These Cranberry and Walnut Pinwheels are my most asked for and loved Christmas cookie-dessert! Pie dough wrapped around a rich cranberry & walnut filling. These easy cookies are fun to make and eat!
AN EASY COOKIE RECIPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Welcome your guests with this delicious take on dessert pinwheels filled with cranberries and nuts. Friends, this is one impressive and very easy to make holiday dessert.
Side note; my car thermometer reads 15F degrees. People, it’s 15 degrees! That’s without the windchill! I don’t want to go anywhere. Why must I have responsibilities outside my home?
Which brings me to my next point.
Stay at Home Moms should be just that – stay at home Moms. That means; others should pick up the groceries, others should drive the kids to preschool, others should clean the driveway, etc… Catch my drift? (I hope my husband is reading this)
Holding onto my hot coffee mug all day long would be seriously ideal. I would switch it up around 3:00 and pour some hot tea. Green, chamomille, lemon…whatever I can find. I just want to stay warm.
But, looking on the bright side, the day is getting longer, and with every day that passes, summer gets closer! YES! Then I will be crying to you about how hot it is out there, and how I don’t want to go outside because I am going to melt. 😛
I pulled this cranberry and walnut pinwheels dessert recipe out of my Recipe Archive that I have saved on my desktop computer. (Yes, I still have one of those computers. No, I don’t use it… it just sits there, collecting dust. And recipes.)
These little pinwheels made their appearance months ago during a holiday event for a dear friend of ours; we loved them, we ate them, and then I never made them again. I do that quite often, especially since I started blogging. When you have a blog, you can’t make the same thing twice. There’s always something new being added to your table because you need new material for your blog.
I was glad to see that I had never posted a recipe for these little treats because I really wanted to eat a few of them, again.
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY AND WALNUT PINWHEELS
My Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels are incredibly easy to make. They come together in minutes, and they are kid-friendly. If you have little hands that want to help, by all means, let them. It’s good practice for later on when you want to kick up your feet and make your kids put dinner together and wash the dishes… 😉
I also have to tell you that this is probably the only time that I will reach for the store bought pie crust, but that is only because the two homemade pie crusts I tried in this recipe, did not work out. The dough was too crumbly and my pinwheels looked like blooming flowers. They were cute, but crumbly.
I used cranberries and walnuts for this recipe, but you can obviously use whatever filling you want. I was thinking of doing a blueberry/lemon/pecan filling next time… that sounds really good, doesn’t it? Or a hazelnut, chocolate chip, apricot filling? That sounds even better!
SIMILAR RECIPES:
CRANBERRY BLISS SALTINE TOFFEE
ENJOY!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY WALNUT PINWHEELS
Cranberry and Walnut Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts (I use Pillsbury Pie Crust)
- 2 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the cranberries, walnuts, sugar, and zest in a mixing bowl; mix until thoroughly combined.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the pie crusts into two squares.
- Generously brush the pie crusts with the melted butter.
- Spread the cranberry filling on top of the pie crusts.
- Roll each pie crust into a log.
- Pinch the edges to seal.
- Combine the egg and water in a small bowl and beat until well blended.
- Brush each log with the egg mixture.
- Carefully cut each log into 10 slices. NOTE: If you're having issues with slicing the log because the dough is too soft, put it in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
- Place the slices, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Place pinwheels on a cooling rack.
- Spread a teaspoon, or more, of the honey on each pinwheel.
- Let cool before serving.
I made these at Christmas but most came out of shape but everyone still loved them and so easy to make. Today made them again after reading everyone’s reviews. I refrigerated them for about 10 minutes before cutting & cut straight down with a straight blade knife, they turn out perfect. Will diffently make again evdn for entertaining.
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank YOU!
wondering if using mini muffin pans would keep them from unraveling
Yes, they look so delicious, but the dough didn’t hold it’s shape like in the picture. Look more like a flower instead of a pinwheel! I even put the log in the freezer for 15 minutes for easy slicing. Can you tell me what went wrong?
