I reworked Crescent Roll Recipes into Cinnamon Crescent Twists with a cinnamon-sugar swirl tucked into each fold and a sweet vanilla glaze that I’m excited to share.
I can’t resist pulling these Warm Cinnamon Crescent Twists from the oven, the smell grabs you before you even open the door. I use refrigerated crescent roll dough and a big hit of ground cinnamon to make layers that flake and fold into sticky, buttery bites.
They’re not fussy but they feel a little decadent, the kind of thing I make when I want something special but don’t want to slave over it. If you like Crescent Recipes or trawling Cinnamon Recipes, these will snag you.
Try one warm and you’ll wonder why you didn’t make them sooner, they vanish fast.
Ingredients
- Crescent roll dough: premade flaky dough, mostly refined carbs, low fiber, easy and cozy.
- Unsalted butter: adds rich fat and flavor, high calories, use sparingly.
- Light brown sugar: gives deep molasses sweetness adds moisture mostly simple carbs.
- Granulated sugar: pure sweetener, boosts crispness, no fiber or nutrients.
- Ground cinnamon: warm spice, adds aroma, tiny antioxidants, very low calories.
- Powdered sugar: silky sweet glaze base, makes it look bakery ready, heavy on sugar.
- Vanilla extract: small amount lifts flavor, adds aroma, almost no calories, makes it taste homemade.
Ingredient Quantities
- 2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Pinch of fine salt
- Optional: coarse sugar or chopped nuts for sprinkling
How to Make this
1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it.
2. Unroll both cans of crescent dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the seams together with your fingers to form two rectangles or one big rectangle, try to get creases sealed so filling wont leak.
3. Stir together 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until crumbly and even.
4. Brush the remaining melted butter over the dough leaving a little to brush later, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough and press gently so it sticks.
5. Cut the dough into strips about one inch wide, twist each strip several times pinching the ends so they dont unravel, place twists on the prepared sheet leaving a little space between them.
6. Lightly brush the tops with the reserved melted butter and sprinkle optional coarse sugar or chopped nuts if you want extra crunch.
7. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and golden brown, rotate the pan once for even browning and watch them close to the end so they dont overbake.
8. While the twists bake whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, one tablespoon of milk or cream and a pinch of salt, add the second tablespoon only if you need to thin the glaze to a drizzling consistency.
9. Let the twists cool on a rack for 3 to 5 minutes then drizzle the glaze over them while they are still warm so it melts into the layers.
10. Serve warm, and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp and reheat briefly in the oven to refresh the flakiness.
Equipment Needed
1. Baking sheet, lined with parchment or lightly greased
2. Pastry brush for butter and the glaze
3. Floured work surface or silicone mat to unroll and press the dough
4. Small bowl and spoon to mix the cinnamon sugar
5. Measuring cups and spoons (tablespoon, teaspoon, 1/3 cup)
6. Sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut 1 inch strips
7. Wire cooling rack to cool and drizzle the glaze on
8. Small whisk or fork plus a bowl for whisking the powdered sugar glaze
FAQ
Warm Cinnamon Crescent Twists Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Unsalted butter: swap with melted coconut oil, melted margarine or vegan butter in the same amount. If you use salted butter skip the pinch of salt.
- 2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough: use 2 sheets thawed puff pastry (one sheet per can) for flakier twists, or roll out a tube of biscuit dough thin for a more rustic bite.
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar: make light brown sugar by mixing 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses. Coconut sugar works too but it tastes different.
- Glaze (1 cup powdered sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoons milk): use 4 oz softened cream cheese beaten with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and a splash of milk for a tangy glaze, or thin pure maple syrup with a little powdered sugar for a maple glaze.
Pro Tips
Pro tips:
– Seal seams and chill first. Press the seams really well with your fingers then give the sheet a quick 10 minute chill in the fridge or 5 minutes in the freezer so the butter and sugar dont start leaking when you cut and twist. It makes cleaner cuts and keeps the twists from unravelling.
– Break up the brown sugar and get the sugar to stick. If your brown sugar is lumpy smash it with a fork before mixing, and mix the sugar with some melted butter until crumbly so it sticks instead of sliding off. When you spread it press gently with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a flat cup to embed the sugar without tearing the dough.
– Twist smart not hard. Make the strips a little wider if your dough seems fragile, twist loosely (too tight and they flatten or split) and pinch and tuck the ends under so they stay put. Space them a bit apart and check them near the end of baking so they dont go from perfect to overdone in 30 seconds.
– Make-ahead and glaze fixes. You can freeze shaped twists on a tray then transfer to a bag for later baking from frozen add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. For the glaze whisk milk in slowly so you dont make it too thin, and if it firms up while you wait warm it a few seconds in the microwave and stir, that lets it soak into the layers for the best texture.
Warm Cinnamon Crescent Twists Recipe
I reworked Crescent Roll Recipes into Cinnamon Crescent Twists with a cinnamon-sugar swirl tucked into each fold and a sweet vanilla glaze that I'm excited to share.
12
servings
248
kcal
Equipment: 1. Baking sheet, lined with parchment or lightly greased
2. Pastry brush for butter and the glaze
3. Floured work surface or silicone mat to unroll and press the dough
4. Small bowl and spoon to mix the cinnamon sugar
5. Measuring cups and spoons (tablespoon, teaspoon, 1/3 cup)
6. Sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut 1 inch strips
7. Wire cooling rack to cool and drizzle the glaze on
8. Small whisk or fork plus a bowl for whisking the powdered sugar glaze
Ingredients
-
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
-
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
-
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
-
1/4 cup granulated sugar
-
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
1 cup powdered sugar
-
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
-
Pinch of fine salt
-
Optional: coarse sugar or chopped nuts for sprinkling
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it.
- Unroll both cans of crescent dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the seams together with your fingers to form two rectangles or one big rectangle, try to get creases sealed so filling wont leak.
- Stir together 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until crumbly and even.
- Brush the remaining melted butter over the dough leaving a little to brush later, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough and press gently so it sticks.
- Cut the dough into strips about one inch wide, twist each strip several times pinching the ends so they dont unravel, place twists on the prepared sheet leaving a little space between them.
- Lightly brush the tops with the reserved melted butter and sprinkle optional coarse sugar or chopped nuts if you want extra crunch.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and golden brown, rotate the pan once for even browning and watch them close to the end so they dont overbake.
- While the twists bake whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, one tablespoon of milk or cream and a pinch of salt, add the second tablespoon only if you need to thin the glaze to a drizzling consistency.
- Let the twists cool on a rack for 3 to 5 minutes then drizzle the glaze over them while they are still warm so it melts into the layers.
- Serve warm, and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp and reheat briefly in the oven to refresh the flakiness.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 64g
- Total number of serves: 12
- Calories: 248kcal
- Fat: 11.4g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.17g
- Polyunsaturated: 0.75g
- Monounsaturated: 3.3g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
- Sodium: 150mg
- Potassium: 80mg
- Carbohydrates: 42.9g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Sugar: 25g
- Protein: 3g
- Vitamin A: 118IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
- Calcium: 20mg
- Iron: 0.3mg