Monte Cristo Pinwheels – Puff pastry dough is rolled with black forest ham and Swiss cheese and baked to perfection. The pinwheels get dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam for dipping.
Monte Cristo sandwiches are super fun – I mean how can you not love a ham and cheese sandwich, batter and fried, and served with raspberry jam?! Though, as much as I love them, I don’t bother making them at home since they can be quite rich and also time-consuming to make.
Well, prepare to be amazed folks! Today’s recipe cuts that prep time in half and make a fun appetizer to serve at your next event. The Monte Cristo Pinwheels are made with puff pastry to give that similar crunch you get from the batter. With a dusting of powdered sugar over top and a dunk into raspberry jam, you’ll feel like you’re eating the real thing!
Without further ado, here are my Monte Cristo Pinwheels!
Tips & Tricks
- Roll tightly. To ensure the pinwheels have a nice, round shape, make sure you roll the dough and ingredients together tightly.
- Slice with serrated knife. I always slice my pinwheels (and cinnamon rolls) with a serrated knife to ensure the wheels/rolls keep their shape. I suggest you do the same!
- If using a dark pan… I used to only have dark baking pans, mostly because I didn’t know there was much of a difference and they were the cheapest and most non-stick. But I learned that dark pans cook food faster and sometime burn the food on the bottom. But there is a simple trick to fix this – reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees from what the recipe states.
Monte Cristo Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 box frozen puff pastry 2 sheets, thawed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 16 slices thin black forest ham
- 12 slices Swiss cheese
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Unfold one sheet of puff pastry over a clean counter. Roll out with a rolling pin to smooth out the pastry but do not thin out the pastry. Spread pastry with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Using an offset spatula can help you spread the mustard evenly. Lay 8 slices of ham in an even layer over the mustard, followed by the 6 slices of Swiss cheese.
- Starting at one edge of the pastry, tightly roll up the dough and toppings into a log. Slice the log into 4 even quarters, and then slice each quarter into 3 pieces, giving you 12 wheels. Using a serrated knife will make this process mess-free and keep the wheels in tact. Repeat with other sheet of pastry and the rest of the ingredients.
- Place pinwheels on prepared baking sheet, cut side up, with 12 pinwheels per baking sheet. Bake until pastry has turned golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and dust the pinwheels with powdered sugar. Place raspberry jam in a ramekin and use a fork to help break up the jam. Serve with the pinwheels.
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More recipes you’ll love:
Raspberry Toasted Strudel Copycat
Raspberry Sweet Rolls
Easy Ham & Cheese Pastry Rolls
Great Day & Joyable Content!
Monte Cristo sandwiches are super fun – I mean how can you not love a ham and cheese sandwich, batter and fried, and served with raspberry jam?! Though, as much as I love them, I don’t bother making them at home since they can be quite rich and also time-consuming to make.