I made these yesterday and they were sooo good! I didn’t use all of the butter (bad me) so as I was cutting them, they were unrolling a bit.
Also, I cut mine straight down, not sawing it, and that worked much better.
I’ll be making this recipe again.
Val
Could one add some cream cheese
Hi! I’ve used brie cheese so I think cream cheese would be great.
I wish I could attach a picture of how bad these turned out. They completely fell apart while baking and were not salvageable. I 100% followed the directions and was incredibly disappointed. I was so excited to make these, but it was a disaster.
Liz,
So dis mine. Glad I tried them ahead of my party!
😔
Linda🦋
Maybe I will chill them Before cooking next time.
Can you use puff pastry dough instead of pie dough?
Hi!
Yep, puff pastry dough will work.
Totally making this! If you use the hazelnut, choc chip and apricot combo – would you skip sugar and honey? Would it be too sweet?
Hi!
I’d still use the honey 😃but not as much – use just enough to have it all stick together.
Wonder if these can be made day before. Just do not do egg wash.
Very tasty looking.
Since I have a pecan farm, I can’t bring myself to buy walnuts. 🙂 Do you think pecans will work with this recipe?
Absolutely! I am a true southerner and pecans are what we eat😋. I have only used pecans in this recipe and they are delicious! Dare I say, they are even better than walnuts in my opinion. I use pure maple syrup to drizzle lightly instead of honey.
Have fun and enjoy!
Made these this morning – delicious! And so simple to make! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Looks Yummy
How would a teaspoon of cinnamon be with the filling? Cranberries, walnuts and cinnamon smell like Christmas!!
These sound so yummy! I love cranberries during the holidays!
I tried the recipe. I followed everything however some of the pinwheels did not hold up. How do you make yours stay in shape?
Mine totally fell apart and it was a disaster
Oh,these wheels look so cute.Thank you for sharing the recipe.I have a question regarding the cranberries. Do you think it would work with fresh cranberries as well? I have some fresh ones left from other recipe. Thank you.
Hi! Fresh cranberries might be too tart, but I think they would work if you macerate them, or sweeten them with a sprinkle of sugar and let them stand for about 15 minutes before using. This will also help to soften them. I hope that helps.
I love cranberry and walnut. This looks so good and your pictures are crystal clear!
Do these freeze well?
Hi Jane!! I am not completely sure. Sometimes I like to freeze the log before baking – I don’t cut it into pinwheels until afterwards – but I have never frozen the pinwheels after they were baked. I hope that helps, somewhat. 🙂
Hi! These look amazing!! I’m making them for a Christmas dinner; I was wondering, do they still taste okay if it’s been a few hours and less warm?
In my experience with these delicious rolls, letting them get cool does not affect the wonderful taste.
So what did I do wrong? When I pulled them out they had fallen down. Still great flavors but didn’t look pretty.
Awesome, thanks ! Can’t wait to try them!
I know you’re having trouble with the recipe showing, but any chance you remember the quantity of walnuts and if there was anything else besides piecrusts and dried cranberries that was out of the ordinary pantry ingredients? Sending hubby to the store but won’t be making them till tomorrow!
Hi Jenna! I am going to send you an email with the recipe in just a minute.
I am having trouble finding the recipe too!
Hi Amy! I’ve been having issues all day with my site’s recipes going up and down and I am unable to access the recipe, either. However, I am working on fixing this issue as we speak and will hopefully have it up real soon.
Amy, I am sending you an email with the recipe in just a second. Thank you!
The recipe isn’t showing up for me >.< I can only see your post talking about the recipe, but where do I find how to make it? haha thanks!
I have a Holiday Cookie Exchange coming up. Anyone know if these freeze well?
Hi Michelle!
You can definitely freeze these in an airtight container. If you are going to stack them up, make sure to put wax paper in between each layer. Also, do not defrost in the microwave… just let them stand at room temperature for an hour or two. I hope this helps!
