Chilli cheese pizza swirls are our go-to for unexpected guests. We spread puff pastry with a spicy pepper and jalapeno filling, roll it up, slice each roll into 12 pieces and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 180°C. Done.
The recipe comes from the Mix Baking Book. We have made it hundreds of times, for parties, the office, as a snack. The swirls are handy, spicy enough for adults and easy to adapt for children.
Fiery Chilli Cheese Pizza Swirls with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 red onion
- 60 g jalapenos from a jar
- 200 g Cheddar
- 1 red pepper
- 90 g tomato puree
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 2 sheets puff pastry from the chilled section, approx. 270 g each
Instructions 0 / 8
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1
Chop the garlic.
Peel the garlic, place into the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 8.
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2
Chop the onion.
Peel the onion, halve it, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 5.
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3
Chop the cheese.
Drain the jalapenos. Cut the jalapenos and Cheddar into pieces, place into the mixing bowl, chop for 8 sec / speed 9 and set aside.
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4
Make the filling.
Wash the pepper, trim it (remove the stalk and seeds) and cut into small pieces. Place the pepper, tomato puree, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin into the mixing bowl and chop using the spatula for 7 sec / speed 4.5.
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5
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 2-3). Line the baking tray with baking paper.
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6
Roll out the puff pastry.
Roll out the puff pastry into two rectangles measuring 25 cm x 30 cm.
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7
Fill, roll up and slice.
Spread the pepper mixture over the puff pastry. Add the cheese mixture on top, leaving a 2 cm border along the edges. Roll up from the long side. Cut each of the two rolls into 12 slices and place flat side down on the baking tray.
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8
Bake.
Bake the cheese swirls for 30 to 35 minutes.
Tip: If children are eating, the chillies can be left out.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Two-stage chopping: Cheddar roughly first, then pepper finely
The Thermomix® chops the filling in two separate rounds. First we chop the garlic and onion individually, then the jalapenos and Cheddar together at speed 9. The cheese is chopped roughly and set aside. The pepper and tomato puree mixture then goes into the cleaned mixing bowl at speed 4.5.
Why not all together? Because the Cheddar becomes greasy with longer mixing time and combines with the tomato puree. The filling then turns into a reddish paste rather than a visible layering of cheese pieces and pepper sauce. The swirls look less appealing when sliced and lose the typical cheese bite.
Jalapenos from a jar: heat without the lottery
We use jalapenos from a jar, not fresh ones. Fresh jalapenos vary enormously in heat. Some are mild, others burn so fiercely that children cannot eat the swirls. Jar jalapenos are pickled and standardised. The heat is predictable.
Drain the 60 g jalapenos before they go into the mixing bowl. The brine brings vinegar and salt with it, which throws the balance of the filling. Draining takes 10 seconds and saves seasoning adjustments later.
The spatula is essential for the pepper filling
The pepper and tomato puree mixture is pushed down with the spatula while the Thermomix® is running. Without the spatula, pepper sticks to the upper edge of the mixing bowl. The filling becomes uneven, with some spots remaining dry and raw.
7 seconds at speed 4.5 is enough. Longer and the pepper becomes too liquid. The filling runs apart when spreading over the puff pastry and makes the dough soggy. Shorter and the pepper stays in large pieces that fall out when slicing the roll.
12 slices per roll, no more
We cut each roll into exactly 12 slices. That gives 24 swirls in total. Each slice is about 2 cm thick. Cut thinner (15 or 16 slices per roll) and the swirls become too small and dry out in the oven. Cut thicker (8 or 10 slices) and they remain doughy inside while the outside already turns dark.
Place the swirls flat side down on the baking tray. Not upright. Upright they tip over during baking and the filling runs out.
180°C top and bottom heat, not fan
We bake the swirls at 180°C with top and bottom heat. Fan heat dries out the puff pastry too quickly. The swirls become hard on the outside before the cheese has properly melted inside. With top and bottom heat they bake evenly throughout, the pastry turns crisp and the cheese melts smoothly.
30 to 35 minutes baking time. After 30 minutes we check the colour. When the swirls are golden brown and the cheese at the edges is lightly browned, they are done. If they are still pale, give them another 5 minutes.
Freeze before baking, not after
The swirls can be frozen before baking. Place the sliced, uncooked swirls on a baking tray, freeze for 2 hours until firm, then transfer into a freezer bag. To bake, place directly from the freezer onto the tray and bake for 35 minutes at 180°C.
Freezing after baking does not work. The puff pastry becomes soggy on defrosting and the cheese separates. The swirls taste cardboard-like when reheated.
Adjusting the heat without jalapenos
For children, leave out the jalapenos and reduce or omit the cayenne pepper entirely. The pepper and tomato puree mixture stays mild, and the Cheddar provides enough flavour. For more heat, increase the jalapeno quantity to 80 g or add 1 tsp of hot paprika to the filling.
For a more Mediterranean flavour, swap the jalapenos for sun-dried tomatoes from a jar and add 1 tsp of mixed Italian herbs to the filling.
What we serve alongside
The swirls go well with Tzatziki made with the Thermomix® or a simple yoghurt and garlic dip. Also good: Ranch Dressing with the Thermomix®. At parties we serve them alongside puff pastry spinach swirls and pizza rolls with the Thermomix®.
Goes well with: Aioli.
More party snacks: Thermomix® pizza dough, pizza rolls, pizza pot and Turkish pizza.
