Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

Our crescent roll cinnamon rolls are two great things in one. They borrow the shape from crescent rolls and have the delicious sweetened cinnamon flavor of a cinnamon roll. The recipe is entirely made from scratch, so you know exactly what the ingredients are. Oh, we almost forgot: there’s an icing drizzle, too. Delicious, any time of the day.

Ingredients for Crescent Roll Cinnamon Rolls

• All-purpose flour: No particular flour variety is needed for these rolls.
• Active dry yeast: Yeast is required for the dough to rise.
• Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast and helps it grow, increasing the dough. It also makes its way into the sweet filling.
• Butter: Butter helps make the dough more tender.
• Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk makes the rolls more rich and creamy.
• Shortening: Shortening helps the rolls have a slightly flaky texture.
• Egg yolks: Yolk helps the rolls achieve their puffy, light consistency and makes the dough more pliable.
• Cinnamon and butter: This tasty duo pairs with sugar to make a delicious spread that melts into the rolls as they bake.
• Confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, sugar and cinnamon: The sugars, milk and vanilla extract mix into a tasty glaze, while the sugar and cinnamon create a delicious sprinkle topping that adds flavor to the outside of the roll.

Directions 

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. In a large saucepan, heat the butter, milk, shortening and water to 120°to 130°F. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and beat just until moistened. Add the egg yolks and beat the mixture until it’s smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. It will be sticky at this point.

Step 2: Knead the dough and let it rest

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, for about six to eight minutes. Place it in a greased bowl, turning it over once to grease the other side. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until its size doubles or about one hour. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set this bowl aside.

Step 3: Shape the dough

Punch the dough down. Place it on a lightly floured surface and knead it about six times. Divide the dough into four portions. Roll out one portion into a 12 inch circle and spread 2 tablespoons butter on it, then sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar. Cut it into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge from the wide end and place the rolls point-side down, 3 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Curve the ends to form crescents.

Step 4: Make more dough crescents

Repeat the process with the remaining dough, butter and cinnamon-sugar. Cover all the crescents and let them rise until they’ve doubled in size, or about 45 minutes.

Step 5: Bake and glaze the crescents

Bake the crescents at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they’re lightly browned. Remove them from the baking sheets and place them on wire racks to cool a little. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla; drizzle the glaze mixture over the warm rolls. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the rolls, including the glazed areas.

Recipe Variations

• Add mini chocolate chips: Sprinkle miniature chocolate chips over the dough before you roll it into crescents for wonderful pops of chocolate flavor.
• Make an apple cider cream cheese icing: Mix cream cheese and butter, then add reduced apple cider for a delicious topping that’s hard to beat. Follow the icing section from this apple cider cinnamon rolls recipe for specifics.
• Let’s twist: Turn the rolls into twists by making four rectangles, spreading the butter, sugar and cinnamon on two and covering them with the other two dough rectangles. Cut the dough into long strips, then twist from either end and bake as usual. Here’s the complete recipe for cinnamon crescent twists.

How to Store Crescent Roll Cinnamon Rolls

Store the rolls in an airtight container on the counter, where they’ll keep for several days. Place the container in the refrigerator to store them a day or two longer, then reheat for a few seconds in the microwave to soften them up again.

Can you freeze crescent roll cinnamon rolls? 

Yes, keep the rolls in the freezer for up to three months by storing them in a zippered freezer bag. If they’re already iced, set them on a cookie sheet and freeze them for an hour or two to let the icing harden before transferring them to a freezer bag.

Crescent Roll Cinnamon Rolls Tips

What is evaporated milk?

Evaporated milk is regular milk that has been heated a bit to reduce most of the liquid. It’s then canned and sterilized. It has a long shelf life in making it a good ingredient to have on hand. Diluted, evaporated milk can be used like milk in a recipe or use it undiluted to stand in for half-and-half or regular cream.

Can I make these into traditional cinnamon roll shapes instead?

Yes the shape is entirely up to you. To make cinnamon rolls with the spiral in the center, roll the dough out into a flat rectangle, add the butter, cinnamon and sugar mixture, then roll the dough up into a log; you should see the cinnamon swirl on one end. Here’s a classic cinnamon roll recipe that offers details (and a cream-cheese icing).

Can I use regular sugar instead of confectioners’ sugar for the icing?

Confectioners’ sugar is required to make this type of a glaze or icing; its fine texture dissolves easily at room temperature, whereas standard table sugar remains in crystalline form. Regular sugar stays too grainy for this glaze. The lovely part about confectioners’ sugar glaze is it can be tinted or easily flavored to ice all sorts of cookies and treats.