These Cranberry Brie Pinwheels are truly the perfect holiday appetizer for your next festive gathering! They are buttery, wonderfully flaky, and deliver that beautiful contrast of flavors: a little tartness from the whole berry cranberry sauce, which is immediately balanced out by the rich, creamy brie and that delicious, glossy honey butter glaze. If you are looking for a visually impressive dish that looks incredibly intricate but is surprisingly easy to achieve, this is absolutely it! The pinwheel shape is much easier than you’d think to create, requiring only a simple set of cuts in the puff pastry before folding and securing the center. I’ve broken down the step-by-step process below with pictures, but you can also check out my video (linked below) for a more in-depth visual breakdown. This appetizer is sophisticated, crowd-pleasing, and guaranteed to disappear the moment you set the platter down.
The secret to these pinwheels is using frozen puff pastry, which provides that stunning, ultra-flaky, buttery texture without any fuss whatsoever. We maximize the flavor by combining the creamy, mild brie with the tart cranberry and adding a little crunch from chopped pecans and a hint of fresh rosemary for a beautiful, woodsy aroma. The final step is what really pushes these over the top: generously brushing the baked, golden-brown pastry with a simple honey butter mixture and finishing it with a sprinkle of flaky salt. This creates a sweet, savory, and glossy glaze that is irresistible. You’ll want to make sure you bake these until they are deep golden brown to guarantee the inner folds of the puff pastry are fully cooked through, giving you that perfect puff every time.
These ornate ceramic serving platters are perfect for displaying your cranberry brie pinwheels! ➡️ Ceramic Serving Platter
🧾 Ingredients 🧾
One can of whole berry cranberry sauce (I use Ocean Spray)
Puff Pastry Sheet (Pepperidge Farm - Each sheet makes 4 pinwheels)
Brie (President Brie - Each pinwheel gets 0.5 ounces of cheese)
flakey salt to top (This is literally the best salt, chef approved)
👨🍳 Instructions 👨🍳
1) Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions. This usually takes about thirty minutes. While it thaws, place the brie in the freezer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Chilling the brie firms it up and makes cutting it into wedges much easier.
2) Preheat your oven to 375 F.
3) Strip the rosemary leaves off the sprig. Discard the woody stems, as they are tough and unpleasant to eat.
4) Scoop the whole berry cranberry sauce out of the can and break it apart with a spoon so it is easier to portion onto each pinwheel.
5) Melt the unsalted butter in a microwave safe bowl, then stir in the honey until fully combined. Set the honey butter aside for glazing later.
6) Remove the chilled brie from the freezer and cut it into small wedges that will fit neatly in the center of each pinwheel.
7) Unfold the puff pastry sheet and cut it into four equal squares. For each square, make a straight cut from every corner toward the center, stopping about three quarters of the way before you reach the middle. Do not cut all the way through.
8) Create the pinwheel shape by folding one tip of each corner toward the center of the square. Press only in the center with your finger to gently hold the folds in place. The pastry should now look like a pinwheel with four folded points.
9) Place one brie wedge in the center of each pinwheel. Add about one tablespoon of the cranberry sauce on top of the brie, followed by a teaspoon of chopped pecans and a small pinch of the chopped rosemary.
10) Bake the pinwheels at 375 F for about forty five minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and deep golden brown. Because the dough overlaps in the pinwheel shape, it may need extra baking time to ensure the inner layers are fully cooked. Puff pastry can safely be baked until quite golden.
11) When the pinwheels come out of the oven, brush them generously with the honey butter mixture and finish with a light sprinkle of flaky or finishing salt.
12) Allow the pinwheels to cool until they are warm or at room temperature before serving. This helps the pastry finish setting and keeps the filling from spilling out.
YouTube Video:
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