Cinnamon Roll Crescents are flaky, buttery crescent rolls wrapped around a gooey brown sugar and cinnamon filling, finished with a sweet vanilla glaze. They taste like a bakery cinnamon roll but come together in 20 minutes, which makes them a weekend breakfast, a lunchbox treat or a last-minute dessert.
How to make cinnamon roll crescents: spread each triangle of canned crescent dough with a butter, brown sugar and cinnamon filling, roll it up, and bake at 375°F for 9 to 12 minutes before drizzling with glaze.
Why You’ll Love It
- Twenty minutes start to finish. No yeast, no rising and no rolling pin.
- Seven ingredients. One can of crescent dough plus pantry staples.
- Flaky outside, gooey inside. The dough bakes up golden and layered around a soft cinnamon swirl.
- Easy to make ahead. Bake them the day before and glaze them right before serving.
Ingredient Notes
Crescent dough. One 8-ounce can gives you 8 triangles, so 8 rolls.
Butter. Use softened butter and mix it with the sugar and cinnamon until it is a smooth, creamy paste you can spread.
Sugar. Light brown sugar gives a gooey, caramel-colored filling. Granulated sugar works too.
Cinnamon. Two teaspoons gives a warm, clear cinnamon flavor. Add a little more if you like it bold.
Glaze. Powdered sugar, a splash of milk and vanilla. The vanilla is optional, but it rounds out the sweetness.
Ingredients
- 1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for the glaze
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, for the glaze
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional, for the glaze
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Crescents
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Separate the dough. Unroll the crescent dough and pull it apart into the 8 triangles along the perforations.
3. Make the filling. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth and creamy.
4. Fill the triangles. Spread a thin layer of the filling over each triangle with the back of a spoon. You may not use it all.
5. Roll them up. Starting at the wide end, roll each triangle into a crescent. Set it on the baking sheet with the pointed tip underneath, leaving 2 inches between rolls. If the filling is very soft, chill the shaped rolls for 15 minutes.
6. Bake. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden around the edges. A little filling may bubble out onto the parchment.
7. Make the glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth, adding the milk a little at a time until the glaze drizzles off the whisk.
8. Glaze and serve. Let the rolls cool slightly, then drizzle the glaze over the tops. Serve them warm.
How to Keep the Filling Inside
The one thing that goes wrong with these is the filling. It bubbles out, pools on the pan and the rolls come out hollow, or a roll loosens and opens up in the oven. Four small habits fix it.
| Habit | What it does |
|---|---|
| Spread the filling thin | Less filling to escape; you may have some left over |
| Roll from the wide end | Gives the tight crescent shape with the filling wrapped inside |
| Pointed tip underneath | Keeps the roll from unrolling in the oven |
| Chill 15 minutes if soft | Firms the butter filling before it meets the hot oven |
Give the rolls room, too: set them 2 inches apart on the parchment.
A little filling still bubbles out while they bake. That is normal, and the glaze covers any rough edges.
Tips for Success
How do I know when they are done?
Look at the edges, not the middle. Take the rolls out as soon as the edges turn lightly golden, after 9 to 12 minutes.
When should the glaze go on?
Let the rolls cool slightly first, then drizzle. For a thicker coat, dip the top of each roll into the glaze and set it on a wire rack to drip.
Why is my glaze too thick to drizzle?
Powdered sugar needs very little liquid. Add the milk a little at a time and stop as soon as it falls from the whisk in a ribbon.
Variations
- Warm spice. Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, or a pinch of pumpkin spice, to the filling in the fall.
- Different topping. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon into the glaze, swap it for a cream cheese glaze, or simply dust the rolls with powdered sugar.
- Pull-apart pan. Press two cans of dough into one sheet, spread with butter and cinnamon sugar, cut into 9 strips, roll them up and bake snugly in an 8×8-inch dish at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator. To freeze, pack them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Warm chilled or thawed rolls in the oven for a few minutes, or enjoy them at room temperature.
What to Serve With It
Serve these with coffee for a lazy weekend breakfast or set them out on a brunch table next to a bowl of fruit. If cinnamon rolls are your weakness, try the easy cinnamon roll coffee cake, the cinnamon roll French toast rolls or the rich cinnamon roll cheesecake. For more quick canned-dough treats, the cinnamon sugar biscuit bites and the cheesecake crescent rolls casserole are just as easy, and the 5-ingredient blueberry cheesecake rolls bring a fruity filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use crescent roll dough for cinnamon rolls?
Yes, and that is exactly what this recipe does. The crescent dough bakes up flaky and buttery around the cinnamon filling, so you get the cinnamon roll flavor without yeast dough or rising time.
Can I use puff pastry instead of crescents?
Yes. Cut the puff pastry into triangles, spread on the same filling and roll them up the same way. Watch them in the oven and take them out when they are lightly golden.
Can I make them ahead, and when do I glaze?
Bake them up to a day ahead and store them covered. Wait to glaze until just before serving, and warm them in the oven first if they were in the fridge.
Final Notes
I always tuck the pointed tip right under the roll, because that one move keeps more of the filling where it belongs. If you bake a batch, tell me in the comments how they turned out or which glaze you chose.
Cinnamon Roll Crescents
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Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough 8 ounces, 8 rolls
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for the glaze
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk for the glaze
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional, for the glaze
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into the 8 triangles.
- Mix the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth.
- Spread a thin layer of the filling over each triangle. You may not use it all.
- Starting at the wide end, roll each triangle into a crescent and set it on the sheet with the pointed tip underneath, 2 inches apart. Chill the shaped rolls 15 minutes if the filling is very soft.
- Bake 9 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth, adding milk a little at a time until it drizzles.
- Let the rolls cool slightly, then drizzle with the glaze. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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