For a flaky buttery sweet treat, these puff pastry cinnamon twists are so amazing. All you need is 4 ingredients to transform frozen puff pastry into a cinnamon sugar delight. If you love cinnamon toast or churros, these twists will be hard to resist.
Cinnamon sugar filled puff pastries with cinnamon sugar are pretty little treats to enjoy any time of year. They are so fun to eat and irresistibly dunkable. Grab a glass of cold milk or your favorite hot drink - dunk, dip, & devour!
These are wonderful for breakfast in winter with hot coffee or tea. In the summer I love these with my favorite Philz copycat Iced Mint Mojito Coffee. Or enjoy some homemade hot chocolate made with chocolate chips & have the ultimate dessert.
Jump to:
Ingredients for Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists
This simple yet fancy recipe for cinnamon twists uses frozen puff pastry sheets. These are great to have as a staple in your freezer since they are so easy to work with and versatile for sweet or savory recipes.
You likely already have the other items in your kitchen. Like my snickerdoodles without cream of tartar recipe, cinnamon is the star so use a good quality brand.
Here are the 4 ingredients needed to make Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists:
- Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets - they can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores. Pepperidge Farm is the most common brand.
- Salted Butter - helps the cinnamon & sugar stick & adds buttery richness.
- Cinnamon - the sweet & spicy spice is the star of this recipe.
- Brown Sugar - adds a caramel-like flavor; do not substitute regular granulated white sugar.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Twists
Flaky pastry is easy to work with & perfect for yummy fillings. It make look intimidating but if you follow the steps & my photos below even a beginner can have success.
Here are the step-by-step instructions to assemble, layer, twist, & bake this puff pastry recipe.
- Defrost the Puff Pastry
- Prep Equipment & Ingredients
- Roll Out the Puff Pastry
- Layer on the Filling
- Cut & Twist the Puff Pastry
- Bake
1 - Defrost the Puff Pastry
Thaw the puff pastry per the package instructions. It takes about 30 minutes at room temperature. You want to make sure it is soft and pliable so it will roll and cut easily without breaking or falling apart. Save the other sheet to use later in my recipe for Puff Pastry Apple Galette.
2 - Prep Equipment & Ingredients
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. This recipe comes together in a few minutes so once you start it is so quick & easy.
Next, grab the other items you will need. To roll, prep, and cut the puff pastry you will need a rolling pin, pastry brush, and pizza cutter. Once everything is ready, it is time to get prepping.
3 - Roll Out the Puff Pastry
Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. You want the surface to have the long edge be top & bottom.
TOP TIP: I like to use rice flour on a cutting board. Rice flour has no gluten and will not stick to your dough. It is my go-to when baking, rolling dough, kneading sourdough, dusting pans, etc.
The short edges should be the sides. (see image below). Roll gently with a rolling pin to remove the fold creases. You want it a bit thinner than it comes as packaged but not much. You are just smoothing it out, not rolling it out thinner.
4 - Layer on the Filling
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the entire surface of the puff pastry. Make sure you get the edges and corners.
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the buttered puff pastry surface. Make sure to get it everywhere. It will make a mess but that is ok. Gently pat down on the mixture so it will stick as best it can to the pastry.
5 - Cut & Twist the Puff Pastry
With a pizza cutter (or sharp knife), slice the pastry sheet into 12 thin strips. You will go from top to bottom along the pastry sheet working your way from side to side.
Baking Math! The puff pastry sheet will be about 24-26cm wide across. (depending on how much you rolled it) To get 12 strips of equal size you will want to make each one about 2cm wide. (use a ruler if you need to!)
Twist each strip six times so that the cinnamon layer faces inward. I like to do this by holding one end down and twisting the other.
It is tight enough when very little of the cinnamon mixture shows. (see below) Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with each twist until you have 6 on a baking sheet or two baking sheets of all 12 ready. Space them out 2" apart as they will spread and you do not want them to stick together.
