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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Dessert

    Candy Pinwheels

    Published: Jun 19, 2022 ยท Modified: Mar 23, 2025 by Adrianne

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    Caramel Sauce topped candy pinwheels on white plate with text overlay
    Caramel Sauce topped candy pinwheels on white plate with text overlay

    Candy Pinwheels (Pinwheel candy with cream cheese) are cute and colourful and taste a bit like a caramel donut! Quick and easy to make and using only 4 ingredients they can be whipped up quick smart!

    Candy Pinwheels on white plate with bowl of caramel sauce behind

    Recipes like my Pecan Pinwheels and Peanut Butter Pinwheels are all about quick puff pastry ideas. My Nutella Puff Pastry takes our favourite chocolate spread into bite sized yum.

    My Pesto Pinwheels, Cheese and Bacon Pinwheels and Cheese and Tomato Pinwheels give us savory pastry options!

    Jump to:
    • ๐Ÿค Recipe Highlights
    • ๐Ÿฅ— Ingredients
    • ๐Ÿณ Instructions
    • ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿณ How to Make Candy Pinwheels
    • ๐Ÿญ Pinwheel Candy with Cream Cheese
    • ๐Ÿ‘ How to Guide
    • ๐Ÿฝ Serving Suggestions
    • ๐Ÿ˜‰ Substitutions and Variations
    • ๐Ÿค“ Frequently Asked Questions
    • ๐Ÿ˜ More Easy Party Food Recipes
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    ๐Ÿค Recipe Highlights

    You will love this recipe for its simplicity and colour, but also because of the following points that I have summarized below:

    • Minimal ingredients needed: we only need 4 ingredients to make the recipe and they are all easy to get your hands on.
    • Fun and colourful: everyone loves sweet treats but sometimes you have to do something a little bit different and bright to really get people's attention. If you want to be the talk of the party, take these to the party, haha!
    • Quick cook time: once you have rolled the pinwheels and placed them into the oven, they will be ready in about 20 minutes.
    • Fuss free and effortless: there is not a lot that can go wrong with this recipe. So keep your cool and get your party started without busting out in a sweat!
    • Kid Friendly: have you ever seen a kid stand at the party table and reach for a piece of fruit as their 1st choice, nope me either! Let them be kids and make something that will be right up their alley (they can help decorate!!).

    ๐Ÿฅ— Ingredients

    Everything that you need to make these pinwheels is shown in the photo below. For exact measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the printable recipe card below.

    Ingredients for Candy Pinwheels on marble background with text labels
    Ingredients needed for the recipe

    As you can see, the recipe calls for:

    • Caramel sauce: store bought is what I recommend. Grab it from the pantry or fridge. Commonly used on ice cream, it is fun to have another use for it with this recipe!
    • Sprinkles: also known as hundreds and thousands, these are what we use to sprinkle over the caramel sauce for decoration.
    • Cream cheese: smooth and easily spreadable, we use this to create a sweet layer in the pastry.
    • Puff pastry: versatile and lending itself to being used in many sweet and savory recipes, this is an ingredient I always like to have in the freezer! We need to thaw it as otherwise it cracks when we try and roll it. So grab it out of the freezer as a starting point.
    • Icing sugar (powdered sugar): not shown in the photo above, as it is an optional ingredient. If you want to dust the pinwheels to serve, this works perfectly to create a pretty effect!

    ๐Ÿณ Instructions

    Here are the step by step instructions to make the caramel pinwheels recipe. You will need a chopping board to start with.

    Candy Pinwheel instructions 1 to 4 with text over lay
    Step by Step Instructions 1 to 4
    • Spread cream cheese onto the puff pastry (Photo 1)
    • Roll into a long log (Photo 2)
    • Slice into individual portions (Photo 3)
    • Place on baking mat (Photo 4)

    ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿณ How to Make Candy Pinwheels

    Start by thawing the puff pastry.

    Then use a butter knife to spread a layer of cream cheese onto the pastry. Tightly roll the pastry into a log. Then use a sharp knife to cut the log creating the individual pinwheels.

    Lay each pinwheel flat on the baking tray and transfer to the oven so they can cook.

    Method for candy pinwheels on marble background with text labels 5 to 8
    Step by Step Instructions 5 to 8
    • Oven bake the pinwheels for 20 mins (Photo 5)
    • Transfer to a wire cooling rack (Photo 6)
    • Spoon caramel sauce onto each pinwheel (Photo 7)
    • Decorate with sprinkles (Photo 8)
    Candy Pinwheels on white plate with small bowl of sauce and spoon

    ๐Ÿญ Pinwheel Candy with Cream Cheese

    When it comes to decorating the pinwheels, grab a teaspoon, the caramel sauce and sprinkles.

    We want to spoon a little bit of the caramel sauce on the top of each pinwheel and then sprinkle the jimmies on top.

