Cardamom cruffins are a delicious cross between a croissant and a muffin that couldn’t be easier to make using refrigerated crescent roll dough!
Are you looking for a fun, deliciously different breakfast pastry that sounds crazy good and crazy difficult but is actually simple to make? You’re going to love cardamom cruffins ~ these little cuties are super soft, plush pastries with multiple buttery layers of sweet cardamom sugar. They come together faster than you can preheat your oven because we use refrigerated crescent roll dough. I use cardamom instead of cinnamon which makes these semi-homemade morning buns extra special.
Refrigerated crescent roll dough + butter + sugar + cardamom = major yum!
Let’s dig in
what you’ll need for cardamom cruffins
- refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
- if you can find the ‘crescent dough sheet’ that works really well, otherwise the original crescent rolls (with the perforations) works fine.
- butter
- sugar
- ground cardamom
- cruffins would typically be filled with cinnamon sugar, but cardamom elevates them just a bit.
origin story of the cruffin
The first public appearance of a cruffin is attributed to Kate Reid, pastry chef at Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2013. She created it for Everyday Coffee, another Melbourne establishment. This early version reportedly featured layers of croissant dough filled with pastry cream and was quite popular locally.
Just a few months later, in December 2013, Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City launched its “cronut,” a hybrid pastry similar to the cruffin. Though the “cronut” received more media attention, the cruffin continued to gain popularity worldwide, particularly in Australia and Asia.
Cruffins come in a huge variety of flavors, from classic cinnamon-sugar to more adventurous options like matcha, salted caramel, and even savory fillings.
how to make cardamom cruffins with crescent roll dough
- Unroll your dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread lightly with very soft butter, and sprinkle with cardamom sugar.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter slice the dough in half, vertically.
- Slice each half in 3 long strips for a total of 6 strips.
- Roll each strip up and place cut side up into your muffin pan.
- Bake until golden.
- Dust with more cardamom sugar.
- Devour.
tips for making cruffins
This recipe is very straightforward, but I suggest following it pretty closely. I tested this several ways and this method works best.
The main issue you will have is making sure your cruffins get cooked through (without overbaking.) Refrigerated dough has a tendency to look golden and perfectly cooked before it actually is. It can be ‘doughy’ in the center when you don’t bake it long enough. To test for doneness touch the tops gently, they shouldn’t feel wobbly, or look very uncooked in the crevices of the layers. If you can, do a test cruffin first.
If your cruffins seem to be browning too quickly towards the end of baking, lay a piece of foil loosely over them.
Cruffins are at their best fresh out of the oven. Plan accordingly.
cardamom cruffin faqs
Can you make this with puff pastry dough?
Yes, you can substitute a sheet of thawed puff pastry dough for the crescent dough. I would do 8 rolls rather than 6, and bake at 375F.
What can I use besides cardamom?
Use cinnamon. Or vanilla bean.
How can I make vegan cruffins?
Pillsbury crescent dough sheets are vegan, so if you use vegan butter you’ll be good to go!
Can I prep cardamom cruffins ahead to bake later?
Yes you can, Pillsbury says: “You can prep recipes using our crescent dough a couple of hours ahead of baking. Keep in mind opening the can of crescent dough activates the leavening that causes it to rise. Be sure to cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two hours before baking. After two hours, the dough will begin to decline in quality.”
Do cruffins freeze well?
Because these are baked with refrigerated dough I think they are best eaten the day they are made, and I don’t recommend freezing them.
Are cruffins good?
I’m going to tell it to you straight: cruffins are tasty, easy, and fun to make. They’re also absolutely gorgeous. Do they taste like the best cinnamon roll you’ve ever had? No. They really taste like a lightly sweetened version of Pillsbury crescent rolls. They have a soft texture, and are at their best when they are warm, shortly after they come out of the oven. Would I make them again? In a heartbeat!
more dessert for breakfast!
- Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Raspberry Almond Puff Pastry Danish
- Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake
- Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Scone Recipe
- Classic Cream Scones Recipe
Cardamom Cruffins
Equipment
- muffin pan
- muffin papers
Ingredients
- 8 ounce can of Pillsbury Original Crescent Pastry Dough Sheet or Crescent Rolls
- 2 Tbsp very soft unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with 6 paper liners.
- Toss the sugar and cardamom together until completely mixed.
- Unroll the tube of crescent roll dough and lay it out flat. Spread with the soft butter and sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of the cardamom sugar (reserve the rest for later.)
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough in half, lengthwise. Then slice each half into 3 long strips.
- Roll each of the strips up and place, cut side up, into each of the paper liners in your muffin pan.
- Bake for 23-26 minutes until risen and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil toward the end of baking if the cruffins are getting too browned toward the end of baking. Note: to determine if the cruffins are done check the crevices between the layers, if they seem very wet or wobbly when gently pressed, keep baking a little longer. Be careful not to over bake.
- Sprinkle the hot cruffins generously with more cardamom sugar the minute they come out of the oven. Enjoy warm!
I made these for my foods class in our home school co-op. The kiddos (all 36 of them, grades K-8th) got to do all of the different techniques and then try a spice they weren’t familiar with. One hilarious little boy even said Cardamom was “the smell of grossness” after smelling it and across the board it was not received well. They wanted to use cinnamon instead. But, I held strong and encouraged them to try it. They all LOVED the spice and entire cruffin after tasting them. Thanks for the fun recipe!
Best comment ever! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Brilliant idea. I have a bag of cinnamon sugar filling from King Arthur that would be perfect and a roll of crescent rolls in fridge so this will be perfect for long weekend. Love this morning’s email can’t wait to make the lemon asparagus chicken definitely with mashed potatoes. Thank you for the terrific emails and wonderful recipes.
You’re so welcome! Hope you love the lemon asparagus chicken, it’s one of my faves!