Flaky, buttery pumpkin pie pinwheels made with an oil based crust are a wonderful thanksgiving finger food dessert option! I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this fall dessert recipe.
Pumpkin pie is by far my favorite Thanksgiving dessert. Our homemade pumpkin pie recipe is especially delicious and very nostalgic for me.
With that being said, I naturally try to see other ways I can accomplish a pumpkin pieesque recipe.
Whenever my mom would made a quiche or pie, she would make little cinnamon sugar pinwheels out of the extra dough. These pumpkin pie pinwheels are basically a spin off of my mother’s sweet invention.
If you like recipes with pumpkin pie spice, then you’ll love these! They’re super simple, super delicious, and super fun to make. Enjoy it with a steaming cup of dark chocolate hot cocoa!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s easy. Yes, there’s some work involved. But it’s not hard work. Pumpkin pie pinwheels could easily be whipped up as a fun finger food for your dinner party at the last minute.
Versatility. You clearly clicked on this recipe because it includes pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. However, you could totally just make these with cinnamon and sugar and they would be delicious.
Festivity. A Thanksgiving or friends-giving dinner menu isn’t complete without a pumpkin pie dessert of some kind. Definitely make the pumpkin pie. Definitely add these fun pumpkin pinwheels along with it!
Healthy-ish. Our oil based crust is literally only 3 ingredients. On top of that, you’re just adding spices and brown sugar. If you want a delectable dessert but still want to feel good about what you’re eating, these are the way to go.
Great for parties-If you need a fun finger food dessert to take to your next dinner party, these are a wonderful option! People love a bite sized treat that they can munch on throughout the night.
Tools You May Need
Wax paper-I find that using wax paper eliminates the chances of your dough sticking to the counter or your rolling pin. Avoid using parchment paper because the dough could also stick to that. Wax paper is the best option.
Pie dish or a baking sheet– If you use a baking sheet, make sure to line it with parchment paper or lightly grease it with butter to prevent sticking.
Rolling pin
Stand mixer or mixing bowls-You do not need to use a stand mixer for this, however, if you’d like less hands on time then that would be the way to go. Personally, I just use a wooden spatula and mix it all together on my own.
Spatula or wooden spoon
Pizza cutter-A pizza cutter works great to cut the dough into long strips. A butter knife or serrated knife would also work.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the crust
Whole milk
Oil-We use olive oil or avocado oil. Coconut oil will work, too.
All purpose flour or pastry flour– You’ll want unbleached all purpose flour for this recipe. Pastry flour may help the dough stick together and be a bit more flaky, but I have always used all purpose flour and it works great.
For the pinwheels
Brown sugar-If you don’t have any brown sugar on hand, learn how to make your own brown sugar with this recipe.
Pumpkin pie spice– Make sure you use the powder spice, not the liquid pumpkin pie spice!
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ground cloves
Butter
Pumpkin Pie Pinwheel Tips
Make sure to roll out the oil based pie crust between two sheets of wax paper. This will help the dough to keep from crumbling and also prevent sticking to the counter and/or rolling pin.
While not completely necessary, I highly recommend refrigerating the dough before you start making the pinwheels. This will make the dough easier to roll out and will prevent a crumbly dough that just falls apart.
You could use a butter knife to cut your long strips, although I think a pizza cutter works best.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Pinwheels From Scratch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
First, in a large bowl, mix together all the pie crust ingredients until it comes together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Next, while the dough is in the fridge, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.
After that, remove the dough from the fridge and place between two sheets of wax paper. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape. It does not need to be perfect. If needed, trim the edges to make them straighter and more even.
Spread the butter over the entire dough surface. Sprinkle the pumpkin pie spice mixture over the butter. There should be minimal to no butter showing.
Additionally, use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into long strips about 1-2 inches wide.
Finally, carefully roll up the strips to form a pinwheel shape.
Place the pinwheels in a pie dish or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d love it if you gave it 5 stars and left me a comment below!
More Pumpkin Favorite Recipes
If you love pumpkin like I do, check out some of our other easy and delicious pumpkin recipes! These recipes are great fall drink, dinner, and dessert ideas. Plus, some of them are also sourdough, making them gut healthy!
What To Serve With Pumpkin Pie Pinwheels
FAQs
What knife is best for cutting pinwheels?
To cut pinwheels, use a pizza cutter to make long strips about 1-2 inches wide before you roll them into pinwheels. Or, use a bread knife, such as this Cut Co bread knife.
Which way do you roll pinwheels?
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle shape. You’ll want to roll in starting from one of the shorter ends. For more, smaller pinwheels, roll starting from one of the long sides.
What to serve with pinwheels?
Dark chocolate hot chocolate, a pumpkin spice latter, other mini desserts, pumpkin pie, hot black coffee, tea, cheesecake are all great dessert ideas to serve with pumpkin pie pinwheels.
Do you keep pinwheels in the fridge?
If your pinwheels include dairy, such as cheese or cream cheese, then yes, store them in the fridge for up to 7 days. Otherwise, they can be kept on the kitchen counter in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
Pumpkin Pie Pinwheels
Make these buttery, flaky pumpkin pie pinwheels as a fun finger food dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner party or friendsgiving event!
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of oil
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 TBS pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 TBS cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 stick softened butter
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the crust together until it forms a ball. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
- Place the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll into a rectangle shape. It does not need to be perfect. *see notes*
- Trim off the edges so that they are fairly straight and square.
- Using a butter knife or spoon, spread the softened butter over the entire layer of dough.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture on top of the butter. There should be minimal to no butter showing.
- Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into long strips about 1/2 inch wide.
- Carefully roll up each strip to create a pinwheel.
- Lightly grease a pie dish or your desired baking dish. Bake the pinwheels for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool and then enjoy!
Notes
- To make rolling out the dough easier, you can divide it into two sections using a bench scraper.
Yum! These look delicious!