Easy Crescent Roll Dessert
Looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe that’s sweet, ooey-gooey and ready in under 30 minutes?
Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls are all that!
This quick crescent roll dessert features a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling rolled into a flaky crescent roll. For the final touch, each dessert crescent is drizzled with a sweet vanilla glaze.
That’s it.
Unlike old-fashioned, homemade cinnamon rolls, there’s no dough to prepare or let rise. All you need is a can of refrigerated rolls and a few other ingredients.
Best of all, cinnamon sugar crescent rolls are a great last-minute dessert idea or a delicious breakfast treat.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Crescent Roll Recipe
- Easy Last Minute Dessert – If ever there was a quick and easy dessert to prep, this is it. Both the filling and glaze have 3 ingredients each. Roll everything up, pop them in the oven and you’ve got a sweet and delicious dessert in no time.
- Customizable – For a little nutty crunch, sprinkle some finely chopped nuts across the filling before rolling. Pecans and walnuts are both good options. For extra sweetness, add in raisins or chopped dates.
- Delicious Breakfast Pastry – Who doesn’t love a sweet pastry alongside a cup of hot coffee or tea? Making a batch of cinnamon sugar crescents for Saturday morning breakfast or Sunday brunch may have your family begging for more.
Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Roll Recipe
To make a batch of quick cinnamon sugar crescents, get a can of refrigerated crescents.
I usually get Pillsbury Original Crescent rolls. I’ve been known to grab a few cans when they’re on sale.
Filling Ingredients
Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar – You may be wondering–why two types of sugar?
Each type of sugar brings a little something to the party.
The brown sugar has a slight molasses flavor and adds moisture. While the granulated sugar comes out a little crispy. Together, they make a perfectly sweet cinnamon roll filling.
Ground Cinnamon – We’re going to use a generous amount of cinnamon, so be sure you’ve got a jar of ground cinnamon on hand.
Salted Butter – For sweet with a hint of salty, make the filling with salted butter. And keep it cold. We’re going to cut it in to make a crumble filling.
Glaze Ingredients
Powdered Sugar – A nice white powdered sugar glaze adds an extra bit of sweetness and just makes the cinnamon crescents look irresistible.
Heavy Cream or Milk – Most glazes are made with a milk, but I like to use heavy cream instead. Heavy cream combined with sugar and vanilla gives the glaze a bit of a whipped cream flavor.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla gives the glaze a little depth of flavor. You can also substitute in almond.
Butter (optional) – For a buttery glaze with a little more body, stir in some room temperature butter.
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls
- Pre-heat oven and prepare crescent dough. Set oven to temperature listed on crescent roll can (350-375 °F for Pillsbury). Put parchment paper on a baking sheet. Open can and unroll crescent dough onto sheet. Carefully separate each crescent along the perforated marks.
- Make filling and roll the crescents. In a small mixing bowl, combine both sugars and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbled. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling on each crescent. Spread the filling evenly until it almost reaches the edges. Tightly roll each crescent beginning at wide end. Put the seam side down and bake until lightly golden brown (about 9 minutes).
- Make glaze and drizzle on top. While the cinnamon crescent rolls are baking, whisk together powdered sugar, cream (or milk) and vanilla. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the crescents using a back-and-forth motion. These sweet dessert crescents are best served warm.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to line baking sheet with parchment paper. Some cinnamon sugar filling will ooze out of the crescent rolls while baking. For ease of clean-up, parchment paper is your friend.
Make cinnamon sugar filling with cold butter (not softened). To keep as much filling inside the baking dessert crescents, cut cold butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture using a pastry cutter or sturdy fork. Otherwise, softened butter melts too quickly while baking and too much filling runs out.
More Crescent Roll Dessert Ideas
The possibilities are limitless when it comes to transforming regular crescent rolls into a sweet dessert. Here are a few ideas.
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls – Crescent rolls filled with sweet strawberries and a lemony cream cheese filling.
- Crescent Roll Peach Dumplings – So easy and you can make it with frozen peach slices.
- S’mores Crescents – Roll up shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Apple Pie Crescents – Sliced apple, cinnamon sugar filling and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Want to save this recipe to make later?
PIN it to your Pinterest board!
Easy Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls
Quick and easy Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls with vanilla glaze. This sweet crescent roll dessert recipe takes a can of refrigerated crescent roll dough (like Pillsbury) and turns it into a buttery, cinnamon-filled sweet treat in under 20 minutes. These dessert crescents are also a delicious, warm-from-the-oven breakfast pastry.
Ingredients
- 8 ounce package Crescent Rolls (8 rolls)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven and prepare crescent dough. Set oven to temperature listed on crescent roll can (350-375 °F for Pillsbury). Put parchment paper on a baking sheet. Open can and unroll crescent dough onto sheet. Carefully separate each crescent along the perforated marks.
- Make filling and roll the crescents. In a small mixing bowl, combine both sugars and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbled. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling on each crescent. Spread the filling evenly until it almost reaches the edges. Tightly roll each crescent beginning at wide end. Put the seam side down and bake until lightly golden brown (about 9 minutes).
- Make glaze and drizzle on top. While the cinnamon crescent rolls are baking, whisk together powdered sugar, cream (or milk) and vanilla. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the crescents using a back-and-forth motion. These sweet dessert crescents are best served warm.
Notes
- Be sure to line baking sheet with parchment paper. Some cinnamon sugar filling will ooze out of the crescent rolls while baking. For ease of clean-up, parchment paper is your friend.
- Make cinnamon sugar filling with cold butter (not softened). To keep as much filling inside the baking crescents, cut cold butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture using a pastry cutter or sturdy fork. Otherwise, softened butter melts too quickly while baking and too much filling may run out.
- Variations: Add finely chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, or raisins on top of filling before rolling the crescents.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 crescent rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 11gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 266mgCarbohydrates: 31gSugar: 22g
