These generously spiced cinnamon apple crescent rolls are filled with tart Granny Smith apples and drizzled with a tangy sweet cream cheese icing. Ready in under 30 minutes, they’re the perfect cozy treat for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Mornings get busy fast once fall routines kick in-between early alarms, packed lunches, and school drop-offs, having an easy, make-ahead breakfast on hand is a big positive to the start of each day. These Apple Cinnamon Crescent Rolls capture all the cozy flavors of fall in a soft pastry that requires no kneading or rising. If you love quick prep like overnight oats or grab-and-go favorites like banana chocolate chip muffins and hearty kitchen sink breakfast casserole, this recipe is a must-try for your autumn rotation.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Filled with warm cinnamon apples- but you only need one apple!
- Starts with store-bought dough for less fuss.
- The tangy cream cheese glaze sets it apart.
- Perfect for make-ahead breakfasts or a holiday brunch
- Great for fall baking, potlucks, and school mornings
- Freezer-friendly with easy reheating.
Ingredients and Notes
Full instructions, including ingredient quantities, are located in the recipe card. This section helps with substitution ideas and answers to questions about specific ingredients.
- 1 Apple: peeled, cored, diced. I like Granny Smith (green apples) but other tart-firm varieties that cook well will work. Honeycrisp is another example.
- Flour: to keep the dough from sticking on the cutting board or counter.
- Melted Butter
- Ground cinnamon
- Brown Sugar: light or dark is fine to use.
- Crescent-roll dough: You will need two original sized tubes. You will find these in the section with other refrigerated doughs like biscuits and cookie doughs.
- Cream Cheese: This recipe is based around the regular brick-style cream cheese. Other types such as Neuchatel or whipped may be used but may need more sugar or skip the milk to stiffen.
- Powdered Sugar: I highly recommend sifting it for the best texture.
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk: Any percentage from skim to whole milk is fine.
Store-bought shortcut: Pillsbury crescent dough sheets are ideal. You can also use the crescent roll version, but you will have to smooth and seal the serrated cuts. For gluten-free, try King Arthur GF dough.
Recipe Tips
We include a visual guide with tips to help it come out perfectly, so below isn’t the full instructions but includes tips and tricks to create the perfect apple cinnamon rolls easily.
- Roll out the dough without stretching much. If you are using crescent dough with pre-cut lines, seal and smooth those out as you can. You will still need to be careful rolling up.
- Spread the half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on with a brush.
- Sprinkle apples generously onto the dough. The apples should be small enough to cook well in the oven.
- Lay a second dough sheet on top, lining up the edges. Gently brush the rest of the cinnamon mixture.
- Slice the dough longways into about 6 rolls. Roll up gently and separate.
- Stand up the rolls in greased, standard sized muffin tins. Allow to cool somewhat before glazing.
Serving Suggestions & Pairings
Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days (if unglazed) or refrigerate for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze glazed or unglazed rolls wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Pairings: While I most enjoy a cup of cold brew coffee, these are also excellent with mushroom quiche as a vegetable and protein packed breakfast option or fruit and yogurt.
FAQs
Yes! Assemble the rolls and refrigerate them (unbaked) for up to 24 hours. Bake fresh when ready to serve. Or bake, cool, and refrigerate-just reheat slightly before glazing.
You can! Just drain and chop it finely so it spreads evenly, and reduce or skip the sugar and cinnamon if it’s already in your pie mixture. You may find that the filling sauce leaks more out of the rolls while baking.
Microwave individual rolls for 10-15 seconds.
Use gluten-free puff pastry dough, like Schar brand. It will be a bit crispier because of the dough change. For vegan, swap in plant-based butter and vegan cream cheese for the glaze.
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Apple Cinnamon Crescent Rolls with Icing
Equipment
- 1 Standard Muffin Tin
- 1 Basting Brush
Ingredients
- 1 Granny Smith Apple peeled, cored, small dice, about 1.5-2 cups
- Flour for cutting board
- 1 tablespoon Melted Butter plus more for muffin tins
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar Light or dark is fine
- 2 tubes Crescent Dough Sheet
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180℃).
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon Melted Butter, 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar.
- Roll out 1 sheet of the crescent roll dough on a lightly floured cutting board. Seal seam edges so you have one flat sheet. Evenly brush with ½ of the cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle the 1 Granny Smith Apple (peeled and small diced) evenly across the dough.
- Place the second rolled out dough sheet on top of the filling. Slice the dough lengthwise into 8 long strips. Brush any remaining cinnamon butter across the dough. Roll each strip like a cinnamon roll and place in a greased or sprayed muffin pan.
- Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a small bowl, cut the cream cheese into 4-6 chunks. Microwave for about 15 seconds and stir. Microwave again for 10 seconds if not smooth. Stir in the ½ cup Powdered Sugar and 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract with a fork. If the icing appears too thick, add a bit of milk at a time and stir until satisfied. It will thicken as it cools over time so use immediately. Drizzle the glaze over top of the warm rolls with a spoon.
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