Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

Crescent roll dough is one of my favorite ways to take party appetizers from good to great, and one of my favorite ways to use this store-bought hack is in these ham and cheese pinwheels. This recipe transforms everyday sandwich ingredients into a flaky, crowd-pleasing appetizer, packed full of salty-sweet ham and melty cheese and topped with a showstopping garlic–poppy seed butter. Easy to make and endlessly customizable, these 30-minute pinwheels are the perfect last-minute app when you need a guaranteed hit at your Christmas party.

What Is A Ham & Cheese Pinwheel?

Glad you asked! It's a simple yet impressive party app that harnesses the power of store-bought crescent roll dough to make something far greater than the sum of its parts. These pinwheels are formed by rolling out crescent dough, topping it with mustard, ham, and cheese, then rolling it all up before slicing and baking. One element puts these pinwheels over the top: A supremely simple garlic–poppy seed butter that adds tons of flavor and helps the pinwheels turn gorgeously golden.

How To Make Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

INGREDIENTS

• Crescent Dough: Flaky, buttery, and easy to work with, crescent roll dough opens up a world of low-stress, high-reward party apps.
• Ham: Your standard sliced deli ham has just the right thickness and moisture content for our purposes here.
• Mustard: I like Dijon for these pinwheels. It's got a distinctive tanginess from the presence of white wine, and it has a slightly more subtle heat than your average mustard.
• Swiss Cheese: Mild, nutty, and melty—Swiss cheese is ideally suited to pinwheels. If you're not a fan of Swiss, give provolone a try.
• Butter: Brushing the pinwheels with garlic butter adds rich flavor and ensures they bake up golden and flaky.
• Garlic Powder: Here's another hack: I use garlic powder in place of chopped garlic for the garlic butter here—no knifework necessary! It takes zero time and infuses the melted butter with tons of garlic flavor.
• Parsley: Elevates the garlic butter with fresh, herby flavor and pops of color.
• Poppy Seeds: Crunchy, nutty, and lovely to look at—poppy seeds add the perfect finishing touch.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Unroll the crescent roll dough on a flour-dusted work surface and separate it into four rectangles; pinch the perforations to seal. Spread mustard over each rectangle, then top with the ham and cheese. Starting from a short side, roll up each rectangle into a log; pinch the seams to seal.

Slice each log crosswise into four equal pieces and arrange, cut-side up, in a greased 8" square baking dish. When slicing, use a sawing motion to avoid compressing the log.

Now for the garlic butter. I like to melt the butter in the microwave in short bursts of 15 seconds or so on medium power—takes minimal time. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the garlic powder and parsley and brush the mixture over the pinwheels. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and the pinwheels are ready for the oven.

Bake the pinwheels at 350° for 15 minutes, or until golden on top and the cheese is melted.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How to slice pinwheels cleanly: First, make sure the dough is fridge cold. Second, once you've topped the dough and rolled it up into logs, use a sharp serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut the logs into well-formed pinwheels. If you don't have a suitable serrated knife, a sharp chef's knife will get the job done. Whatever you do, try not to press down on the logs or you'll compress them.

Variations

The best part of these pinwheels? These can be done with any cheese and deli meat. Wanna try turkey and gouda? Amazing. Roast beef and horseradish cheddar? Sounds incredible, just like our French dip pinwheel. You want a holiday-themed one to impress your guests? We've got a Christmas tree pinwheel too. You truly can't go wrong with this adaptable app.

Storage

If you manage to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for around 4 days, or freeze them for up to a month. I highly recommend reheating pinwheels in the oven (or air fryer) so the crescent rolls can crisp back up.