Description
These easy Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls are ready in under an hour and taste like they came from your favorite bakery! Buttery, flaky layers filled with cinnamon sugar and topped with vanilla glaze and toasted pecans.
Ingredients
For the Rolls:
- ⅓ cup raw pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 package (two sheets, about 17.3 oz total) frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk, as needed to adjust consistency
Instructions
Heat your oven to 350°F first thing. Spread those pecans on whatever baking sheet you have and slide them in for about 10 minutes, giving them a stir halfway through so they don’t burn. Your kitchen will start smelling amazing when they’re ready. Chop them small and put them somewhere you won’t accidentally snack on them while you work.
Rip off a sheet of parchment paper and line your biggest baking pan. This step saves you from scraping burnt sugar cement off your pan later because that stuff is impossible to clean once it hardens.
Dump both sugars, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl and stir everything together. I always taste this because it’s basically cinnamon sugar crack and also quality control is important.
Unroll one pastry sheet on your counter with just a light dusting of flour. Brush half the melted butter all over but leave about an inch border around the edges clean or you’ll have filling leaking everywhere. Scatter half your sugar mixture as evenly as possible – I just eyeball this part.
Roll it up from the long side, keeping it snug but not so tight you squeeze out all the filling. Trim the messy ends off because they look weird anyway. Cut the whole thing into 8 pieces with your sharpest knife. Put each piece cut-side up on your lined pan with space between them. Repeat everything with the second sheet.
Stick them in the oven for about 20 minutes until they’re golden brown and all puffed up. My oven runs hot so I start checking around 18 minutes but yours might need longer.
While they cool for just a minute, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make it drizzly. Pour this over the warm rolls and sprinkle your toasted pecans on top. Try waiting two minutes before eating them but I usually give up on that.
Notes
My weirdest trick is using dental floss to slice these instead of a knife. Slide it under the rolled pastry, cross the ends on top, pull through. Sounds insane but works perfectly without squashing everything flat like a knife does.
Your melted butter needs to be warm but not hot enough to melt the pastry. I stick my finger right in to test – if it burns my finger it’s too hot for the pastry.
Give these things room to breathe on the pan. I used to smoosh them all together thinking it looked prettier but they need space to puff properly or you get one giant connected mess.
Always toast double the pecans you need and freeze the extras in a jar. Perfect for oatmeal, salads, or stress eating during bad days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American