Hint: After twisting each strip, place it on the prepared baking sheet. If the twist tries to unravel, gently press each end down onto the baking sheet so it sticks a bit.
How Long to Bake Cinnamon Twists
Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven once they are puffed up and golden brown.
Do NOT OVER BAKE! My recipe is the best because they stay flaky & tender. Others recipes call for baking 17+ minutes which makes them dry and crumbly.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing them. Using a spatula carefully remove these from the baking sheet to a platter. Enjoy immediately while warm, fresh, & flaky.
Substitutions & Variations
This simple recipe can be made in a few different ways. With a few changes, this recipe can be even more versatile with some alternative ingredients to help with any food allergies.
- Vegan- instead of butter, you can use vegan products or margarine
- Puff Pastry - use a gluten-free puff pastry like those made by GeeFree or Schar.
- Nuts - add ½ cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios to the filling.
This recipe uses Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets which are vegan. So the butter swap ensures this is a vegan cinnamon twist recipe.
Equipment
Kitchen tools to help make this recipe are shared below. The pizza cutter and rolling pins are needed to roll and cut the puff pastry. I highly recommend these quality products for your home kitchen.
The Short Order Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you. This helps with the costs of running the blog. Thank you!
Storing & Reheating Information
These puff pastry twists are best enjoyed fresh and warm straight from the oven. If you do have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container or ziplock bag & place them in a cool dry place like the kitchen counter or pantry. They will be good for 1-2 days.
To reheat cinnamon twists, brush a bit of melted butter to the tops. This will help add some moisture back into the puff pastry. Place them in a 300° warm oven or toaster oven for a few minutes. Do not overheat or they will dry out.
Top Tips
- Plan ahead to defrost the puff pastry before you want to bake.
- Use RICE FLOUR which will not stick to the dough when rolling.
- A pizza cutter & ruler makes cutting the dough in equal slices easy.
- Roll tightly so they don't unravel. If they do, press ends down to stick to the baking sheet.
- Do NOT overbake or they will be dry and crumbly.
- Only bake enough for eating immediately, they are best enjoyed hot & fresh from the oven.
Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Pizza Cutter
- parchment paper or foil & cookie spray
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 3 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry per the package instructions. It takes about 45 minutes at room temperature. You want to make sure it is soft and pliable so it will roll and cut easily without breaking or falling apart.
- Preheat oven to 400°.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. You want the surface to have the long edge be top & bottom. The short edges should be the sides. (see image above)Roll gently with a rolling pin to remove the fold creases. You want it a bit thinner than it comes as packaged but not much. You really are just smoothing it out, not rolling it out.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the entire surface of the puff pastry.
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the buttered puff pastry surface. Gently pat down on the mixture so it will stick as best it can to the pastry.
- With a pizza cutter (or sharp knife), slice the pastry sheet into 12 thin strips. You will go from top to bottom along the pastry sheet working your way from left to right. Baking Math! The puff pastry sheet will be about 24-26cm wide across. (depending on how much you rolled it) To get 12 strips of equal size you will want to make each one about 2cm wide.
- Twist each strip six times so that the cinnamon layer facing inward. I like to do this by holding one end down and twisting the other until it will be almost tight enough very little of the cinnamon mixture shows.
- After twisting each strip, place it on the prepared baking sheet. If the twist tries to unravel, gently press each end down onto the baking sheet so it sticks a bit.
- Repeat with each twist until you have 6 on a baking sheet or two baking sheets of all 12 ready. Space them out 2" apart as they will spread and you do not want them to stick together.
- Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven once they are puffed up and golden brown.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing them. Using a spatula carefully remove these from the baking sheet to a platter. Enjoy
Jessica says
I added a dash of ginger too. It was by accident when I grabbed the wrong container. It was just a bit before I realized it wasn’t the cinnamon. It turned out good, pinch of ginger highly recommend.
Angela says
I love happy accidents. That sounds intriguing for sure and something ginger lovers would enjoy.