The Easy Way To Turn Canned Crescent Rolls Into a Bakery-Worthy Pastry

There’s something about a warm, bakery-style pastry that can really set the tone for your whole day. Those buttery, flaky layers and caramelized edges are absolutely delicious and make the moment feel a little bit special.

But the reality is that most of us don’t have the time or budget to go to a fancy local bakery on a regular basis, nor the patience, skill or counter space for making pastry from scratch. Lucky for us, social media is full of lots of shortcut bakery-style treats that you can make at home anytime the craving hits.

Cookbook author and food blogger Maegan Brown of The Baker Mama shares a lot of kitchen and recipe hacks, and her Cinnamon Sugar Cruffins, a hybrid of croissants and muffins, recently popped up on my Instagram feed and stopped me mid-scroll.

Cruffins are tall, swirled pastries that are crisp on the outside and tender in the middle, with visible layers that look impressive and taste even better. Traditionally, they’re made with laminated dough and careful shaping, but Brown’s version, which leans on canned crescent roll dough, skips all of that fuss while still giving you the flavor and texture you want.

This recipe features only four ingredients, one muffin pan and about 20 minutes in the oven to deliver a tray of cinnamon sugar pastries that look like they belong in a pastry case. Whether you need an easy weekend treat, a holiday breakfast that wows or something special for guests, these cruffins prove that impressive baking doesn’t have to be complicated.

Related: We Tried 8 Different Canned Crescent Rolls and There Was One Option We’d Definitely Buy Again

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What Are Crescent Roll Cruffins?

Brown’s recipe calls for canned crescent rolls, which give you the flaky layered effect of the popular bakery pastry with far less effort. “Crescent roll dough makes it fast, fun and foolproof—perfect for busy mornings,” Brown tells Parade. As the dough bakes, the layers separate and puff, creating those tall spirals with crisp edges and tender centers.

Courtesy Angel Albring

This is perfect for home bakers because all you have to do is open a can, add your flavors, shape the pastries and bake. Brown has found that the crescent roll cruffin method is a fun canvas for a wide range of flavors. (We previously wrote about her garlic Parmesan version.)

“From savory to sweet to seasonal, there’s a Cruffin recipe to satisfy everyone,” Brown shares. And she’s not just saying that. On her website, she has 10 variations on the simple, swirly pastries, including carrot cake, key lime and confetti.

Related: We Tried 8 Different Canned Crescent Rolls and There Was One Option We’d Definitely Buy Again

Ingredients for Crescent Roll Cruffins

Brown’s recipe, which you can find in full on her website, keeps the ingredient list super short. All you need is crescent roll dough, softened butter, cinnamon and granulated sugar. You’ll also need a rolling pin, non-stick cooking spray or olive oil and a muffin tin.

Related: The Super Simple Kid-Approved Dinner That Starts With a Can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

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How To Make Crescent Roll Cruffins

To start, prepare a muffin pan by spraying it with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Roll out the crescent dough, pinching the perforations together to seal them. When you’re done, you should have a large rectangle of solid dough. This was hard for me to achieve because my rolls kept separating and tearing, but I eventually got it close enough to the right shape.

Spread a light layer of softened butter across the dough, then mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle that mixture over the butter.

Roll the dough tightly into a log, pinching the end to seal.

Slice the dough in half crosswise, creating two dough rolls. Working with one dough roll at a time, slice the dough in half lengthwise, exposing the cinnamon sugar layers inside.

Wrap the dough pieces into loose spirals around your finger, with the cut sides facing outward so the layers remain visible as they bake. Place each dough spiral into a muffin cup.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes until the cruffins are golden and crisp on top. As soon as you remove them from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar generously over the pastries.

Related: I Tried 20 Popular Salted Butters To Find the Absolute Best

Crescent Roll Cruffins: My Honest Thoughts

From a difficulty standpoint, this recipe is extremely approachable. The dough is pretty easy to handle, but it does take some practice to get the spiral right. I will say that even imperfect spirals bake up beautifully, though, which makes this an especially friendly recipe for inexperienced bakers.

The texture is where these really shine. The edges are crisp and caramelized, while the centers stay soft and tender. Each bite has visible layers, pockets of cinnamon sugar and just enough butter to make them indulgent without being greasy. The flavor is simple but nostalgic. It’s like a classic cinnamon roll went to Paris on vacation.

But the real win? My kids declared them “the best breakfast we’ve had all week!” That compliment, plus the fact that these treats are so easy to put together, means I’ll absolutely make them again.

Related: I Tried 12 Canned Biscuits and the Winner Won by a Landslide

4 Tips for Making This Recipe

Based on my experience and Brown’s, here are a few things to keep in mind if you make this recipe.

1. Roll it right

To create cruffins with tall, flaky, layered tops, you need to take your time when rolling and shaping the dough. “Rolling tightly and slicing cleanly makes the biggest difference in those pretty layers,” shares Brown.

2. Top it off

The final hit of cinnamon sugar might not seem like a big deal, but Brown says that the simple step makes the pastries so much better. “Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar sprinkle on top,” she says. “It gives them that extra sweet crunch.”

3. Mix things up

The cinnamon sugar version is classic and delicious, but I think it would be fun to divide the dough in half and make two variations so you could have a cruffin assortment for breakfast or brunch. I have my eye on Brown’s Nutella version, but the carrot cake option would be great for any upcoming spring parties.

If you want a lower lift variation, you could swap out the granulated sugar for brown sugar, top the warm cruffins with raw sugar instead of cinnamon sugar or add some ground cardamom or nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar mixture.

4. Toast them up

If you have any leftovers, it’s best to heat them in the toaster oven or regular oven. You can heat them in the microwave, but it will affect the texture and can make them chewy instead of light, crispy and flaky.

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