Cinnamon Twists
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Light, fluffy Cinnamon Twists with a powdered sugar drizzle are an easy dessert or treat! They start with homemade or store-bought pizza dough and filled with cinnamon sugar, then baked and drizzled with icing. They have all the flavor of cinnamon rolls, but are way easier and disappear just as quick.
I love a little special treat on the weekends, but I don’t like to spend a ton of time making them so, hello, easy cinnamon twists! These sweet treats are made with store-bought dough so they are a breeze to make. Like my mini caramel rolls they don’t take a ton of time, which is the best thing ever on a Saturday morning.
My family loves breakfast on the weekends and so I like to come up with fun ways to make it special. These cinnamon twists are a lot like cinnamon rolls but without the hassle and no one will guess you took a big shortcut. Pillsbury dough is one of my favorite sneaky ways to make things easy!
Warm cinnamon-spiced twists with a sweet glaze are our idea of a great start to the weekend – I think you’ll want to try them, too!
Ingredients!
You can also use some fun add-ins to spice things up like:
- Chopped Nuts
- Mini Chocolate Chips
Cinnamon Twists with a Shortcut
Instead of making dough from scratch, you can use Pillsbury pizza dough instead. It works perfectly for this recipe – I usually keep a few on hand in the refrigerator! The rest of the ingredients are basic pantry items that you probably already have on hand.
Of course if you want to go all out you can use homemade pizza dough. My recipe makes enough for two pizzas so make sure you only use half of it.
- Prep Dough – Start by unrolling the dough and cutting it into four squares. Brush two of the squares with melted butter.
- Mix Filling – In a bowl, combine cinnamon and granulated sugar.
- Assemble – Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the top of the buttered dough squares leaving an edge. Place the other two squares on top of the cinnamon-sugar ones and press the edges together to create a seam.
- Cut & Twist – Cut each square into six strips. Gently twist the strips and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some more of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top.
- Bake – Place the pan in preheat oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
How to Make the Glaze
While the cinnamon twists are baking make the super simple glaze. This adds that perfect finishing touch!
- Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together in a bowl.
- Once the twists are finished baking drizzle the glaze over them.
Storage
I think these are best warm from the oven, but if you have leftovers here’s some tips.
Always store in an air tight container.
- Counter – They will be good for 1-2 days.
- Fridge – They will last up to 7 days.
- Freezer – We recommended placing them on a sheet pan and placing in the freezer until froze then transferring to an airtight container also known as “flash freezing”. They will be good for 2-3 months.
What to Serve with Them
Because they’re pretty sweet I like to go with a savory main dish to serve with them! Here are some ideas:
- My overnight breakfast lasagna is a fun twist on breakfast that you can make ahead and bake the next morning!
- The family LOVES breakfast tacos and mine have soft scrambled eggs, chorizo and veggies tucked into tortillas.
- My cheesy mashed potato egg casserole is always a hit when I make it!
- Crockpot breakfast casserole is the perfect overnight casserole – all the eggs, ham and cheese go in the night before and slow cook overnight. So easy!
Of course, you can always make a batch of these cinnamon twists and enjoy them with just a fresh orange smoothie or a homemade caramel latte – that works, too! These warm cinnamon rolls are just too good no matter what you serve them with! I hope you give these a try this weekend – your family will love them!
Try it and love it? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Cinnamon Twists
Ingredients
Twists
- 13.8 oz pizza crust refrigerated
Filling
- 4 Tbsp. butter melted, divided
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Drizzle
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Unroll the pizza dough, cut into four even squares and place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush two of the squares with 3 Tbsp melted butter.
- Combine the sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl, reserve 1 Tbsp for topping at the end. Sprinkle the rest of the mixture over the two squares of buttered pizza dough. Top with the two non-buttered squares of dough. Press edges together.
- Cut each square into 6 strips and brush with the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter. Twist each strip a few times and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
- Place baking sheet in preheated oven at 375 degrees F. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- While twists are combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over warm twists and serve.
Tips
- Chopped Nuts
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- Counter – They will be good for 1-2 days.
- Fridge – They will last up to 7 days.
- Freezer – We recommended placing them on a sheet pan and placing in the freezer until froze then transferring to an airtight container also known as “flash freezing”. They will be good for 2-3 months.
Nutrition Information
Claudia says
We have many house guests throughout the spring and summer. I made this recipe with each group. They all loved it and took the recipe with them when they left. The ultimate compliment! Thank you for making me look fabulous!
Julie says
That is so wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Claudia!
cheg says
These look absolutely delicious!
Julie says
They are! Hope you enjoy them!
Barb says
This recipe is very confusing. Two different set of directions. The written out recipe tells you one thing
While the amount part tells you something different or omits direction all together.
Julie says
Are you referring to the butter and cinnamon sugar mixture? You use 3 Tbsp of butter and all but 1 Tbsp of the cinnamon sugar mixture when putting the dough together and use the remainder of both in Step 4.
Isabella says
Awesome it works perfectly!!!!
My family loved it
Thank you
Julie says
Perfect! I’m so glad you loved it!
Natasha says
The cinnamon twists are amazing! It’s easy to make and not too sweet, just perfect for my taste. My kids and husband enjoyed it so much. Thumbs up, I highly recommend this recipe.
Julie says
So glad to hear it!
Lily says
Ohhh these were amazing, I have eaten enough to pop:) I’m going to make more tomorrow and freeze them so I can have them when I am craving something sweet.
Julie says
Great idea! I’m so glad you loved them!
Julie Blanner says
Love this! Just bought some pizza dough and was going to make pizza but this just changed those plans! I know my girls are going to love helping me make these.
Julie says
Great! Hope you enjoy making them AND eating them!
Malinda @ Countryside Cravings says
I love these!! Great for those times when I want a cinnamon roll or twist right now and don’t want to wait forever making them from scratch.
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
I love simple recipes like this! The idea to use puff pastry is a good one! Pinning!
Joan Hayes says
I love recipes like this! A delicious, easy and quick way to impress!
Pamela says
Anxious to try your Cinnamon Twists! How do I print the reciepe?
Julie Evink says
There should be a clickable link that says “Cinnamon Sticks” under the title of the recipe and it will bring up the printable version of the recipe. I haven’t had time to take new pictures and update that recipe yet. Sorry!
Sarah E. says
I’ve made these before and they are soooo good! It’s hard to only eat a few, especially since it’s puff pastry and it’s so light 🙂
Stopping by from Mix It Up Monday
Play Eat Grow says
I always forget about puff pastry. These look yummy and easy. I’ll definitely need to give them a try!
Ivy and Elephants says
OMG…I am drooling over here. I thoroughly enjoyed this delicious post. I would love it if you could share this wonderful post at our WIW linky party. I hope you can join us.
Paula
Ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
Avril says
Puff pastry SERIOUSLY rocks!!! These little twists look wonderful. Absolutely wonderfully delicious!