Description
Carrot Cake Cruffins combine the flaky, buttery texture of crescent roll dough with the sweet, warmly spiced flavors of classic carrot cake. These delightful pastries are rolled with cinnamon, nutmeg, shredded carrots, and candied walnuts, baked to golden perfection, then coated in sugar and drizzled with a smooth cream cheese glaze for an indulgent treat perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough and Filling
- 3 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll sheets
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (82.5 g) carrots, shredded and finely chopped (about 1 medium carrot), divided
- ¾ cup (88 g) candied walnuts, finely chopped, divided
Glaze
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick, 57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (94 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature (or as needed for desired consistency)
Garnish
- Candied walnuts, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare muffin tin: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Roll out dough: On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each tube of crescent roll dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle. If your dough has perforated seams, pinch them together to seal.
- Spread butter on dough: Evenly spread 2 tablespoons of softened butter over the surface of each dough rectangle.
- Mix sugar and spices: In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg until combined.
- Sprinkle sugar-spice mixture: Evenly sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sugar and spice mixture over the buttered dough, gently pressing it into the dough.
- Add carrots and walnuts: Distribute ¼ cup of the shredded and chopped carrots and ¼ cup of the finely chopped candied walnuts evenly over each dough sheet.
- Roll up dough: Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log shape.
- Cut the logs: Cut each log in half to create two shorter logs, then cut each of those halves lengthwise to yield four sections of dough per sheet.
- Repeat for all sheets: Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining two sheets to have a total of 12 dough sections.
- Form cruffins: Working with one dough section at a time, tightly roll it into a cinnamon roll shape with the layered side facing out, tucking the end piece underneath to secure.
- Place in muffin tin and bake: Place each cruffin into the prepared muffin tin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Prepare sugar coating: While the cruffins are baking, place ½ cup granulated sugar into a bowl.
- Coat cruffins with sugar: As soon as the cruffins come out of the oven, roll each one immediately in the granulated sugar for a sweet crust.
- Make cream cheese glaze: In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup softened butter, 1 ounce softened cream cheese, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, and 2 tablespoons whole milk. Mix until smooth, adding more milk if necessary to reach a drizzle-able consistency.
- Drizzle glaze: While the cruffins are still warm, drizzle the cream cheese glaze generously over each one.
- Garnish and serve: Top each glazed cruffin with chopped candied walnuts. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!
Notes
- Be sure to pinch the perforated seams of the crescent dough tightly to prevent filling leakage.
- Use finely chopped carrots and walnuts to ensure even distribution and ease of rolling.
- Rolling the dough tightly helps maintain the layers and spiral shape of the cruffins.
- The cream cheese glaze is best applied while the cruffins are warm for easier spreading and absorption.
- You can store leftover cruffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, warm in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes to refresh flakiness.
