These Cinnamon Apple Crescent Rolls are everything you love about warm cinnamon apples nestled in fluffy baked dough. Sweet, sugary, and bite-sized, they’re the perfect fall treat for bake sales, after-school snacks, and more!
Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Apple Crescent Rolls
Half apple pie, half baked pastry, what’s not to love about these Cinnamon Apple Crescent Rolls?! Seriously, they’re the best sweet treat just in time for fall. Even better, they come together with just a handful of ingredients and bake in the oven in just 15 minutes! They’re a great option for feeding a crowd but are so tasty you’ll definitely want to keep them all to yourself.
Are Crescent Rolls the Same as Croissants?
No, although I understand the confusion because the two are super similar. However, croissants are closer to a puff pastry, meaning they’re extra fluffy and flaky. Meanwhile, crescent rolls have more of a homemade roll texture meaning they’re a little more solid and dense. As a result, crescent rolls are easier to bake with as they can be molded, stuffed, and folded with ease!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sugar, spice, and everything nice is what you’ll need to create this recipe. But in all seriousness, the ingredient list is super simple, and everything is easy to find at your local grocery store! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Crescent Rolls – Just regular old crescent rolls in the can are transformed into something truly gourmet.
- Apples – Any baking apple like Gala, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Fuji is totally fine.
- Sugar – I used brown sugar to create a slightly more caramelized taste.
- Water – This helps thin out the apple filling and dilutes the ingredients so they aren’t overpoweringly sweet.
- Cinnamon – I used a teaspoon, but really you should always measure cinnamon with your heart.
- Salt – A necessary component of any baked good, a little goes a long way to enhance the rest of the ingredients.
- Cornstarch – When combined with water, this helps thicken the apple filling so that it doesn’t run out of your crescent rolls and seep all over the place!
How to Make Apple Crescent Rolls
This recipe might look like it has a lot of complicated steps, but I promise it’s super easy to make!
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the apples, cinnamon, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of water. Cook until the apples began to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Then, combine the cornstarch and remaining water, and add the mixture to the pan.
- Stir for an additional minute before turning the heat off.
- Let the apples cool completely. To speed up the process, feel free to pop them in your fridge!
- Then, preheat your oven, and grease a mini muffin tin.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough, and divide it into 4 small rectangles.
- Cut each rectangle into 6 evenly-sized pieces. Place each piece of dough into a greased muffin tin mold, making sure the edges slightly spill over the rim to create a cup. Use your fingers to stretch the dough if needed. Just be careful not to pull too hard. You don’t want it to break!
- Repeat until all of the dough has been used and you are left with 24 cups.
- Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon of the apple mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Let the apple crescent rolls cool, and enjoy!
Variations
Personally, I love the simplicity of these bites and how closely they resemble apple pie. However, feel free to experiment with different flavor combinations and add-ins!
Chopped Nuts – Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the apple filling for some healthy fats and a little added crunch.
Glaze – Whisk together powdered sugar and plant-based milk for a sweet, sugary glaze to drizzle on top of your apple cups.
Different Fruit – Not a fan of apples? You’re entitled to your wrong opinion and can easily swap them out for another fruit like blueberries or cherries.
Whipped Cream – Add a dollop of whipped cream on top of each bite for a little extra sweetness no one can resist.
Storage Options
Great to make ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week, these Cinnamon Apple Crescent Rolls can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months, and thaw them in the fridge before eating!
You can definitely serve these treats cold, but they’re best eaten warm. So, go ahead and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Or, warm them in the oven all at once.
More Fall Treats to Try
Love fall flavors? Me too! You already know I have you covered with tons of recipes to cover all your cravings.
- Transform store-bought puff pastry into an out-of-this-world dessert with this Vegan Apple Turnover Recipe.
- Warm and comforting, Vegan Caramel Apple Scones are made with plant-based ingredients and perfectly spiced for an irresistible recipe.
- Soft and fluffy, this Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is absolutely bursting with warm fall flavors and sweet melted chocolate.
Made with just 5 simple ingredients, these Vegan Pumpkin Pastry Twists are an easy finger-food take on delicious pumpkin pie.
Cinnamon Apple Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 can crescent rolls
- 2 medium apples or 1 1/2 large apples peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar I used brown sugar
- 2-3 tbsp water divided
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, add the apples, cinnamon, granulated sugar and 1 tbsp of water. Stirring occasionally, cook the apples until they start to soft – about 5 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch and remaining 1 tbsp of water. Keep the saucepan on the heat while you add the cornstarch mixer to the apples. Continually stir for an additional minute before turning the heat off.
- Let the apples cool completely before working with your puff pastry. *you can speed this up by placing the apples in your fridge.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and liberally spray a mini muffin tin pan with cooking spray or lightly grease with oil.
- Unroll the crescent roll can into one large rectangle. Divide the rectangle into four smaller rectangles – 2 triangles per rectangle.
- Cut each rectangle into 6 evenly sized pieces. Place each piece into a greased muffin tin mold, making sure that the edge of the dough slightly fall over the rim to create a cup. *use your fingers to stretch the dough slightly if needed.
- Repeat this process with the remaining large rectangles to create 24 cups.
- Next, fill the dough cups with one tablespoon of the cooled apples.
- Place the cups into your oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool slightly and enjoy!
