Chocolate Croissant Cinnamon Rolls, aka cruffins, are soft, gooey pastries made from flaky crescent roll dough and chocolate-cinnamon filling baked in a muffin tin, then glopped with simple powdered sugar glaze. These easy crescent cinnamon rolls are a delicious treat that looks super impressive.
Serve with Make Ahead Cheesy Sausage Egg Bake and Banana Pancakes with Pancake Mix for a special weekend or holiday breakfast.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Gooey cinnamon crescent rolls loaded with chocolate chips
- Impressive looking croissant cinnamon buns are the perfect treat for Christmas morning or Easter brunch
- Easy recipe for semi-homemade cinnamon rolls with simple ingredients
- Delicious cinnamon rolls with premade dough are the perfect sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee
Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
Pillsbury crescent rolls. These easy cinnamon rolls are made from cans of crescent rolls -- buttery, flaky, refrigerated pre-made dough in a tube.
Unsalted butter. Make sure the butter is room temperature, so it is soft enough to spread easily.
Cocoa powder. I love dark chocolate powder for its intensely rich chocolate flavor, but you can also use regular cocoa powder.
Brown sugar. You can use dark or light brown sugar -- or white sugar.
Cinnamon. A full tablespoon of ground cinnamon adds rich, warm flavor.
Mini chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips are sprinkled on the cinnamon sugar filling and on top of the frosting so there's a little bit of chocolate in every bite!
Cinnamon Roll Frosting
Powdered sugar. Confectioner's sugar, or icing sugar, is the base of the cinnamon roll frosting.
Melted butter. A little melted butter adds rich creaminess to the frosting.
Milk. Add the milk to the frosting a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. You can also use cream.
Variation
If you prefer cream cheese frosting on your croissant cinnamon rolls, make a double batch of the simple cream cheese glaze I use on these air fryer cinnamon rolls.
How to Make Easy Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: In a small bowl, stir the softened butter and cocoa powder together.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and mini chocolate chips.
Step 3: Roll a crescent dough sheet onto a silicone baking mat, silicone cutting board, or lightly floured surface. Pinch the seams to seal them. Evenly spread the cocoa powder butter mixture on top of the dough.
Step 4: Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture on top of the butter. Gently press into the dough.
Step 5: Roll up the sheet from the long end.
Step 6: Cut the log in half cross-wise, then cut each log in half cross-wise.
Step 7: Roll each portion of dough with the cut sides facing up into the shape of a cinnamon roll. Place rolls into the prepared muffin tin.
Step 8: Bake at 350 in greased muffin pan for 18-20 minutes or until the tops of the cruffins are deep golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.
Cinnamon Roll Frosting
Step 1: In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Add more milk a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency. I use 3 tablespoons.
Step 2: Spoon the soft frosting over the warm crescent rolls cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle with a few more mini chocolate chips, if desired.
These gooey cinnamon rolls are delicious with my favorite Nutty Almond Cream tea or a delicious Hazelnut Latte.
Expert Tips
- The easiest way to work with the crescent roll dough is to keep it cold until you're ready to use it.
- Use a sharp knife when cutting the crescent roll dough.
- How thick or thin you make the cinnamon roll frosting is a personal preference. Start with a small amount of milk and add more until it's how you like it.
FAQs
Store leftover baked cruffins in an airtight container for about 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Chocolate croissant cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed fresh. But if you happen to have some leftover, you can heat them up in the microwave the next morning to enjoy with your cup of coffee.
Yes. For best results, freeze them unfrosted. Place them in a freezer safe sealed container and freeze them for up to a month.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Croissant Cinnamon Rolls (Cruffins)
Ingredients
For the Cruffins
- 3 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
For the Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a nonstick muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Stir the softened butter and cocoa powder together until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.
- Roll out one can of crescent dough onto a silicone mat, silicone cutting board, or a lightly floured surface. Pinch the perforations together as needed.
- Evenly spread ⅓ (about 2 ½ tablespoons) of the cocoa powder-butter mixture over each sheet of crescent dough.
- On each sheet, sprinkle ⅓ of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture (about ½ cup loosely packed) over the butter.
- Roll up the dough from the long end. Cut the log in half cross-wise so you have 2 logs. Cut each log in half lengthwise. Roll each portion around your finger with the cut sides facing up and place it in the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the Frosting
- Stir the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons of milk together. Add more milk a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. I use 3 tablespoons.
- Spoon the frosting over the warm chocolate cinnamon cruffins. If desired, sprinkle with a few more mini chocolate chips.
- Serve warm.
thanks for the video. it looks like an easy recipe to reduce for 2 people. I'm assuming i can use the crescents, that are in sheets. Planning to make for Easter breakfast. thanks again.
Yep, the sheets will work great! Enjoy and happy Easter :).
Recipe sounds super but not sure of how to shape after cutting top of roll. Would love to try
Hi, Arlene, I just added a video that will hopefully help you out. Let me know if you have any questions! Cara