Mini Cinnamon Rolls With Puff Pastry (30 Minutes)
Pop one of these mini cinnamon rolls with puff pastry into your mouth for a buttery, flaky, sweet, cinnamon-y explosion. Quick and yummy.
A super easy recipe with only 4 ingredients (plus the glaze) and just 30 minutes to make.
I make this puff pastry cinnamon roll recipe pretty much the same way I make our Easy Cinnamon Buns – in about a quarter of the time.
I know I’ve said this before – I love puff pastry. You buy it frozen and everything you make with it comes out delicious. These tiny one-mouthful bites are no exception.
What to expect
These mini cinnamon rolls are not the same as traditional bready, yeasted dough cinnamon rolls.
Think little 2-inch/5 cm flaky cinnamon rolls with lots of flavor. And a texture that more closely resembles elephant ear cookies (palmiers). Buttery. sweet and flaky.
You’ll notice in the pictures that I don’t bother trying to make each little cinnamon bite uniform. Let’s just say this treat is more rustic in size, shape and look. Trust me, no one will care 🙂
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Puff pastry dough – buy it frozen (preferably in a box with two pre-rolled sheets of dough) and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.
Soft butter – use salted or unsalted butter. You don’t want melted butter – just soft enough to easily spread.
Cinnamon and sugar – you can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar
Toasted crushed pecan – Or other nuts of your choice.
Simple glaze – Made with icing sugar, milk, vanilla, and orange zest. The glaze adds a lot of flavor and a lovely finished look.
Variations to try:
- Nuts:
- Crushed nuts can be added inside the mini bites or as a topping on the glaze after they are baked.
- Try toasted pecans, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts.
- Glaze:
- You can turn the glaze into a simple icing consistency by adding a tablespoon of soft butter or cream cheese.
- I love adding orange zest as it gives the glaze some zing and pairs beautifully with cinnamon;
- Instead of the zest, you can add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup.
- Filling: You can add some chopped raisins or dried cranberries to the filling before rolling the logs.
Step by step instructions
Tip
I find it is best to let the cinnamon rolls cool a bit before brushing on the glaze so that the glaze stays visible on the rolls and doesn’t melt in.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but it’s best to thaw puff pastry sheets overnight in the fridge if you can. Working with cold dough is much easier. The dough can be kept in the fridge for a day. You can defrost it on the counter for a couple of hours, but don’t let it sit there too long. If it becomes too soft, sprinkle some flour on your work surface to prevent sticking.
Nowadays, many brands come in two pre-rolled puff pastry sheets. So no need for rolling. If the dough is not pre-rolled into single sheets, roll half of it (7-8 ounces) it into a 10 x 10 inch square (25 x 25 cm) about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick.
Most will do fine, but if you can, get a brand that says ‘made with butter’ on the package for a richer buttery flavor.
Shortcut
- If you’re feeling lazy or short on time, skip the glaze. It’s a great option though 🙂 especially with orange zest. Or just add a drizzle of maple syrup.
Make Ahead
- To freeze and bake later: Just like traditional cinnamon rolls you can make and freeze them for later. Or you can make the logs and freeze them whole, unbaked, for up to a month. Defrost, cut and bake as per recipe instructions.
- To store leftover puff pastry cinnamon rolls: Once, baked, the cinnamon bites are best fresh (same day), but you can store them in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature overnight. They will lose a bit of flakiness but still taste great.
What to serve with cinnamon puff pastry rolls
I serve these mini cinnamon puff pastry rolls like I would serve cookies or snacks. They’re a great addition to a dessert table, a shower or a tea. Or just whip them up when you’re craving a sweet treat.
Here are a few suggestions for sweet treats to compliment the mini cinnamon rolls: chocolate rice crispy treats, hazelnut cookies with chocolate and white chocolate bark.
For something lower calorie, try serving these mini bites with a no-bake berry crumble or a 4-ingredient tropical fruit salad.
