Cranberry and Feta Pinwheels with Cream Cheese (Puff Pastry)

cranberryfetapinwheelscreamcheese4 Cranberry Feta Pinwheels - cranberry sauce and goat cheese are rolled inside flaky puff pastry for a sweet and savoury bite.

Pinwheels:
½-¾ cup cranberry sauce
8 oz goat cheese log, room temperature or softened
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
2.5 Tbsp. pure honey
½ Tbsp. fresh thyme, removed from stems
flaky sea salt

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
12 oz cranberries
¾ cup water
1 orange, freshly juiced
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp. orange zest, finely grated
1 pinch sea salt

Cranberry Sauce (optional, can use store-bought):
This makes 1 whole batch of cranberry sauce. You are only using about ½ cup for the recipe. Feel free to ½ the recipe if needed - same instructions apply.

On medium, heat water, juice of orange and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves (~ 5 minutes). Add cranberries, set to medium high and stir often. Cranberries will pop and burst. Cook 10-15 minutes until all cranberries are broken down. Add zest and stir. It will thicken as it cools. Let cool a good amount before using in this recipe.

For the Pastry:
Thaw frozen puff pastry based on pkg directions: make sure your puff pastry has been sitting out 40 minutes - 1 hour (cold and malleable but not cracking).

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

Make the Filling:
In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese with ½ cup cranberry sauce. I like to use a little extra cranberry sauce to dollop on top before rolling.

Make the Pinwheels:
Unfold puff pastry. Gently roll out the creases with a rolling pin. Spread ½ of the cranberry goat cheese filling leaving a little outer edge (~ ¼-½"). Roll from the bottom into a log. It does not have to be super tightly rolled. Using a brush or pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the roll. Add to freezer for 10-15 minutes or as long as you want (up to overnight). You can skip this step, but It will be much easier to cut.

Slice and Bake:
Slice log into ½" slices and place them 2" apart on baking sheets. Use 2 baking sheets or work in batches. Bake for 20 minutes or until very golden brown, puffed up and you can see lots of tiny layers. Be sure the bottoms don't burn.

Drizzle with Honey and Thyme:
Warm the honey in a small saucepan until hot to the touch. Right before pinwheels are done. Immediately upon removing them from oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves. Add a bit of flaky salt if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 25 pinwheels.

Cook’s Notes:

These can be made in advance. You can freeze the roll before slicing, slice frozen or lightly thawed and bake from frozen. You can also freeze the slices and bake slices. Both versions can be frozen up to 15 days.
You do not need to make the cranberry sauce. You can absolutely use your favourite store-bought instead.