These easy cinnamon roll twists are the ultimate sweet treat! Soft dough twisted with cinnamon sugar, baked and then topped with sweet icing.
Skip the spin off and make a batch of classic cinnamon rolls or a small batch!
CINNAMON TWISTS
Once you try these easy cinnamon twists they will become your go-to dessert! Fluffy, warm and gooey Pillsbury dough twisted with cinnamon sugar, baked and then topped with a sweet and smooth cream cheese icing. This dessert gives you all the cinnamon roll flavors minus all the work! Enjoy these for breakfast or as a dessert, no matter what the occasion or holiday.
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Dough– This recipe calls for Pillsbury pizza dough, but you can also use homemade cinnamon roll dough from my small batch recipe.
- Cinnamon Sugar- The star of the show is the cinnamon sugar butter! You want to use unsalted melted butter, ground cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Icing– For the cream cheese icing, you want to use softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and whole milk! Do not skip out on the icing drizzle, it totally completes this dessert recipe.
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON TWISTS
With just a few steps, you can have these warm, gooey cinnamon twists ready to enjoy!
- Preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar butter.
- Open the pizza dough, unroll into a 10×14 rectangle on the counter.
- With a pastry brush, brush the cinnamon butter over the entire dough, with only half of the cinnamon butter mixture.
- Cut the dough into 16 ½-inch strips going down the horizontal size. Then cut the strips in half, vertically giving you 32 strips.
- Twist two strips together, securing the ends to ensure they don’t become undone. Repeat with all the strips.
- Transfer the cinnamon twists to the baking sheet, leaving about 1/2-inch in between each twist.
- Brush the twists with the rest of the cinnamon sugar butter. (You might need to reheat it, if it has hardened.)
- Bake the cinnamon roll twists until fluffy and the bottoms are slightly golden. (Be sure not to overbake them or they will become hard.)
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for a couple minutes. Then drizzle with the cream cheese icing and serve them while warm!
| Effortless Tip– Leave a little bit of the cinnamon sugar butter aside so that you can brush the twists one more time after baking to give them a glossy look! |
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes! Once the twists are assembled, before brushing them again, cover and store them in the fridge for up to 12 hours. When ready to bake, melt the rest of the cinnamon butter and brush the twists again and bake.
Yes, if you don’t want to use this cream cheese icing, just make simple sugar icing! Combine 1 cup of powdered sugar and 3-4 teaspoons of milk and whisk until an icing forms.
These twists don’t need long to finish baking! Once they are fluffy, and the bottom of the twists are starting to turn golden, that is when they are done! You do NOT want to overbake these, or they will become hard.
Using the Pillsbury pizza dough is the best option for a quick and easy dessert. You can swap that dough from my homemade small batch cinnamon roll dough.
Once the cinnamon roll twists are cool, cover and store at room temp for 1-2 days or 3-4 days in the fridge. They are best served warm, so be sure to warm them in the oven or microwave to warm! Use the rest of the icing for dipping or for additional drizzle.
OTHER DESSERT RECIPES-
If you have a sweet tooth, then you NEED to try these other delicious desserts!
Easy Cinnamon Roll Twists
Ingredients
- 13.8 oz Pillsbury pizza dough
Cinnamon Sugar Filling-
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Roll Icing-
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Open the pizza dough and lay out on the counter, making a 10×14 inch rectangle.
- With a pastry brush, brush the cinnamon sugar butter over the entire dough, use about ½ of the cinnamon butter.
- With a knife or pizza cutter, divide the dough(on the horizontal side) into 16 1/2 -inch strips, then cut the right down the middle, cutting all the strips in half, giving you a total of 32 strips.
- Twist two strips together, securing the ends to ensure they don’t become undone. Repeat with all the strips. You should have a total of 16 strips.
- Add the twists to the lined baking sheet, leaving about 1/2-inch in between each twist.
- Brush the twists with the rest of the cinnamon sugar butter. (You might need to reheat it, if it has hardened.)
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until the twists are fluffy and bottom is slightly golden. (Do NOT overbake them or they will become hard.)
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 4-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until an icing forms. (To thin it out more, keep adding milk.)
- Drizzle with the cream cheese icing and serve them while they are still warm.
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