Christmas pinwheels are flour tortillas spread with ranch cream cheese, rolled, chilled and sliced into bite-size spirals. The filling carries red pepper, celery, green onion and pimiento olives for the color. Four tortillas make about six and a half dozen.
Make these the day before and no earlier, whatever the make-ahead label suggests. The fresh bell pepper and celery start breaking down after about a day, and once they go soft the whole roll turns watery. The recipe admits this, though only in a buried question.
Spread the filling right out to the edge of the tortilla, not just the middle. Any bare rim leaves a gap that unrolls in the fridge, and the outer slices then fall apart on the platter. Roll with steady, even pressure rather than squeezing as you go.
Christmas Tortilla Pinwheels
Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalRed and green tortillas are sold in most supermarkets and do more for the Christmas look than any garnish. Trim the unfilled ends off each roll before slicing, since those pieces never hold together on a platter.
Ingredients
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 package (0.4 oz) ranch salad dressing mix
½ cup minced sweet red pepper
½ cup minced celery
¼ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
Directions
- Beat: Beat the softened cream cheese and ranch dressing mix together until completely smooth.
- Mix: Stir in the red pepper, celery, green onions and olives until evenly distributed.
- Spread: Spread about ¾ cup over each tortilla, right out to the edges.
- Roll: Roll each one up tightly, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Slice: Trim the unfilled ends, then cut into ½ inch slices and serve cold.
The word make-ahead is doing a lot of work on this one, so here is the real window.
FAQs
How far ahead can I actually make them?
One day, which is much shorter than most pinwheel recipes allow. The fresh red pepper and celery start breaking down after that and release water into the cream cheese. Leave the rolls whole and wrapped until the moment you slice them.
Can I freeze them?
Not these ones, because raw bell pepper and celery turn limp and weep as they thaw. Pinwheel fillings without fresh vegetables do freeze, which is why some recipes allow a month and this one says nothing. Treat it as a fridge-only appetizer.
How many does one batch make?
Around seventy-eight, or six and a half dozen, from just four tortillas. Each ten-inch roll gives roughly twenty half-inch slices once the ends are trimmed off. That covers a large party from one bowl of filling.
Why do my end slices fall apart?
The last inch or two of each roll usually has no filling, so there is nothing holding it together. Trim those off before you start slicing rather than serving them and hoping. The recipe counts this loss in its yield already.
What goes alongside on the platter?
Something with a different shape and temperature, since these are all cold spirals. Prosciutto and persimmon bites sit next to them well and need no cooking either. Alternate the two on one long board rather than giving each its own plate.
I have leftover filling, what now?
You will, since the batch makes about half a cup more than four tortillas take. It spreads onto crackers as it is, or thins into a dip with a spoonful of sour cream. A roasted red pepper dip uses up the rest of the peppers too.
The source recipe is presented as a make-ahead appetizer, but its own FAQ section limits it to one day because the bell peppers soften. It gives no freezing guidance at all. Nutrition is as published by the source and should be treated as an approximation.
