These apple crescent rolls are filled with a fresh apple and a sweet cream cheese filling and chopped pecans, then baked to golden perfection and drizzled with caramel sauce.
I love pastries of all kinds. From Swedish flops and pecan rolls to fruity varieties filled with compotes and cream cheese, I’m just a pastry fiend. I especially love them when they come straight from my oven! Oh, they’re so piping hot and fresh! One of my favorite pastry variations to make is this apple crescent roll recipe. It combines a sweet apple filling, a sweet and tangy cream cheese filling, and golden, flaky crescent dough to create hand-held pastry bites perfect for parties of all kinds, snacks, and even desserts.
Apple Crescent Rolls
These delicious bite-sized pastries start with a sweet, Granny Smith apple filling. I add that, along with a sweet and tangy cream cheese mixture and chopped pecans to crescent dough, roll it up tightly, and slice it into medallions. Then, they’re baked to golden, flaky perfection and topped with caramel sauce. MmmMMMM, they are so good! It’s like a tiny little apple pie with an added kick of cream cheese deliciousness!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Crescent Roll Recipe
- They are delicious and the combination of the sweet apple filling, the crunchy pecans, the sweet cream cheese filling, and the gooey caramel sauce is simply irresistible.
- They are easy to make and only use a few simple ingredients with straightforward instructions.
- They’re versatile and can be served as dessert, a snack, or even for breakfast or brunch.
- They are perfect for any occasion and are great for parties, potlucks, or family get-togethers.
Apple Crescent Rolls Ingredients
You’ll only need some basic baking ingredients and some apples to make this recipe. You’ll find everything you need easily at your local grocery store.
- Granny Smith apples are a tart and crisp apple that holds its shape well when cooked and they won’t become mushy when baked.
- Sugar is used to sweeten the apple filling.
- Cornstarch helps thicken the apple filling.
- Lemon juice helps prevent the apples from turning brown.
- Cinnamon is a classic flavor that goes hand in hand with apples.
- Cream cheese is a sweet cream filling that pairs very well with apples.
- Vanilla extract adds a touch of sweetness and flavor to the filling.
- Pillsbury original crescent dough is a convenient and easy-to-use dough resulting in a flaky pastry.
- Chopped pecans add crunch and flavor to the crescent rolls.
- Ghirardelli caramel sauce is drizzled over the top of the baked crescent rolls that adds a sweet and decadent finish to the dessert.
How to Make Apple Crescent Rolls
Making these delicious snacks is just as easy as shopping for the ingredients. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Apple Filling
Add diced apples, water, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Filling
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth in a medium bowl.
Step 4: Top the Crescent Dough
Roll out the crescent dough on a lightly floured surface, Then, add the cream cheese mixture in an even layer leaving ½ inch of dough around the edges. Top the cream cheese with the apple mixture and pecans.
Step 5: Roll and Slice
Starting from the short end, roll the crescent dough up tightly and slice it into 1-inch thick rings, reshaping if necessary.
Step 6: Bake
Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove and let cool. Top each crescent roll with caramel sauce and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Roll your dough up as tightly as possible for the neatest crescent rolls possible.
- Be sure your cream chees is fully softened so it creams and mixes easily. This avoids little bits of raw cream cheese in your mixture.
- Be sure to spray your baking sheet with nonstick spray. Otherwise, the filling will stick and burn on the pan.
Variations
- Try using diced pears or berries in place of apple.
- Almonds and walnuts work in place of pecans.
- For a deeper flavor, use brown sugar instead of white sugar in the apple mixture.
- Try sprinkling dusting sugar over the apple crescent rolls before baking.
What to Serve with Apple Crescent Rolls
These delicious pastries are perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’re also wonderful topped with some whipped cream, served with a scoop of ice cream, or dipped in a creamy, whipped dessert dip.
Recipe FAQ
What are the best apples to use for baking?
Granny Smith is the classic variety used for baking because they’re firm and tart, which makes a great counterpoint to the sweetness of the rest of the ingredients. Other popular baking apples that will work well are:
- Braeburn
- Cortland
- Honey Gold
- Jonathan
- Fuji
- Gala
- Haralson
- Newtown Pippin
Can these apple crescent rolls be made in advance?
You can make the filling for these crescent rolls the day before. Then, bring the fillings to room temperature and construct and bake as noted in the recipe.
What can I substitute for canned crescent rolls?
Refrigerated pie dough or store-bought puff pastry dough both work well in place of crescent roll dough.
How long will apple crescent rolls last in the fridge?
Apple crescent rolls will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Can you freeze leftover apple crescent rolls?
Yes, you can freeze them. They’ll last for up to a month in the freezer.
How to Store Leftover Apple Crescent Rolls
Store these crescent rolls in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Try This Delicious Apple Crescent Roll Recipe Today
These delicious apple crescent rolls are full of sweet apples, rich cream cheese filling, and the crunch of pecans. Then, they’re all rolled up into crescent rings and baked to golden perfection. This is the perfect snack, appetizer, or dessert recipe, and once you try it, it will have a permanent place in your recipe rotation. Give it a whirl!
More Delicious Apple Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze – Loaded with apples and chopped pecans, this delicious cake is baked to perfection and drizzled with caramel glaze, and is a family favorite.
Caramel Apple Pecan Cobbler – A delicious apple cobbler recipe packed full of scrumptious flavor with the apple, pecans and caramel, then drizzled with even more caramel deliciousness.
Apple Cream Cheese Egg Rolls – Fried to crunchy perfection, these dessert egg rolls are filled with an apple filling and a sweet cream cheese mixture, and dusted with powdered sugar.
And, here are some delicious Apple Fritters, from Deliciously Seasoned, that you will enjoy as well.
Apple Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 Pillsbury original crescent dough
- Ghirardelli caramel sauce
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Apple Filling
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peel, core and chop into small chunks (about 4 cups)
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add diced apples, water, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir frequently until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla together until smooth.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over dough in an even layer half inch from the edges.
- Spoon the apple mixture and chopped pecans over the cream cheese mixture and tightly roll up.
- Slice crescent dough approximately 1-inch thick and place on the prepared baking sheet. Reshape if needed.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Top each crescent roll with caramel sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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I don’t know what you mean about slicing 1” thick.
Hi Carol, What I mean about slicing the rolls an inch thick, is after you roll up the dough you’ll want to slice the dough every one inch making 10 or so individual rolls. I hope that makes sense. :)