Buttery dough filled with cinnamon and sugar and baked to perfection. Introducing Cruffins, the ultimate hybrid of a muffin and a croissant.
This post is all about how to make Cruffins.
I am being completely honest when I say I HAVE NOT tasted anything that compares to Cruffins. Even Cinnabon can’t hold up to them, and those have always been my favorite until now.
Cruffins should really be considered a tribrid because it has the flaky, buttery crust of a croissant, the shape of a muffin, but all of the deliciousness of one of the BEST cinnamon rolls you’ll ever taste. While the cream cheese frosting is not pictured above, adding a dollop on top might be the closest thing to experiencing heaven on earth.
Also, you aren’t going to believe how EASY this recipe is! All you’ll need to buy are some tubes of crescent roll dough from the grocery store, butter, and a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. If you want to go further and make homemade cream cheese frosting, I’ll list that simple recipe below, or you could purchase a can. The frosting is optional but an unbelievably delicious addition.
Check out the recipe below on how to make and shape cruffins. As mentioned, it’s a simple treat, but following step-by-step instructions is essential.
Easy Cruffins Recipe
What Is A Cruffin Made Of?
A cruffin is made with croissant dough, butter, and often a cinnamon sugar mixture. Croissant dough is a yeasted, laminated dough, meaning folds of butter are incorporated, resulting in crispy, flaky layers.
Sometimes cruffins are filled with creams, jams, or curds. This recipe calls for an optional topping garnish of cream cheese frosting. To keep things simple, store-bought crescent roll dough is used.
Ingredients Needed For Cruffins:
- Crescent Roll Dough – 3 Tubes, 8 ounces each (refrigerated).
- Unsalted Butter, 3/4 Cup (1.5 sticks), softened.
- White Granulated Sugar, 1.5 Cups
- Ground Cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons
- Flour – Lay the crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Optional Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream Cheese, 4 ounces, softened.
- Butter, 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick, salted or unsalted, softened.
- Vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon
- Milk, 1 tablespoon
- Powdered Sugar, aka confectioner’s sugar, 1.5 cups
Equipment Needed:
- Sharp Knife – for cutting the dough.
- Butter Knife – for smearing the soft butter onto the dough.
- 12-Cup Muffin Tin – each crescent roll sheet will make four cruffins. Using three tubes of crescent roll dough will make 12 cruffins.
- Oven
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – If you’re making the optional homemade frosting, you’ll need to use one of these to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
What Is The Difference Between A Cronut And A Cruffin?
A cronut is a croissant-donut hybrid, while a cruffin is a croissant-muffin hybrid. The main difference between these two comes down to their shape. A cronut is shaped like a donut, and a cruffin is shaped like a muffin.
How To Make This Easy Cruffins Recipe, Step-By-Step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray non-stick cooking spray on a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
Step 2: Grab a small bowl and add the ground cinnamon and sugar. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
Step 3: Place the first crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch the perforated seams together, so they’re sealed. Roll the sheet of dough out to a 10 x 12 rectangle approximately. The rectangle of dough should look more significant than what you started with, and it does not have to look perfect, so do not worry. Repeat this step for the other two cans of crescent rolls.
Step 4: Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter evenly onto each sheet of crescent roll dough.
Step 5: Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the butter evenly for each sheet of dough. Set aside the remaining cinnamon and sugar because it will be used to sprinkle on top of each cruffin once they’re baked.
Step 6: Start at the rectangle’s long end and carefully roll the sheet of dough into a log.
Step 7: Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half. You will now have two logs.
Step 8: Cut each log in half lengthwise, exposing the inner layers. You will now have four pieces. Repeat these steps for the other two dough logs to give you 12 pieces (cruffins).
Step 9: Take each piece (one at a time) and wrap it around your finger, rolling tightly into a swirl to form the shape of a muffin or cinnamon roll. The layers of dough should face up. Transfer each unbaked cruffin to the greased muffin tin. Working with the dough is effortless, and shaping the cruffin is a simple and quick process. Once they bake, they’ll look beautiful even if the muffin-looking swirl does not look perfect.
Step 10: Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Rotate the muffin pan halfway through.
Step 11: After baking, remove them from the pan and sprinkle each one generously with the remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place them on a wire rack to cool. Cruffins taste good warm or at room temperature.
*Add an optional dollop or drizzle of cream cheese frosting on top of each cruffin before serving.
How To Make The Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting, Step-By-Step
Step 1: Add the softened cream cheese and softened butter to a bowl and mix them with a stand or hand mixer.
Step 2: Mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in the same bowl.
Step 3: Dollop a generous amount of frosting onto each baked cruffin. If there’s leftover frosting, store it in the refrigerator because of the dairy products.
FAQs For Cruffins
Where Does A Cruffin Come From?
