Sizzling Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels
These sizzling bacon pinwheels are a combination of everything delightful: bread, cheese and bacon. The perfect New Year’s appetizer!
If you’ve stuck around this here blog for long, you may remember the Sugar Rush of last year and the year before.
It just happens to be the time of year to be talking sweetsy treats, right? And I’ve loved doing just that over the last few years.
Well, this year, I’m changing things up a bit.
I figure that since there will be a plethora of mighty delicious sugary sweetness rolling around the blogosphere, I’ll spend the next two weeks sharing my favorite appetizer recipes that might fit in with holiday entertaining (or just personal indulging).
So consider this year to be the year Sugar Rush has been reinvented to fit into the more savory side of things.
Never fear, though! On each tasty, savory post, I’ll be highlighting one of my past Sugar Rush recipes (see the green box below for more evidence). You know, so you can get salty and sweet all in one place. Perfect!
So let’s start.
This appetizer may just be one of my favorite of the season. Seriously. A throwback…a little old school…these sizzling bacon pinwheels are a combination of everything delightful in my book: bread, cheese and bacon. Amen.
Slices of thick bread are rolled thin, spread with a fabulous, lightly spicy creamy cheese mixture and wrapped in bacon. The morsels are broiled to toasty perfection, leaving the flavorful cheesy filling melted and piping hot and the bread and bacon crisp and golden.
I dare you to eat just one!
Sizzling Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 ounces thinly sliced deli salami or ham, chopped fine
- 3 green onions, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, like Tapatio
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 12 slices hearty white or wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 12 ounces bacon, halved crosswise
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler heating element and heat the broiler. Set an oven-proof wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a food processor (or with a hand mixer if you don’t have a food processor), mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until smooth and well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in salami or ham, green onions, hot sauce and mustard. Mix well.
- Working with one slice of bread at a time, roll the bread as thin as possible with a rolling pin (don’t forget to remove the crusts!). Evenly cover the bread with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Starting at the short edge, roll the bread into a tight cylinder. Cut each rolled bread log in half crosswise to form 2 smaller rolls and wrap each half in 1 piece of the bacon (that has also been cut in half crosswise), covering the bread completely. The bacon should stick to itself as it is rolled around and stay secure, but if not, feel free to secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining bread, filling and bacon.
- Place the rolls to the wire rack on the baking sheet. Broil until the bacon is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through broiling. Let the pinwheels cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
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Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country Oct/Nov 2011
288 Comments on “Sizzling Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels”
Yes, I totally get it. Sorry I was too busy drooling I didn’t explain myself. What if I prepared them (to the point of spreading the mixture and rolling them) and then wrapped them in bacon and broiled them when I got to my sister-in-laws? Or I could find something more portable… can’t be hard with all your options! : )
Oh, got it. Sorry, I think that was my fault for not getting what you meant (that’s what happens when I respond to comments while watching The Voice). So anyway, YES, I think you could totally do that. As long as you keep them cool until wrapping in bacon and baking, I don’t think the cream cheese will be a big problem.
Hi Mel!
Quick question. What are your thoughts are transporting this app? I have an Easter dinner on Saturday and these look yummy. If I prepared them (minus the bacon) and assembled them when I got there, do you think they would stand up? Say 1-2hrs? Or do you figure the cream cheese mixture would make them soggy?
Side note: I have made your chocolate chip cake 3x in 2 weeks… we love it. Clearly. : )
As always, a big thanks from Canada for all your recipes!
Sonya
Sonya – this app is so delicious but it really doesn’t hold up well to hours of sitting. They are best served as hot out of the oven as possible. Know what I mean?
These look absolutely AMAZING! They also remind me of an app my mom used to make in a muffin tin with bread as the crust, cheese, egg mixture poured in and topped with bacon. So making these for a football party!
These look amazing. I am going to make them for my neighborhood “adopt-a-family” party coming up. But I am curious..do you use salami or ham? Does the salami give it more of an interesting taste? Thanks for all you do. This blog is my daily/weekly pick-me-up.
Hey Mel, do you think you could use crescent rolls in Lu of bread? Or would it burn?
Thanks for being my go to website. Every dinner, potluck treat, etc comes from you! Planning my bridal shower and need some yummy food! Thanks again
Krista
Krista – I don’t use crescent rolls so I’m not sure. You would probably have to watch closely for the burning factor but also to make sure they get cooked through since they aren’t cooked unlike the bread in the original recipe. You might try baking instead of broiling so they have time to cook through all the way.
These sound great, for years I have made an easy appetizer by just taking slices of white bread with crust removed, spreading them with cream cheese. Next you slice them into 3 or 4 slices, roll each slice and wrap with a piece of bacon. Bake until browned! Super simple and everyone asks for the recipe and they are great hot or at room temp so they travel well to parties. So I am excited to try this new twist on my old favorite.
We made these for New Year’s Ever and everyone LOVED them! People were moaning. I only allowed myself one and I still feel fat two days later, but they were yummy.
We tried these tonight – fantastic!!! Used Crystal hot sauce, and a nice grainy whole wheat bread. ^_^
These were a HUGE hit at the potluck, ran out of them quick! Thanks! Wonton Pizza next!
I am so happy to have just found your blog while searching for an Almond Roca recipe! All of your recipes look AMAZING and I cant wait to try these warm little bundles 🙂
Thank you
Mel-definitely going to try these. These look really easy and quite tasty. Just bummed that we just had a party before these posted. Maybe I should just throw another party.
Yum! I just bought some bacon but hadn’t decided what to do with it-maybe this!
Goodnight. I have to remember that your blog will still be here in the morning 🙂
Very very good 🙂
What a great idea going with appetizers instead of sweets/cookies this time of year! (Bacon doesn’t hurt either :P)
Think I might make a big batch as a Christmas present for myself mmm…
you had me at Bacon!
Am I too late 😉 as always, love your recipes and share them with all who will listen!
Okay, how did you know I’m facing a huge New Year’s Eve Party. I’ve been trying to not make myself planning with too ambitious goodies. These pinwheels sound and look perfect for a spot on the buffet. Thanks!
Oh boy…. these sound yummy. How can you go wrong with bacon & cheese?
Bacon. And Cheese. And bread. Together as they should be. I wonder if people would get upset if these were ALL I served on New Years? Doubt it! ::drool:::
All these things I love…except bread. Sigh. Since I’ve discovered I’m gluten-intolerant in a mean way, bread is more appealing than ever. Why is that? 😉 These sound delicious. I think I’ll make a bunch and give them away. Talk about winning friends and influencing people.
These look beautiful! I make bacon wrapped dates all the time and they always look a little gross by the time they get on the plate. I never thought to put them on a wire rack to avoid them sitting in a pool of their own fat. Aren’t you so clever? And how wonderful, wrapping bread and cheese in bacon! What an easy way to class up things one might have handy in their fridge.
Bacon, bread, and cheese. Does it get any better than that?! Thank you for this! My husband will love them!
Yes! We have back-to-back Bowl Game and family Christmas parties, so these will be perfect!
omg…these look like a little slice of heaven!!!
you’re welcome. 🙂
ah, bacon. you make everything all right.
Yum! I’d take savory over sweet any day. Especially savory and salty….ok, I’m hungry now.
I need to try the pinwheels and the butter toffee popcorn. Both look so good!
I love you for this. Thanks for all the awesome recipes!
These look amazing. Anything with bacon is a must make for me
Oh, this is a treat from heaven. Can’t wait to try them out. And I happen to have a pound of bacon in the fridge just begging to be treated right.
Definitely making these ASAP!
YUM…
Anything with bacon is a winner. I’ll be making these for sure.