Sopapilla Cheesecake Pinwheels

Hello everyone :) Happy Friday!! I thought we could start out our weekend with an excellent little dessert. Trust me, these are awesome! :)

There is NO WAY this recipe can be healthy, but by substituting the Neufchatel cheese for Cream cheese you save yourself some calories. Check out why this substitution is AWESOME here

Ingredients:
1 can Crescent Rolls
1 package Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Cinnamon & Sugar
Optional: 1 Tbsp. Butter

To start off, spray a piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and unroll your crescent dough onto it. You DO NOT want to tear it into triangles, leave it in one big sheet. If your crescent dough starts to break apart, just push it back together with your fingers. In a small mixing bowl, stir together your neufchatel cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Once mixed, spread this mixture over your crescent dough. Next, sprinkle cinnamon & sugar on top of your cream cheese mixture. There is no specific amount to use of this, just however much you like! I LOVE cinnamon & sugar so I used quite a bit :) See pictures below:

 

Now, roll your crescent dough up into a log (long-ways... or hot dog style for my visual learners ;)). It should look like this:

Now, wrap your log up in the foil and stick it in the freezer. I left mine in there while I cooked dinner which turned out to be about an hour, but you don't have to do it this long. You just want your log stiff enough so that it doesn't squish to much when you cut it up.

Preheat your oven to 350. Once your log is stiff, take it out of the freezer and cut it into small pieces ( about 1/2 in thick). I placed mine on parchment paper, but you can just use a regular cookie sheet if you don't have any. Here is what your pieces will look like:

Now for the optional step. If you so desire (I desired!) you can melt a tablespoon of butter and brush it on top of your pinwheels to make them a little more flaky. This step is completely optional though.

Bake your pinwheels for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Here are some pictures of your finished product:

 

 

These are awesome with some honey drizzled on them as well. :)

 

Happy Cooking

& Enjoy!!