If you love buttery, flaky pastry and the comforting aroma of cinnamon, these cinnamon puff pastry twists are going to be your new favourite treat. Puff pastry, twisted with sweet cinnamon sugar and baked until golden and crisp, they’re the kind of snack that feels a little bit fancy but are so simple to make.
These cinnamon pastries are super quick and easy, with just 6 ingredients. They’re light, sweet and wonderfully moreish and just perfect for brunch, morning tea or an afternoon pick-me-up.
Just like these Nutella puff pastry twists, they’re great for sharing too.
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Why you’ll love them
We’ve eaten a fair few of these puff pastry cinnamon twists lately. Sure, I’ve been testing them but also they’re straight up moreish. And that’s not all there is to love.
- Quick and easy to make,
- Just 6 ingredients – one being ready-made puff pastry,
- Cosy spices but delicious any time of year,
- Can be prepped ahead of time,
- Freezer-friendly before baking and you can bake them from frozen,
- Perfect for snacking or with a cuppa.
Ingredients & substitutions
With only 6 ingredients in these cinnamon puff pastry twists, make sure to use really good ones as the flavour of all will shine right through.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Pastry: Use all-butter puff pastry if you can. While I love making things from scratch, I draw the line at puff pastry (maybe one day when I have a whole lot more time on my hands) but homemade puff pastry will definitely work. If using store-bought puff pastry, make sure it’s a good quality, all butter version.
- Ground cinnamon: It’s in the name so they’re loaded with cinnamon flavour.
- Sugar: We use two types of sugar in these cinnamon twists. Brown sugar inside adds a lovely caramel quality and caster sugar (aka superfine sugar) for the cinnamon sugar coating outside.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter for these but you could use salted butter too.
- Egg is used just for the egg wash.
If you want some extra crunch, you could add in some chopped nuts too.
How to make cinnamon puff pastry twists
Making these easy cinnamon twists with puff pastry really is super simple. The main rule here is to keep your puff pastry cold which creates a better rise or puff but that aside, there is nothing difficult here.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Make the filling and topping
In a small bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Shape the cinnamon pastries
Take a rectangular sheet of pastry. If you need to, use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 32½x26½cm / 10½x13 inches on a lightly floured surface. Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture over one long half, leaving a 1 cm border at the edge.
Fold the top half of the pastry down over the top. Use a fork to crimp the two edges together.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut 16 strips.
Finally, twist each slice 3-4 times.
3. Bake
Lay these simple puff pastry cinnamon twists on a lined baking sheet and press the ends down well. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Brush them with egg wash, then bake for around 15-20 minutes until golden.
Once they come out of the oven, let them cool. In a small bowl, combine the caster sugar and cinnamon then gently toss the twists in it.
Tips and tricks
- Good quality pastry is essential for the best flavour since there is very little place to hide here. An all-butter puff pastry will give you the best flavour, rise and texture.
- Keep the puff pastry cold – this helps to get the best rise. Thaw the pastry overnight in the fridge and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Be quick: Work quickly so the dough doesn’t soften too much while you’re shaping them.
- The cinnamon sugar coating takes them to another level, so don’t skip it. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make them overly sweet. It gives them an almost donut vibe.
- Chill them: If you can fit them, chill the cinnamon pastry twists in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking to help them keep their shape.
Storage
Once baked, these puff pastry cinnamon twists are best eaten as fresh as possible.
- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: You can assemble and shape the puff pastries ahead of time and freeze them until required. They’ll need an extra 1-2 minutes in the oven from frozen. You can egg wash before freezing or right before they are baked.
FAQ’s
Yes, they can be made and frozen until required and can bake right from frozen.
Store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Absolutely! These are a wonderful way to use homemade puff pastry.
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Ingredients
- 1 rectangular sheet puff pastry thawed but cold, (375g/13¼oz) (notes 2)
- 42 g butter melted (1 ½oz / 3 tablespoons)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 egg yolk whisked with a dash of milk or water (egg wash)
FOR DUSTING
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar (notes 1)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
- Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. If it firms up before you get to use it, just microwave it for 15-20 seconds to loosen it up again.
- Lay out the cold puff pastry sheet on a clean surface.
- With the long side closest to you, pour the cinnamon sugar filling over the bottom half of the pastry, all the way from left to right. Spread the mixture out with an offset spatula. Leave the top half and a 1cm border closest to you bare.
- Fold the top half of the pastry down (towards you) over the top so the filling is now inside.
- Use the tines of a fork to seal the long edge closest to you, together.
- Cutting the pastry into 16 strips, about 1 ½ cm (½inch) wide.
- Tip: The easiest way to cut even strips is to cut the puff pastry in half first (cutting perpendicular the to bottom edge closest to you). Cut each half in half so you have 4 pieces. Cut again so you have 8 and one final cut to each section will give you 16.
- Holding the two ends, twist the pastry 4 times and place it onto the lined baking sheet or onto a tray that will fit in the freezer.
- Chill the pastries in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced)/400F.
- Transfer the pastries onto the lined baking sheet, if you haven’t already.
- With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash (the combined egg yolk and milk) over the exposed parts of pastry.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Some of the filing may leak out but don’t worry, most stays inside.
- Let the pastries cool.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon for dusting in a bowl. Gently toss the cinnamon pastries in the cinnamon sugar. Serve!
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Pastry size: The size of the pastry rectangle I use is about 32½x26½cm / 10½x13 inches.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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2 Comments on “Cinnamon Puff Pastry Twists”
There in the oven now. So far so good. Your recipe and direction are very well presented. I’ll be back with the family vote. Thanks myrna
Thanks Myrna 🙂