Raspberry Pecan Puff Pastry Pinwheels

These easy puff pastry pinwheels are the perfect treat. They are made with my homemade rough puff pastry recipe, topped with crushed pecans mixed with brown sugar and filled with homemade raspberry jam. Raspberry pecan pinwheels are fun to make and super delicious. Can't wait for you to try this recipe!

Material & Ingredient Notes

• Puff pastry: you can use store-bought puff pastry, or you can try this easy rough puff pastry recipe that I love! If you are feeling super confident, send me a message and I'll send you the link to get a step-by-step guide to the real deal puff pastry!
• Raspberry jam: I use my easy homemade raspberry jam but you can use your favorite store-bought jam.
• Pecans: they give the pinwheels an extra crunch!
• Brown sugar: helps caramelize the puff pastry.
• A ruler to measure out the puff pastry squares to shape the pinwheels.

How to make this recipe

• Make the puff pastry and roll it out
• Cut out 10x10 cm (4 – inch) squares
• Shape the pinwheels
• Paint with egg wash and sprinkle with pecan/brown sugar mixture
• Fill the pinwheels with raspberry jam
• Bake the pecan pinwheels
• Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• After rolling out the puff pastry, refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting out the squares. Working with puff pastry is always easier when it's properly chilled as the amount of butter in it makes it very soft and hard to work with when it becomes warmer.
• After cutting the puff pastry dough into 10 x 10 cm squares, refrigerate once again for 30 minutes.
• To shape the puff pastry squares into pinwheels, you must first make 4 cuts from each edge of the square towards the center, being sure not to cut the whole way through. As shown in the pictures below.
• Use a sharp knife to cut into the puff pastry, so that the layers are not squashed down.
• Once all the cuts have been made, take one edge and fold it towards the center, and lightly press it down so that it sticks to the dough. Repeat with the four edges as shown in the pictures.
• Before filling the pinwheels, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, as moving them after they have been shaped will prove difficult and will ruin their beautiful shape.
• When brushing the puff pastry pinwheels with egg wash, make sure not to paint the sides of the puff pastry (where all the layers are) as this will prevent the layers from rising while baking since they will be stuck together.
• Mix the brown sugar and the crushed pecans before you sprinkle them over the pinwheels and press them into the dough using your fingers.
• If using a 30 x 40 cm baking tray (I have a small oven), place 5 pinwheels per tray, as they grow quite a bit in the oven and we want to leave space for the air to circulate and for them to be able to grow beautifully.

Expert Notes

• Puff pastry must be rolled out to 5 mm (0.2 inches) thick. Thicker is not a problem, thinner however will prove difficult to shape into pinwheels.
• Make sure you work with very cold puff pastry to ensure beautiful results.
• To make the egg wash: beat one egg and one egg yolk with a pinch of salt and a dash of whipping cream (it helps to get that beautiful golden color),and strain over a fine mesh sieve. It keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator if properly stored in an airtight container.

Making Ahead

• Puff pastry: can be made up to 2 days in advance
• Puff pastry pinwheels can be made ahead before filling them or baking them. Shape the pinwheels, place on a baking tray with parchment paper, and cover with saran wrap. They keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
• Raspberry Jam: can be made up to 3 months in advance.
• Egg wash: up to 3 days in advance

Proceed as instructed in the recipe when ready to bake.

Storage tips

These raspberry pecan pinwheels are better eaten when freshly baked. They can last for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. After that puff pastry will become too soft, but still good though!

Freezer instructions

These puff pastry pinwheels can be frozen. To do so:

• Shape the pinwheels
• Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, close to one another but not touching. Cover with saran wrap and place in the freezer.
• Once the pinwheels are completely frozen, place them in a freezer container or bag.

They keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost: Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then proceed as instructed in the recipe.

Variations to this recipe

You can add the pecans in before you cut out the puff pastry. To do so, you must:

• Roll out the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Paint the dough with egg wash, sprinkle with the crushed pecans/brown sugar mixture.
• Use a rolling pin to press the pecans into the dough.
• Refrigerate once again before cutting the puff pastry and shaping it into pinwheels. You can add vanilla pastry cream to these raspberry pinwheels. To do so you must:
• Fill the pinwheels with pastry cream at the center
• Next add a dollop of raspberry jam at the center of the pastry cream
• Then proceed as instructed in the recipe

Or you can make these chocolate pinwheels by replacing the vanilla pastry cream with chocolate pastry cream.

You can also add cream cheese to this raspberry filling instead of pastry cream.

You can also replace the pecans with pistachios and make these into pistachio pinwheels!