Sizzling Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels

Sizzling Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels puts cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and thinly sliced deli salami or ham at the center of a appetizer recipe and finishes in about 32 minutes, enough for 24 pinwheels.

• Yield 24 pinwheels
• Ready in 32 minutes
• Prep 20 minutes
• Cook 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (shredded (1 1/2 cups))
• 2 ounces thinly sliced deli salami or ham (chopped fine)
• 3 green onions (finely minced)
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (like Tapatio)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 12 slices hearty white or wheat sandwich bread (crusts removed)
• 12 ounces bacon (halved crosswise)

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler heating element and heat the broiler. Set an oven-proof wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a food processor (or with a hand mixer if you don't have a food processor), mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until smooth and well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in salami or ham, green onions, hot sauce and mustard. Mix well.
2. Working with one slice of bread at a time, roll the bread as thin as possible with a rolling pin (don't forget to remove the crusts!). Evenly cover the bread with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Starting at the short edge, roll the bread into a tight cylinder. Cut each rolled bread log in half crosswise to form 2 smaller rolls and wrap each half in 1 piece of the bacon (that has also been cut in half crosswise), covering the bread completely. The bacon should stick to itself as it is rolled around and stay secure, but if not, feel free to secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining bread, filling and bacon.
3. Place the rolls to the wire rack on the baking sheet. Broil until the bacon is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through broiling. Let the pinwheels cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Give it a minute off the heat, then serve it while it is still hot.