The perfect mix of melty cheese and pops of jalapeño and bacon makes these pinwheels so addicting they should be illegal! Ready to serve in 20 minutes, these are the perfect game day party appetizer!
I have a strange and unnatural obsession with food that is in pinwheel form. I even have a Pinterest board that serves as a shrine to these heavenly roll-ups. They make such a perfect finger food for parties, there are millions of flavor combos, and the recipes are usually super easy so I love making these for game day!
These cheddar bacon jalapeño pinwheels are one of those appetizers that can be served right out of the oven or eaten at room temperature, which means less work for you during your party! Which means more time for cheering for your favorite team! 🙂
CHEDDAR BACON JALAPEÑO PINWHEELS
Look at that platter. Would ya just look at it. All full of warm, carby, cheesy, bacony, jalapeño-y, scrumptiousness. I could eat the entire plate in one sitting. Their highly addictive quality should make them illegal in at least 47 states.
The fact that these come together so quickly is one of the best things about this recipe! (And worst, because I can be eating them within 20 minutes at any given moment. Which means I'm highly susceptible to falling into their addictive trap and eating around 264,745 calories in 5 minutes...)
To make these fabulous flavor bombs, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet lined with foil. Roll out 1 can of crescent rolls onto a cutting board and press down the seams to create one large rectangular sheet. 
In a large bowl, mix together 4 oz of softened cream cheese, 5 slices of cooked/crumbled bacon, 1 C of shredded cheddar cheese and 1-2 tablespoon of diced jalapeños. Spoon the mixture evenly on top of the dough sheet. 
Spread the filling evenly across the dough. I find it is easiest to just use my hands to press it out evenly! 
Roll the dough lengthwise to form a log. 
Slice the log into ½" slices. You should have about 24 pinwheels. To make slicing easier, use a sharp knife and occasionally spray it with cooking spray. Alternatively, at this step, you could wrap the log in saran wrap and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours to allow for easier slicing. You can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours if necessary. 
Arrange the pinwheels 2" apart on your prepared baking sheet. 
Top with a little extra cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon, if you'd like. I will always, always, always, add more cheese. 🙂
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crescent rolls have started to brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder, if desired, then serve immediately with a side of ranch dressing.
Enjoy! 🙂
Now that you know how to make these delicious devils, let's answer a few common questions about them!
Can I make these ahead of time and warm them up to serve when my party starts?
Yes and no. Technically you could make these ahead of time and microwave them to warm them up but they will get soggy! You could toss them in the oven to warm them up but due to the short cook time, you might as well cook them fresh when you need them!
If you want to save some time, I would recommend making the recipe until you get to the point of slicing them into pinwheels. At that point, you could wrap the crescent roll log into saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. It can stay refrigerated for up to 24 hours, then simply slice, bake and serve when ready! (Also, they're still pretty tasty at room temperature! 🙂 )
I can't handle jalapeños, can I leave them out?
I hear ya. I'm a wimp when it comes to spice. Although you can never go wrong with just bacon and cheese, the jalapeños really add a nice pop of flavor to these! I would recommend making sure you remove all of the ribs and seeds before slicing to reduce their heat, using a smaller amount of diced jalapeños, and only cooking them into the pinwheels rather than topping with extra before cooking. You could also substitute canned jalapeños for a milder taste. 
Can I add extra flavors or change up some of the ingredients?
Absolutely! Get crazy with it. Just remember that you need the cream cheese as a binder so I wouldn't leave that out! (You could even swap out the ingredients for these Easy Parmesan Pepper Puffs and turn them into pinwheels instead!)
when I tried cutting these it turned into a hot mess and I smashed the pinwheels!
As you'll see in the recipe, two ways to aid in the slicing of the pinwheels are to either 1. spray a sharp knife with cooking spray occasionally as you slice, or 2. wrap the crescent roll log in saran wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before slicing! 
Looking for more easy appetizers for game day? Try out these Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs with Big Mac Sauce, these Taco Won Ton Cups, or this Skinny Jalapeño Popper Dip! And if you're watching an Ohio State game, don't forget The Best Ohio State Buckeyes for dessert! 😉
Cheddar Bacon Jalapeño Pinwheels
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: ~24 pinwheels
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
The perfect mix of melty cheese and pops of jalapeño and bacon makes these pinwheels so addicting they should be illegal! Ready to serve in 20 minutes, these are the perfect game day party appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1 can of crescent rolls
- 4 oz softened cream cheese
- 5 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon
- 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
- 1-2 tablespoon diced jalapeños
- Extra cheese and bacon to garnish, as well as garlic powder, if desired
Instructions
- To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet lined with foil. Roll out 1 can of crescent rolls onto a cutting board and press down the seams to create one large rectangular sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together 4 oz of softened cream cheese, 5 slices of crumbled bacon, 1 C shredded cheddar cheese and 1-2 tablespoon of diced jalapeños. Spoon the mixture evenly on top of the dough sheet.
- Spread the filling evenly across the dough. I find it is easiest to just use my hands to press it out evenly!
- Roll the dough lengthwise to form a log.
- Slice the log into ½" slices. You should have about 24 pinwheels. *See notes
- Arrange the pinwheels 2" apart on your prepared baking sheet.
- Top with a little extra cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon, if you'd like.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crescent rolls have started to brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder, if desired, then serve immediately with a side of ranch dressing.
- Enjoy! 🙂
Notes
Use a sharp knife and occasionally spray it with cooking spray. Alternatively, you could wrap the log in saran wrap and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours to allow for easier slicing. You can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours if necessary.
See post notes for step by step image instructions!
**Recipe adapted from Yellow Bliss Road
What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? Leave a comment below! 🙂
PS: Since I want my blog to be about learning and improving, I wanted to include one of my original images, next to an updated image. Thank you to the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Ebook for these lessons!
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