Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
These mini puff pastry cinnamon rolls are flaky, buttery, and full of cinnamon flavor. An easy no-yeast shortcut made with 4 ingredients in 30 minutes.
Servings (change as needed): 24 mini rolls
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). To turn the glaze into more of an icing consistency, stir in1 tbsp soft butter.
- 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).
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:
- Turn the glaze into a simple icing consistency by adding a tablespoon of soft butter.
- Add orange zest to the glaze some as it gives it zing and pairs beautifully with cinnamon. Or instead, 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.
- Nuts:
- Make Ahead:
- To freeze and bake later: Make the logs and freeze them whole and 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.
Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg