Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Buttery, flaky puff pastry cinnamon rolls are made in a muffin pan and covered in cream cheese icing. Cinnamon rolls are ready in forty-five minutes thanks to minimal ingredients and premade puff pastry. Enjoy cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Thanks to store-bought frozen puff pastry, there is no need to make homemade dough for a delicious batch of cinnamon rolls. These shortcut cinnamon rolls are deliciously flakey and full of warm cinnamon-sugar flavor. Don't fret; the rolls still have that tasty cinnamon roll center.

Cinnamon sugar puff pastry rolls are baked in a muffin pan. The sugar melts and glazes the top of each pastry for an indulgent flavor and texture. Finish the cinnamon puff pastry rolls with homemade cream cheese icing. The same icing is found on my cinnamon roll coffee cake.

Serve puff pastry cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Like their dough-based cinnamon roll cousins, these rolls are delicious with coffee. For another fun puff pastry variation of a classic, try my puff pastry chocolate croissants.

Jump to:

• Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Suggested Equipment
• Storage
• Other Delicious Breakfast Items
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Easy-to-make cinnamon rolls are ready in forty-five minutes. Lighter than their yeasted-dough cousin, puff pastry cinnamon rolls are buttery, flakey, and flavorful. This recipe is perfect for last-minute baking. Here is why you will love these flakey cinnamon rolls:

• There is no need to make dough. These cinnamon rolls use frozen, premade puff pastry as their base.
• This quick and easy recipe uses eight ingredients and is ready in 45 minutes.
• Cinnamon rolls made in a muffin pan are easily portioned and evenly browned.
• Simple, two-ingredient, cinnamon-sugar filling caramelizes in the center of each roll while also coating the tops.
• Crispy, flakey edges of pastry melt in your mouth.
• Cream cheese icing garnishes each roll and adds the perfect amount of sweet flavor.

Ingredients

• Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed)
• Unsalted Butter (melted)
• Light Brown Sugar (packed)
• Ground Cinnamon
• Cream Cheese (softened)
• Powdered Sugar (sifted)
• Milk (or cream)
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour (not pictured) - for rolling

See the recipe card for ingredient quantities.

Instructions

STEP 1 - Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and set it aside.

STEP 2 - Stir the brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

STEP 3 - Unfold one sheet of {thawed} puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pastry into a 9 x 10-inch rectangle. Repeat with the other puff pastry sheet.

STEP 4 - Brush each pastry with melted butter. Evenly divide the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture between the two pastry sheets, and cover each sheet leaving a ½-inch border.

STEP 5 - Tightly roll the 10-inch side of each sheet of puff pastry inward until you reach the end, seam-side down. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry.

STEP 6 - With a serrated knife, trim about ½-inch from each end of the roll and discard it. Slice each pastry roll into six portions, each approximately 1.5 inches long.

STEP 7 - Place one roll into each well of the prepared muffin pan. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes, until set and golden brown. Allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.

STEP 8 - Make the cream cheese icing. Transfer icing to a piping bag and garnish the cinnamon rolls - frost them while warm or at room temperature.

Suggested Equipment

• French Rolling Pin
• 8-inch Chef's Knife
• Bench Scraper
• Pastry Bag

Storage

Transfer leftover cinnamon rolls to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze puff pastry cinnamon rolls? There are two ways to freeze the cinnamon rolls before and after baking.

• Freeze Before Baking - After forming the cinnamon rolls, freeze them on a baking sheet for one hour or until frozen. Transfer frozen dough rolls to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container, and separate layers with wax paper. Freeze the rolls for up to 3 months - thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Bake the pastries as directed.
• Freeze After Baking - Arrange the cinnamon rolls onto a baking sheet and place the tray in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the pastry rolls to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months—thaw pastries in the refrigerator. For best results, freeze the cinnamon rolls before frosting them with the cream cheese icing.

Other Delicious Breakfast Items

• Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Turnovers
• Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
• Bacon Cheddar Scones
• Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Blueberry Turnovers with Puff Pastry

Expert Tips

1. Thaw the puff pastry completely before using - thaw puff pastry on the counter for two hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Lightly flour your workstation. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to avoid sticking.
3. Avoid flattening out the rolls when portioning them. Use a serrated knife to portion cinnamon rolls or use the dental-floss cutting technique. Mark the roll portions with a butter knife. Using unflavored dental floss, slide a piece underneath the log. Holding one end of the floss in each hand, cross the two over each other to slice through the dough. Repeat this process until all rolls have been cut.
4. Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the butter-sugar mixture when making the cream cheese icing. Powdered sugar tends to clump up, which is undesirable in the final icing texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe

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