Fresh Dill and Cheese Cucumber Pinwheels

Little sandwiches made with tortillas are often called pinwheels and they are very popular! Not only are they easy to make and quite delicious too, but they are adaptable to any occasion and are enjoyed by kids and adults alike! This particular pinwheel is stuffed with a slightly sweetened cream cheese and chopped cucumber mixture with loads of fresh dill – these just scream spring!

Springtime weather always brings on cravings for quick and easy meals and snacks in our home, which is why I’m going to share this Fresh Dill and Cheese Cucumber Pinwheels recipe with you today. In fact, not only do we do this in the warmer months, but even in the winter, we will make sandwiches for dinner at least once a week. Not only does it give me a break from cooking dinner every night, but it also means very little cleanup, which is one of my favourite things!

Most of the time, our sandwich consists of deli meats, canned tuna salad, or even egg salad. We always use either grainy rye bread or sourdough. And, there’s always lots of sliced tomatoes, green lettuce, cheese, pickles, and condiments too. If I’m feeling fancy, or if I’m in the mood to make sandwiches ahead of time, I will often whip up pinwheels.

Sometimes, they are prepared with sliced deli meats, like in the case of this Italian Antipasto version. It’s filled with thinly sliced prosciutto, coppa di parma, and salami. Who wouldn’t want that!? Other times, I make some with more spice, just like this Mexican version. This one has salsa mixed right into it! And then there are times when I want something lighter without all of those strong flavours. Fresh Dill and Cheese Cucumber Pinwheels is the perfect solution for when that craving hits!

SANDWICHES COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES AND DO NOT NEED TO BE BORING

Do you prepare sandwiches at home – for yourself or for your family? Are they just a quick and easy, no-brainer, lunch item – you know, something to get you through the work or school day? How about for dinner? Do you ever prepare sandwiches for dinner? We do! Actually, we do it once a week!

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that a food blogger cooks and bakes a lot! And, even though I love it, there are times when I need a wee break from it. So, in our home, we have two nights every week which gives me the night off from cooking. Wednesday nights are for what we call College Dinner, which is eggs, beans, and toast. Sometimes there’s bacon for me and vegan sausages for John.e.

On another night, which is not always the same as Wednesday’s College Dinner, we make sandwiches. I am and always have been, a lover of sandwiches. And, luckily, so is John.e. So we make deli-style sandwiches, or tuna sandwiches, and sometimes, egg salad sandwiches. Oh, and without fail, there’s always a pickle on the side and a big handful of kettle chips. Sounds good, right?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare these Fresh Dill and Cheese Cucumber Pinwheels. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cucumbers – One large cucumber is all you need. You will need to get as much of the moisture out as possible. I’ll tell you how to do that in the next section.
• Cream Cheese – For this recipe, it is best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed, therefore, it will create a firmer spread. 
• Honey – The honey will add a little bit of sweetness and will help to loosen up the brick-style cream cheese, making it creamier and easier to spread.
• Fresh Dill – You must use fresh dill in this recipe! The dill is one of the main flavours, so it just makes sense to use fresh instead of dried. Dried dill is much stronger and even though it tastes good, it will not have a freshness to it.
• Mayonnaise – Please use mayonnaise and not salad dressing. Mayo is thick and salty, while salad dressing is thinner and tangy.
• Ground Black Pepper & Salt – No salt is needed for the pinwheel because the mayonnaise has salt and so does the cream cheese.
• Large Flour Tortillas

HOW TO PREPARE THE CUCUMBER

This is the only part of the recipe that requires a little bit of explanation. You see, Dear Reader, cucumber is full of water, in fact, cucumbers are made up of about 96% water. We really don’t need all of that in our mixture, because it will water it down. A watery cucumber and cream cheese mixture means that your tortilla pinwheels are going to get soggy; nobody wants that.

Wash the cucumber well. Trim off the ends and discard. Next, slice the cucumber in half lengthwise. Hold one-half of the cucumber firmly in your hand and use a spoon to scrape the seeds out. Discard the seeds. Most of the water content is stored in the seeds. Once you’ve done that to both halves, finely mince the cucumber – as finely as your patience permits! As you work, push the minced cucumber to one side of your cutting board. Finally, salt the cucumber and mix it through with your fingertips.

Transfer the cucumber to a clean kitchen towel. Pile it up neatly in the middle of the towel so that you can easily gather up the sides. Let it sit for five minutes. Now, gather up the ends of the towel and twist firmly, holding the ball of cucumber tightly. Squeeze as much of the liquid out as you possibly can. Discard it; you will not need it for the remainder of this recipe.

PREPARE THE SPREAD MIXTURE

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, honey, mayonnaise, and ground black pepper until creamy and smooth. Next, stir in the minced cucumber and the chopped fresh dill. Cover the bowl with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.

HOW TO PREPARE THE PERFECT PINWHEEL

Once you are ready to prepare the pinwheels, pile six large flour tortillas into a neat pile. Use a sharp knife to trim away about 3/4 of an inch from the left and right sides of the tortilla. You may discard those or use them as a salad topping. Lay the tortillas out into a single layer on a clean table or countertop Evenly share the cucumber mixture over the tortillas.

Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, spread the mixture as evenly as possible over the entire surface of each tortilla. The spread will be thin, so don’t be alarmed if you think there isn’t enough. Working from one end, roll each tortilla gently, but firmly. The roll should be tight, but not so tight as to squeeze the mixture out of the end. Slice the rolls into one-inch slices either on a diagonal as I did, or just straight across the roll. The end pieces don’t always look as pretty, so those you can hold back for yourself!

Plate, garnish with fresh dill, and serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Fresh Dill and Cheese Cucumber Pinwheels will keep in the fridge for 3-5 hours. After that time, the tortillas will soak up some of the moisture from the cucumber mixture. They are still delicious and edible, but might not be as presentable if you are serving these to anyone other than your family or friends.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!