One of my all-time favorite indulgences is a freshly baked cinnamon roll with ooey gooey frosting slathered on top and dripping into all the layers. Is there anything better? I think not. Our favorite cinnamon roll recipe is Pioneer Woman’s but there’s no denying it…that isn’t exactly a fast recipe.
We decided to try cinnamon rolls with store-bought crescent roll dough. We already knew crescent rolls were buttery delicious so there was a good chance they would transform into cinnamon rolls well.
They were amazing. Now, don’t get me wrong..they don’t completely replace the from scratch recipe. But when a cinnamon roll craving strikes this QUICK recipe will certainly satisfy the craving. We filled ours with caramelized apples and topped the rolls with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting that was so good I could easily eat it with only a spoon.
As soon as Kara and I each took a bite we looked at each other like we had just gotten ourselves into trouble. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that we just came up with a cinnamon roll recipe that could be made (including baking!) in under 30 minutes?
Here’s what you’ll need
Start by cooking the apples in butter and sugar. You want them to be softened and slightly caramelized
Unroll the crescent rolls and lay in a rectangle, pressing all the seams together. Brush very lightly with butter
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Then spread the apples on top
Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up as tight as you can
Cut into slices, about 3/4 inch thick each
Bake until golden, then spread the cinnamon-cream cheese frosting on top
The BEST way to make quick cinnamon rolls!
- 1 tube crescent rolls
- 4 tablespoons butter, (1 tablespoon melted, 3 tablespoons softened)
- 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 3/4 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup cinnamon cream cheese
- 1-2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the crescent roll dough from the tube and lay on a flat surface. Press the seams together so that the rectangle is intact.
- Add 1 tablespoon of softened butter to a large skillet. Add the diced apples and cook along with a tablespoon of sugar. You want the apples to be softened and slightly caramelized. This will take about 6 minutes or so.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave. Use a pastry brush to brush half the melted butter on the crescent roll rectangle. Save the rest for after you roll it up.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of the crescent roll rectangle.
- Spread the apples on top next, in a single layer.
- Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough as tightly as possible.
- Brush the remaining melted butter on top. Cut it into 3/4 inch slices and lay flat in a baking dish.
- Bake until cooked through and golden, about 10-12 minutes.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cinnamon cream cheese and 2 tablespoons softened butter. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar then thin it out to a pourable consistency by gradually pouring in heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt and make sure everything’s combined.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, pour the cream cheese on top of the hot cinnamon rolls, it will melt right into the crevices. Serve immediately.
