These broccoli and cheese pinwheels are ready in less than an hour and you only need a few simple ingredients to prepare them. They are best enjoyed when freshly baked but you could also warm them up and have them on the next day. Enjoy!
Pinwheels are a great snack for babies and kiddos since they are easy to hold, not very messy and you could make them with different type of fillings.
In this recipe, I’m using a filling made with broccoli, cream cheese, and a few additional ingredients to enhance the flavors. I’ve left out salt to make sure the broccoli pinwheels are suitable for both babies and older children.
If you are looking for more healthy snack ideas to have at home or for lunchboxes, then take a look at my sweet potato cheese biscuits and my mini cheese pies with homemade dough.
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- Easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
- Suitable for babies from 6 months old.
- Freezable for up to 2 months.
🥘 Ingredients
To make these broccoli and cheese pinwheels, we'll be using just 5 ingredients- a broccoli head, a puff pastry sheet, cream cheese, garlic powder and shredded cheese. For toddlers and older kids, you could add some salt to the broccoli.
For hard cheese, I like to use cheddar or mozzarella that is easy to melt when baked or Swiss cheese (low in sodium) for babies under 12 months.
To thaw the puff pastry, you could either leave it out at room temperature for 30–40 minutes or in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
For full quantities and to print the recipe, see the recipe card below.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. I wash the broccoli and I fill in a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then I add the broccoli florets and boil or steam until fork tender, for about 10 minutes. Don't overboil the broccoli, as most of its nutrients will be gone and it will get mushy.
02. While the broccoli is cooling down, I prepare the puff pastry. You could sprinkle some flour on your kitchen surface and lay it on, or lay it flat on a wooden cutting board or use some parchment paper. Make sure you thaw the puff pastry and then keep it in the fridge until you are ready to work with it. If it's left out at room temperature for too long, it might be difficult to work with and very sticky.
03. In a bowl, I add the cream cheese and garlic powder and mix it up. Then using a spatula or a spreading knife, I spread it over the puff pastry evenly.
04. By now, the broccoli must be cool and easy to handle. With a knife, I cut it roughly into smaller bits to be easier to spread. If there are any hard stems then you could remove them or cut them into smaller size.
05. I spread the broccoli pieces over the cream cheese covering all the area. If you are not making the broccoli pinwheels for babies under 12 months, then you could add a little bit of salt on top of the broccoli.
06. Finally, I spread the shredded cheese on top of the broccoli. I start rolling the puff pastry from the longer side that is closer to me all the way up. Before, cutting it into slices, I place it in the fridge to get firm while I preheat the oven, just for 8–10 minutes.
07. Using a serrated knife, I cut the roll into slices about 0.6 inch (1.5cm) thick and place the slices on a lined baking tray, leaving at least a finger size space between them.
08. I bake the broccoli and cheese pinwheels for 25 minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown color around the edges. Then you could place them on a rack to cool down for a few minutes.
HealthyBitesForKids Product Picks
Easy to clean stainless steel trays. I have a couple of those for roasting veggies or baking cookies.
Buy On Amazon📖 Substitutions & Variations
- For older kids, you could add a little bit of salt on top of the broccoli.
- Instead of puff pastry, you could use a crescent roll.
- You could use any melting cheese you like, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella etc.
🍽 Serving suggestions
If you are serving the broccoli and cheese pinwheels for breakfast, then you could add some fruit on the side or a homemade smoothie. For babies under 12 months, you could cut them in half to be easier to hold and bite.
The pinwheels are also great for snacking as they are easy to hold and not very messy. You could also add a couple to your kid's lunchbox along with some protein like scrambled eggs and some fruits or veggies.
🧰 Storage
If you have any leftover broccoli and cheese pinwheels, you could store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. You could warm them up in the microwave or the oven, just make sure they are not very hot when offering to little ones.
❓ FAQ
Yes, you can find puff pastry at the stores that is suitable for babies and little ones. For a healthier option, make sure that it is made mainly with butter and flour and avoid the ones made with vegetable oils like palm or canola oil.
📋 Recipe
Broccoli And Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough (400gr / 14oz) thawed
- ½ cup cream cheese (115gr)
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 broccoli head (2 cups sliced)
- ½ cup shredded cheese swiss or cheddar (50gr)
Instructions
- Fill in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Wash and add the broccoli florets.
- Boil for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the cooked broccoli and leave it to cool down for a couple of minutes.
- Cut the broccoli florets roughly with a knife to smaller bits.
- Take the puff pastry out of the fridge. Sprinkle your surface with some flour and lay the puff pastry flat.
- Mix the cream cheese with the garlic powder. Spread the mixture with a spatula to cover the puff pastry sheet.
- Spread the broccoli over the cream cheese to cover all sides. Add the shredded cheese on top.
- Roll from the longer size closer to you all the way to the top, forming a big sausage.
- Put the roll in the fridge to get firm while you preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃.
- Take the roll out of the fridge and with a sharp or serrated knife cut it into rolls about 0.6in or 1.5cm thick.
- Place the rolls on a lined baking tray, leaving at least a finger space between them.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 400℉ / 200℃ or until the pinwheels have a golden brown color around the edges.
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🥣 More to try
If you liked my broccoli and cheese pinwheels, you should try some of these recipes too:
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