately dove right into them. I had to get him out of the way so I’d have enough pinwheels to photograph! But honestly, I can’t blame him. There’s something about buttery, flaky dough and savory pumpkin sauce that makes me want to take bite after bite. I made a batch of these pinwheels for myself and Jon on a Sunday afternoon, and we snacked on them and hard cider while we watched the football game. It was perfect!!
Does puff pastry taste good when it’s savory?
Absolutely! In fact, I think that puff pastry / croissants are better when they’re prepared in a savory way. The slightly sweet, buttery dough complements the savory pumpkin tomato sauce perfectly. It’s a match made in pumpkin heaven!
For more seasonal pumpkin deliciousness, check out these recipes!
Pumpkin Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 17.25 oz Package Puff Pastry
- 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Purée
- 1/2 Cup Marinara Sauce
- 1/2 Tsp Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
- Pinch Nutmeg
- 2 Tbs Fresh chopped sage
- 4-5 oz Brie
- 1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan or Asiago
- Chopped Chives for a topping, if you'd like
Instructions
- Before you begin the recipe, defrost the puff pastry at room temperature if it's frozen. The dough should remain cool, but soft enough to work with.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small saucepan, add the pumpkin purée, marinara, oil, salt, and spices. Mix well, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. When done, remove from the stove and let cool.
- On a floured surface, roll out your puff pastry dough until it's about 1/8-1/4" thick. This number does not need to be exact! You want the dough to be in a rectangular shape, because we're going to roll it up later.
- Spread out the pumpkin tomato sauce using a spoon so that all of the dough is covered.
- Then, slice or tear your brie into thin pieces, and add it onto the dough. Top everything off with the freshly grated parmesan and the chopped fresh sage.
- Carefully start at one of the short ends of the rectangle, and roll up the dough until you have a log. Roll the log a little bit to make sure the edges are even.
- Wrap the log in a flour cloth or plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
- Take the log out of the freezer, and cut it in half. Place one of the halves back in the freezer.
- With the remaining half, cut the log into 1/3-1/2" slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake pinwheels in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.
- When the first batch is done, you can cook the second half of the roll, or you can keep it frozen for another time. Just be sure to thaw it slightly before you cut it into slices!
- Top the pinwheels with chopped chives, if you'd like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're vegetarian, be sure to look for a vegetarian Parmesan. Not all varieties of them are.
- This is a very difficult recipe to mess up! If your dough thickness or cuts aren't the same size as mine, it'll still taste just as good. However, the thinner the dough is, the more room you have to spread out the sauce. Plan accordingly!
- Be sure to check on the pinwheels in the oven often. If your slices were thicker, you may need them to cook for a bit longer. As soon as the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, you should be all set!
P.S.
For more vegan and vegetarian recipes and meal inspiration, be sure to follow along on Instagram @wellandfull! If you make these Pumpkin Pinwheels, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!
2 Comments
karina
October 28, 2021 at 12:19 pmi made these the other night and they were awesome. seeing the video on instagram really helps. thanks for the recipe!
Sarah
October 29, 2021 at 3:06 pmI’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review :)