More puff pastry recipes
- super easy potato knishes
- knish recipe with root vegetable mash
- vegetable strudel recipe
- skillet chicken vegetable pot pie (shortcut)
- cheese twists
- puff pastry tomato tart
- puff pastry apple tart (30 minutes)
- easy peach tarte tatin (for beginners)
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Mini Cinnamon Rolls With Puff Pastry (30 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed, Note 1 about 7-8 ounces
- 2 tablespoon soft butter (or 2 1/2 tbsp for extra buttery)
- 3 tablespoon white or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon -2 ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup toasted crushed pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios (optional), Note 2
Glaze
- 1/3 cup icing sugar (also called confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar)
- 2-3 teaspoons milk or water
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon soft butter (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- MAKE PUFF PASTRY ROLL-UPS: Unfold puff pastry dough (or roll out to 1/8 inch) and stretch to a 10 x 10 inch (25 x 25cm) square. Spread soft butter over dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over surfact of buttered puff pastry. Sprinkle on nuts if using. (Alternatively, leave out nuts and sprinkle on when rolls are baked and glazed). Press lightly with palm of hands to help toppings adhere to dough. Cut puff pastry in two. For each half, beginning at one edge, roll up (not too tightly). Pinch dough along length to keep it in a roll. You will have 2 logs/rolls. Cut each roll horizontally with a sharp knife into 12 equal pieces. Place each mini roll, CUT SIDE UP, on pan.
- BAKE: for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.
- MAKE GLAZE: While rolls are baking, add all glaze ingredients into a small bowl and stir until smooth. If too thick, add a few drops of liquid. If too thin, add more icing sugar. Orange zest is optional (but delicious).
- FINISH: Spread some glaze on each mini roll. If you left out nuts while baking. sprinkle them on top. Store in sealed container (if there are any left).
Recipe Notes
- To defrost puff pastry dough: it’s best to defrost it overnight in the fridge if you can. Working with cold dough is much easier. The dough can be kept in the fridge for a day. You can, however, defrost it on the counter for a couple of hours, but don’t let it sit there too long . If it becomes too soft, sprinkle some flour on your work surface to prevent sticking. If dough is not pre-rolled, roll it into a 10 x 10 inch square (25 x 25 cm) about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick.
- To toast nuts: Place them on a pan and roast in the oven at 350F/177C for 5-7 minutes or until fragrant. Alternatively, shake them in skillet on medium high on the stove. Cool and chop finely.
- Variations to try:
- Nuts:
- Crushed nuts can be added inside the mini bites or as a topping on the glaze after they are baked.
- Try toasted pecans, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts.
- Glaze:
- You can turn the glaze into a simple icing consistency by adding a tablespoon of soft butter.
- I love adding orange zest as it gives the glaze some zing and pairs beautifully with cinnamon;
- Instead, you can add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup.
- Filling: You can add some chopped raisins or dried cranberries to to the filling before rolling the logs.
- Nuts:
- Make Ahead:
- To freeze and bake later: Make the logs and freeze them whole, unbaked, for up to a month. Defrost, cut and bake as per recipe instructions.
- To store leftovers: Once, baked, the cinnamon bites are best fresh (same day), but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature overnight. They will lose a bit of flakiness but still taste great.
On your nutritional facts is that per mini cinnamon roll or for the batch?
The nutrition values are estimated for one (of 24) mini cinnamon roll including pecans and glaze.
Why not just show the recipe instead of all that blather?
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Yummy and easy…who can ask for more?! I didn’t have orange zest, but I’ll be sure to next time…and there will be next times! Only change was I egg washed them before baking.
Glad you liked them Jill! I love the orange zest. Good idea about the egg wash. Thanks for leaving a comment. Much appreciated.
Do you think you could cut them, freeze then, and then store in bags? Thought Is if you make a lot you can freeze and store and it might work out great.
Hi Megan, yes I think your idea of cutting them, freezing, then baking later would work fine. I would just suggest flash freezing them in a single layer on a tray first, then once frozen, transferring them to a container or ziploc bag. Hope that helps.
Awesome! Made it in 3 minutes and it was such a hit! Will be my go to quick dessert!
?
Absolutely fantastic.
Just tried these little pastry rolls …so quick and easy and yummy too! It’s my 1st time using puff pastry. I bought the puff pastry on sale on a whim. Will definitely make these again, maybe with chocolate chips and other add ins.
Sure, lots of options for those little bites. Glad you liked them. I love puff pastry because it’s so easy to work with. In fact if you want to try another really good and easy recipe, try our puff pastry apple tart. https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/simple-apple-tart/.