Description
Create a festive and delicious Pinwheel Christmas Tree Appetizer featuring creamy herbed cream cheese spread with olives and red peppers rolled in tortillas, perfect for holiday gatherings and easy to prepare ahead of time.
Ingredients
Scale
Spread Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese (2 blocks), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup green olives, sliced
- ¼ cup black olives, sliced
- ¼ cup red peppers, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
Assembly Ingredients
- 4 large tortillas (2 plain and 2 green spinach)
- Fresh rosemary for garnish
- Cherry tomatoes for garnish
- Decorative holiday picks, optional for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop the red peppers finely and slice both green and black olives if they are not pre-sliced to ensure even distribution in the cream cheese mixture.
- Make the cream cheese mixture: In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice. Use a hand mixer to blend until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps, creating a creamy and flavorful base.
- Fold in additional ingredients: Gently fold the minced fresh dill, green olives, black olives, and chopped red peppers into the smooth cream cheese mixture using a spatula or spoon to evenly incorporate the flavors.
- Spread the mixture on tortillas: Place a tortilla on a flat surface. Using an offset spatula, spread about ½ cup of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the entire surface of the tortilla up to the edges.
- Roll and wrap: Carefully roll the tortilla tightly into a log shape. Wrap each rolled tortilla securely with plastic wrap to maintain shape and freshness. Repeat this process for all four tortillas.
- Chill the rolls: Place the wrapped tortillas in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up, making them easier to slice into pinwheels without losing shape.
- Slice into pinwheels: Remove the chilled rolls from the freezer, unwrap the plastic wrap, and cut each roll into ¾-inch slices to create individual pinwheel pieces.
- Arrange into a Christmas tree: On a festive platter or wooden serving board, arrange the pinwheel slices in the shape of a Christmas tree for a creative and visually appealing presentation.
- Garnish and serve: Decorate the assembled tree with fresh rosemary sprigs mimicking pine branches, cherry tomatoes as ornaments, and optionally add decorative holiday picks for a festive touch. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- You can prepare the Christmas Tree Pinwheels ahead of time by rolling and wrapping the tortillas and storing them in the refrigerator; slice just before serving to maintain freshness.
- To make this appetizer gluten-free, use gluten-free tortillas available at most grocery stores as a substitute.
- Feel free to experiment with your favorite olives such as kalamata, garlic-stuffed, blue cheese-stuffed, or marinated olives instead of traditional green and black olives for varied flavors.
- Drained jarred pimientos can be used to replace finely chopped red peppers if preferred or for convenience.
- Store leftover pinwheels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days to keep them fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pinwheel
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