Do you think I can prepare these ahead and freeze them before I cook them?
Hi Annie! Yes, you can definitely freeze these, but make sure to thaw them completely before baking. Thank YOU! Have a great weekend!
I would absolutely LOVE these! I can’t get enough of cranberries and walnuts – especially together. I’m happy you got a craving for these and pulled the recipe from the desktop. I need these in my life. 🙂
Sorry it’s so cold there! Come move to LA with me – it’s like 70 right now and people are wearing sundresses.
Oh and these pinwheels? I need at least a doze of these stat!
oh my! In LOVE! These look so juicy and warm and delicious.
So cold here too and it won’t stop snowing. It’s so depressing. Yes, the days are getting longer, but I haven’t seen the sun in so many days I can’t even tell. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I don’t leave the house that much, especially when It’s nasty out.
Do you think you could use fresh blueberries or would they be a mess after you bake them?
HI! 🙂
Yes, I think it would be one messy experience. How about using dried blueberries? I have used unsweetened cranberries and unsweetened blueberries in this and it tastes great.
I always have leftover homemade pieces of dough, and this is the best idea to use them! And about that summer, it´s so hot here right now, 95+ and 1000000% humidity, that it might as well be freezing since it´s impossible to be outside!
Oh my gosh, these look delicious! I saw them on Pinterest and had to hope over and say hi! 🙂
I’m an entire degree warmer than you, but I would happily exchange that temp. for about six of these pinwheels…please! 😉
Also, please don’t hate on the desktop computer- some of us still use them. 😛
Oh, Kate… These Cranberry and Walnut Pinwheels look divine! I don’t do the store bought pie crust thing (I know, slap me!), but I am really thinking of making these with my cream cheese pastry because it is moist and holds together while still being delightfully flaky. Thanks for sharing your recipe! xoxo
These look so good! And since there is fruit involved, I can tell myself that it’s health food. Totally.
HI NIKKI!!! So nice to see you!! :)) And yes, Totally!!! 🙂
Personally, I don’t think that stay at home moms (or anyone else, for that matter) should be shoveling when the thermometer’s broken and the 2 or 3 that ought to be in front of the 5 is missing. Merely walking my daughter to school and then walking the dog made my face so chapped I needed to pop in and warm up before tackling the driveway and sidewalks. I’m glad I could warm up looking at these pinwheels–I have dried cherries that would go great in them (though probably not enough honey). Never apologize for buying pie crust. You make delicious-looking meals with it, and that’s the whole point, right? (Well, probably the actual deliciousness is the point, but I cannot eat my computer screen). Thanks, Kate!
I was just out there… again… it’s 2 degrees… I wanted to cry. We really need to move to a warmer place!
I love the photos of these pinwheels! I agree with you on term stay at home moms being just that they stay at home!!!
We had a two day spring “tease” and now it’s back to freezing temperatures again where I live. I am waiting for 70 degree days to be around again… why can’t it always be like that. 🙂
I love your philosophy on Stay at home Mothers… I never got my husband to go with that either… I still have to cart the kids about and do all the shopping etc.. They forget we don’t get paid to do all that do we. 🙂
Okay… I saved the best comment for last… I want me some of those pinwheels!! YUM! 🙂
I know what you mean about never making the same thing twice! 🙂 These pinwheels look delish, I love the cranberry and walnut filling!
Love that you used pie crust. I use crescent rolls for these. And great filling, & the sparkling sugar on them is awesome.
“I noticed that my menu was missing a couple of desserts! ” – that never happens to me! lol
pinned!
It never happens to me, either, but it did this time because my husband is on my case about coming up with a variety of appetizers… slipped my mind that we would need some sweets, too! 🙂
Would like to add a cheese to these, like goat cheese. Would that work?
Hi Laura! Great idea – that is going to be deeelicious!