    Candy Pinwheels with caramel sauce and jimmies on white plate

    You can think of them as a modern version of the much loved Australian Fairy Bread!

    If you are working through this post and thinking to yourself that you would like to put some of the sprinkles into the pastry as they cook, check this photo. I had that idea and went with it when I was developing the recipe, however, soon learnt that the sprinkles don't come off looking as pretty when they are baked into the pinwheels. They look very dark in colour and not so bright anymore! So we leave them out and use them to decorate instead! Been there, done that, got your back so you don't do that!

    2 bites out of Candy Pinwheel on white background

    ๐Ÿ‘ How to Guide

    How to Store

    You can make the pinwheels ahead of time and decorate when ready to serve.

    Due to the sticky loose sauce, I don't recommend making and decorating as you cannot stack them.

    How to Freeze

    You can make and bake the pinwheels, then freeze prior to decoration with the caramel sauce and sprinkles. I don't recommend decorating and trying to freeze as this would negatively affect the texture of the caramel sauce.

    How to Reheat

    It is not recommended to reheat the pinwheels as this can lead to mixed results.

    ๐Ÿฝ Serving Suggestions

    These candy pinwheels are the perfect party food! Serve them with some savory options like my Air Fryer Sausage Rolls and Air Fryer Party Pies.

    For sweet options try my Coco Pop Crackles and Golden Syrup Cornflake Cakes.

    ๐Ÿ˜‰ Substitutions and Variations

    Here are the few things that you can do to switch the recipe up a little to meet your personal preferences:

    • Use chocolate sauce instead of the caramel sauce.
    • Dust with cocoa powder instead of the icing sugar.
    • Use your favourite sprinkles, be their colourful or neutral.
    • Theme them for baby showers and use 'pink' or 'blue' sprinkles to decorate.

    ๐Ÿค“ Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the most popular candy?

    M and M's have the reputation for being the most popular and loved candy world wide.

    What are small sprinkles called?

    Jimmies are another name for small sprinkles as is hundreds and thousands.

    How do you soften cream cheese?

    If you grab the cream cheese out of the fridge at the start of making the recipe, it will come to room temperature and be more easily spread when you come to use it.

    How far in advance should I make pinwheels?

    You can make and bake the pinwheels the night before you want to serve them.

    Due to the soft runny nature of the caramel sauce, it is best to decorate them just prior to serving.

    ๐Ÿ˜ More Easy Party Food Recipes

    If you love party food, you have come to the right place! You might like to try each or any of the following:

    • Chicken Sausage Rolls
    • Mini Hot Dogs
    • Malteser Truffles
    • Chicken Ribs
    • Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls
    • Malteser Fudge
    • Ham Cream Cheese Roll Ups
    • Malteser Rocky Road
    • Snickers Fudge
    • Pinwheel Sandwiches

    Adrianne

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    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    Candy Pinwheels with caramel sauce and sprinkles on white plate

    Candy Pinwheels

    Candy Pinwheels are quick and easy to make. These colourful treats make the perfect party snack or sweet anytime treat!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 24
    Calories: 134kcal
    Author: Adrianne
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Baking tray
    • 1 Silicon Baking Mat
    • 1 Butter Knife
    • 1 Chopping board
    • 1 Cutting knife
    • 1 Teaspoon

    Ingredients

    • 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
    • 100 grams cream cheese
    • 2 tablespoon sprinkles
    • 2 tablespoon caramel sauce
    • icing sugar optional, to dust

    Instructions

    • Preheat the Oven:ย Preheat your ovenย toย 180ยฐC / 350-375ยฐF / Gas Mark 4-5.
    • Thaw the pastry: remove puff pastry from the freezer and set it on the bench to thaw.
    • Line a tray: line a baking tray with a silicon mat. Set aside
    • Make the pinwheels: working 1 at a time, lay the thawed puff pastry sheets onto a chopping board and use a butter knife to spread with a layer of cream cheese. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the pastry tightly into a long log.
    • Cut into portions: use a knife and cut the pastry into individual portions.
    • Bake the pinwheels: place each pinwheel flat on the baking mat and into the oven for 20 mins. They will be ready when pastry is golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and place on wire rack to cool.
    • Decorate the pinwheels: once the pinwheels have cooled, spoon a little bit of caramel sauce on the top of each one. Then sprinkle with hundreds and thousands. Dust with icing sugar (optional).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Western
    Keyword Candy Pinwheels, Pinwheel Candy with Cream Cheese
    Did you make this recipe? Share on Instagram!It makes my day when you make my recipes! Tag @sweetcaramelsunday

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nolene says

      June 19, 2022 at 5:28 am

      5 stars
      These look fun!

      Reply
    2. Belinda says

      July 02, 2022 at 6:04 am

      5 stars
      These are so creative, love them!!

      Reply
      • Adrianne says

        July 02, 2022 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks Belinda!

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