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
I just found your site, I love it! Also, I really like the appetizer idea as opposed to just sweet recipes this time or year.
Ooh, I love me some sugar, but I’m so glad you’re going the savory route this year. I need a little more of that this season.
I think I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: I have never found a recipe on your blog that I didn’t LOVE. Every recipe I’ve tried (and I try a lot of them) has been fabulous. I can’t wait to try this cheesy bacon pinwheel thing.
Oh.my.God. What is not to like about these?! PS Love the blog and so excited you’re doing savory instead of sweet this year!
Appetizers and party snacks are EXACTLY what I’m looking for right now for all of the upcoming holiday parties…I’ll be referring to you blog! Thanks!!
Hi Mel!
I so love your site! We have prepared numerous recipes from your site and love every one. There hasn’t been one that didn’t turn out exactly as you state.
I’m looking forward to your reinvented sugar rush series! Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Thanks! Lisa
These look SO good!… of course anything with bacon is good!
I love your blog! Thanks for doing something savory to balance out all the sweets around. I’m excited to try these!
ummm…..YUM! Can’t wait to try these
Oh YUM! Anything is better with bacon! 🙂
Yum! I like your spin on the Sugar Rush. Everyone needs appetizer ideas. 🙂
YUMMYNESS!!!!!!!
I’m assuming the bacon is raw and not… like… partially cooked or something?
Also, I saw a recipe of yours on an email from Ziplist, so after casually wandering over here, I think I found my new favorite food blog! Just thought you ought to know.
oh my goodness I don’t usually comment on post but I have to make these.
I can’t wait to make these for our girl’s holiday party!!
my husband would love these!!
These look amazing!
Thanks so much for your website. I check it daily!
I don’t usually like bacon-wrapped things, but you make this sound fantastic!
What a clever idea! You’re right about the sugar overload this season, but I am just drooling in front of my computer looking at these pinwheels! Thanks for sharing such an easy and amazing recipe!
Wow…this is definitely different than what I was thinking…I was thinking more along the lines of the bacon wrapped jalapenos…but I can’t WAIT to try these!!! YUM!!!!
I love the idea of savory treats instead of sweet (although I bought the ingredients for two of your past sugar rush recipes)! These look tasty!
Perfect! I have been trying to figure out what to take to a party on Friday. This is it!
I’m going to try this with TURKEY ham & bacon! I’m allergic to pork products so this sounds great! Thanks –
Mel – your timing is impeccable as always! We’re having two Christmas parties this weekend (I’m definitely in that “what were we thinking???!!!” place right now), but this will go on the menu for one of them. And, funny enough, I just bought those Christmas-y Chinese takeout containers like the one you have pictured, for the very purpose of giving Butter Toffee Popcorn as party favors! Are we on the same page or what? I really appreciate your dedication to this blog and I so enjoy the taste of everything you post but also the sincerity with which you write. Thank you for everything!
can’t wait to try this for our pot luck lunch at work this Friday!
Summer – I’m not sure about the breakfast bacon since I’ve never tried it and am not familiar with the product – is it similar to regular bacon? If so, it will probably work fine!
Perfect addition to my collection of 101 ways to use bacon…Now if I could just successfully combine bacon and chocolate…*sigh*
Finally someone who hi-lights the savory world! Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets, but I really love the saltier treats (or better yet sweet & salty). Thanks for all of your fabulous recipes! Yours is my favorite food blog!
I LOVE the idea of sharing appetizers rather than sweets! And these bacon pinwheels are right up my alley… yum!
Geneil – they may not get as browned and golden if you just bake them but it’s worth a try (plus, I’d still nag your hubby to fix the broiler). I’d bake them at a high heat – probably 425 or 450.
These look so good! I love your blog and whenever I am talking about recipes to anyone I mention your blog!!!
Love your site and your recipes. My family will really go for these savory bits.
I love the savory idea . . . I am always looking for great appetizers.
Bacon. Yum. We have already starting collecting treats from various friends and family. We are sure to be sick and gaining weight by the end of the month! Thank you for changing things up a bit. Excited to see all that is to come.
These look great! Love trying out your recipes.
Mel,
I made the double chocolate muffins this weekend. DELICIOUS. My 5 year old said, Mom, it’s like a brownie in a muffin. I was all, It’s a muffin, Liv, not a brownie. And to that the little genius replied, Well then can I have 2 for breakfast. Bahahaha. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Yes, love the idea of appetizers for your sugar rush! You already have given me so many yummy dessert recipes I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance to make them all!
I enjoyed the Sugar Rush last year, but I love appetizers! I’m looking forward to trying these. They look so good!
Oh that looks so good. I can’t wait to try these.
Yum!!! Love the appetizer theme for the holidays. Cant wait to see all the recipes and try out a few. Just made your white chicken chili last night (it has been a favorite in my hiu for the past few years). Love your blog!
I have cream cheese monsters and bacon celebrators that will be doing cartwheels (at least in their heads) over these. They are so pretty too. Thank you for this recipe. Wondering if regular breakfast bacon will work with this?
Yum-a-lum!
I think this is a fantastic idea! I can’t wait to see all of your appetizer recipes.
I am almost sugared out already. Thanks for the new twist on treats. This one looks oh so yummy!
I’m excited that you’re doing savory appetizers this year instead of the sweeties!! YAY! I’ve been trying to come up with some delicious ideas for Teacher Appreciation this year. These Bacon & Cheese Pinwheels look perfectly yummy!
Those look great. I love the idea of doing appetizers instead of sweets. We need to “eat” before we jump into the junk food.
Those look divine. Now I just need an excuse to make them!
I’m so happy that you are sharing savory appetizers this year! The sweets, while delicious and essential this time of year, tend to get a little bit old after eating them day after day. (This) woman cannot live on sugar alone! 🙂
Awesome can’t wait to see the upcoming recipes. We are doing all apps for Christmas this year as we watch the Packers kick Bear booty!! Thank you!!
There are few things that don’t taste good when there is bacon and cheese involved. I am so excited to try these!
I’m excited for some savory ideas too! You’re right, it’s pretty easy to find sweet stuff, but I like that you are sharing both. Thanks for your ideas!