Cruffins originated in Melbourne, Australia, in 2013 by Kate Reid. Since then, there have been many cruffin variations created.
Can I Buy Cruffins Near Me?
Most likely! Check to see if a local bakery sells them.
What Is In A Cinnamon Sugar Cruffin?
A cinnamon sugar cruffin consists of four ingredients: Crescent roll dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
How Do I Shape A Cruffin?
Use your finger to wrap and tightly roll the dough into a muffin shape. It will look like a twirl with the dough layers facing up.
What Does Cruffin Stand For?
A cruffin is a simple hybrid of a croissant and muffin. And it’s AMAZING.
Are The Original Cruffins Filled With Creams Or Jams?
The original cruffin recipe calls for a variety of creams and jams. However, this is not necessary. The cruffin, butter, and sugar alone make for a DELICIOUS treat.
How Do I Store Cruffins?
Store the cruffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Can I Freeze Cruffins?
If you still have leftover cruffins after three days (I would be shocked if you did), you can store these in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.
What Is The Difference Between Croissant Dough and Puff Pastry Dough?
While both doughs are laminated, the croissant dough is more complex and includes yeast, making the pastry tender and pliable. The puff pastry dough contains flour, water, and salt, making the dough puff up and crisp.
Can This Recipe Be Cut In Half?
Yes! You do not have to buy three tubes of crescent roll dough. Three tubes will make 12 cruffins, while one tube will make four cruffins.
Why Is This Recipe Referred To As Where Croissant Meets Muffin?
Cruffins are where the croissant meets the muffin because it is made with croissant dough and shaped into a muffin.
Can I Use Salted Butter Instead of Unsalted Butter?
Yes! If you want the cruffin to have a bit more flavor from the salted butter, then that is no problem for this recipe.
Easy Cruffins Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rolling Pin
- Sharp Knife – For cutting the dough.
- Butter Knife – for smearing the soft butter onto the dough.
- 12-Cup Muffin Tin – each crescent roll sheet will make four cruffins. Using three tubes will make 12 cruffins.
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- Oven
- Stand or Hand Mixer – if you're making the optional homemade cream cheese frosting, you'll need to use one of these to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Ingredients You'll Need For Cruffins:
- 3 Tubes Crescent Roll Dough, 8 ounces each, refrigerated.
- 3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter (1.5 sticks), softened.
- 1.5 Cups White Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- Flour – lay the crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface.
Ingredients You'll Need For The Optional Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese softened.
- 1/4 Cup Butter (1/2 stick, salted or unsalted) softened.
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Milk
- 1.5 Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
How To Make Cruffins, Step-By-Step
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray non-stick cooking spray on a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- Grab a small bowl and add the ground cinnamon and sugar. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
- Place the first crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch the perforated seams together, so they’re sealed. Roll the sheet of dough out to a 10 x 12 rectangle approximately. The rectangle of dough should look more significant than what you started with, and it does not have to look perfect, so do not worry. Repeat this step for the other two cans of crescent rolls.
- Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter evenly onto each sheet of crescent roll dough.
- Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the butter evenly for each sheet of dough. Set aside the remaining cinnamon and sugar because it will be used to sprinkle on top of each cruffin once they’re baked.
- Start at the rectangle’s long end and carefully roll the sheet of dough into a log.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half. You will now have two logs.
- Cut each log in half lengthwise, exposing the inner layers. You will now have four pieces. Repeat these steps for the other two dough logs to give you 12 pieces (cruffins).
- Take each piece (one at a time) and wrap it around your finger, rolling tightly into a swirl to form the shape of a muffin or cinnamon roll. The layers of dough should face up. Transfer each unbaked cruffin to the greased muffin tin. Working with the dough is effortless, and shaping the cruffin is a simple and quick process. Once they bake, they’ll look beautiful even if the muffin-looking swirl does not look perfect.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Rotate the muffin pan halfway through.
- After baking, remove them from the pan and sprinkle each one generously with the remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place them on a wire rack to cool. Cruffins taste good warm or at room temperature.
- *Add an optional dollop or drizzle of cream cheese frosting on top of each cruffin before serving.
How To Make The Optional Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting, Step-By-Step
- Add the softened cream cheese and softened butter to a bowl and mix them with a stand or hand mixer.
- Mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in the same bowl.
- Dollop a generous amount of frosting onto each baked cruffin. If there’s leftover frosting, store it in the refrigerator because of the dairy products.
Nutrition
Final Thoughts For This Cruffins Recipe
This recipe is insanely delicious, and the cruffin tastes better than any muffin, croissant, or cinnamon roll I have ever had. The step-by-step process is also straightforward to follow. Share these delicious treats with family and friends, and tell me how they turned out in the comments!
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Oh MY, it looks great! Can’t wait to cook em this Sunday!
What a perfect Sunday treat!!