A twist on the southern cheese straw made into a wafer and filled with chopped pecans and Mayhaw jelly.
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 30pinwheels
Ingredients
1poundextra sharp cheddar cheesegrated
2cupsall-purpose flour
½cupbuttersoftened
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonpaprika
½teaspooncayenne pepper
½cupMayhaw jelly
1cuppecanschopped
Instructions
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated cheese and mix together thoroughly.
Add the softened butter, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated and form a dough. I usually mix as much as I can with a wooden spoon and then dump everything out onto a board and keep working the dough until I get it to come together. It takes a little effort, but it will eventually get itself together.
Divide the dough into two balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each into a square or rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick. I use a bench scraper to help me shape the dough. Keep rolling and shaping the sides with the scraper until you get something resembling that above.
Now for the best part! Spread the dough thinly with Mayhaw jelly then sprinkle all over with the chopped pecans.
Roll each into a log.
Wrap in the rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Slice each roll into pinwheels about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
Remove to a cooling rack.
Notes
I’m just going to tell you that this is not the easiest dough to work with. It wants to crack and crumble but you just have to go slowly remolding it all the time. I have to roll up a few inches, pinch and remold the dough, roll a little more, pinch it all together again…see? Don’t be discouraged, though, just take your time and it will come together beautifully.