Caramel Apple Crescent Rolls (Mini Pies!)
Published Nov 08, 2021 Updated Oct 31, 2023
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The easiest apple pies made from crescent roll dough, apple pie filling, cream cheese or caramel sauce, melted butter, and cinnamon sugar! Oven-baked or air fried– you pick! The resulting Apple Crescent Rolls are sweet, scrumptious, and perfectly festive!
Table of Contents
What are Crescent Rolls?
Crescent Rolls are the most delicious triangular dough you will ever eat. Made by Pillsbury, Crescent Rolls are pre-made, pre-cut dough in a can that bakes into a light, flakey, golden brown shell, similar to puff pastry.
Popularly stuffed with all kinds of fillings, crescent rolls are inexpensive, easy, and go really well with sweet or savory fillings. For this recipe, the apple pie filling wrapped in the flakey crust of the crescent roll makes it taste like a mini apple pie!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Food is so much more fun when it’s bite-sized, and these Apple Crescent Rolls are no exception! Apple pie filling is packed into a crescent roll with scrumptious cream cheese or caramel sauce, dusted with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and cooked to perfection in the oven or the air fryer. The perfect finger food dessert for any occasion!
With easy-as-apple-pie ingredients and steps, there’s time to make my yummy dairy-free caramel sauce for dipping or homemade vanilla ice cream as a topping. Stop whatever you are doing and get some crescent rolls ASAP!
Ingredient Notes
These mini pies are a party favorite! Also, they will become your favorite thing ever because they are such an easy dessert recipe! With just 5 simple ingredients and a baking sheet (or air fryer), you have yourself the yummiest crescent roll apple dumplings!
- Apple Pie Filling: You can make your own filling with granny smith apples, but I prefer to buy a can of apple pie filling because it’s spiced and ready to use! I do chop the apples into smaller pieces, though.
- Cream Cheese or Carmel Sauce: Use softened cream cheese or your favorite caramel sauce as the spread in these apple crescent rolls.
- Crescent Rolls (they come in a blue can!): These can be found in the refrigerated section, often near the pre-made cookie dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Mix ground cinnamon and cane sugar (or brown sugar if preferred) in a small bowl to create a delicious cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Melted Butter
How to Make Apple Crescent Rolls
There are two ways to make these mini apple crescent rolls. One is to use the air fryer, and the other is your standard oven method. Both work great, but the air fryer does take less time. If you’re making these for an event where your oven is occupied, I recommend the air fryer!
I also have two ways to make these little morsels. One is with softened cream cheese; the other is with caramel sauce. Use whichever flavor sounds better to you, or do a mix of both! You really can’t go wrong.
Oven Method
- Preheat your oven to 375F. Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into individual triangles.
- Smear each triangle with melted caramel or cream cheese. Add a spoonful of apple pie filling at the wide end of each crescent triangle.
- Roll up the crescent triangles starting from the wide end. Roll completely up.
- Place the filled crescent rolls in a baking dish that’s been lightly greased. Cover the crescent rolls with melted butter and then dust with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once they are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
- Drizzle more caramel sauce over the top. Pour leftover caramel into an airtight container and safe for later use.
Air Fryer
- Grease a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set it to the side.
- Peel off the crescent roll packaging and unroll the crescent dough. Separate the triangles. Spread some cream cheese or caramel over the whole triangle. Spoon the apple pie filling mixture on the wide end of each crescent roll triangle. Carefully roll up each crescent roll and place them on a baking sheet/pan.
- Place the filled crescent rolls on a baking sheet. Cover the crescent rolls with melted butter and then dust with the cinnamon sugar.
- Turn on the air fryer to 330F and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remember, all air fryers are different, so keep an eye on them and adjust time accordingly.
Mac’s Pro Tip
Expert Tips
- Cinnamon Sugar: Sprinkle the tops of each mini apple pie with cinnamon sugar to give some extra sweet cinnamon spice. This is totally optional, but I think it’s the perfect final touch!
- Caramel Sauce: Melt caramel candy, use a thick caramel sauce, or try my caramel recipe!
- Cream Cheese: Instead of caramel sauce you can opt to use cream cheese instead. Make sure to set the cream cheese out for a bit before you plan to spread it onto the crescent rolls. Softening makes it much easier to spread and won’t risk breaking up the dough.
- More Fillings: If you want to jazz these up even more, feel free to add chopped walnuts or pecans to the pastry dough before you roll it up.
Serving Tips
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and or whipped cream and a drizzle of extra caramel sauce.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover apple crescent rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave or 30 seconds to 1 minute in the air fryer.
- To freeze, store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator and reheat.
Recipe FAQs
I have the absolute BEST recipe for dairy-free caramel sauce. It’s Paleo, Keto, and Dairy-Free!
Yes, I do! These are another party favorite: Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls.
More Apple Desserts
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Caramel Apple Crescent Rolls (Mini Pies!)
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz can of apple pie filling
- 1 8- count can of crescent rolls
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce or softened cream cheese*
- melted butter
- cinnamon sugar
Instructions
Air Fryer
- Grease a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set it to the side.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the triangles. Spread some cream cheese over the whole triangle. Spoon the apple pie filling on the wide end of each crescent roll triangle. Carefully roll up each crescent roll and place them on a baking sheet.
- Once on the baking sheet, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar
- Turn on the air fryer to 330F and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remember, all air fryers are different, so keep an eye on them and adjust time accordingly.
- This next step is optional. To give it more flavor, you can melt some butter and brush over the tops of each crescent roll.
- Enjoy!
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Grease a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set it to the side.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the triangles. Spread some cream cheese over the whole triangle. Spoon the apple pie filling on the wide end of each crescent roll triangle. Carefully roll up each crescent roll and place them on a baking sheet.
- Once on the baking sheet, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the crescent rolls are golden brown.
- This next step is optional. To give it more flavor, you can melt some butter and brush over the tops of each crescent roll.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- Cinnamon Sugar: Sprinkle the tops of each mini apple pie with cinnamon sugar to give some extra sweet cinnamon spice. This is totally optional, but I think it’s the perfect final touch!
-
- Caramel Sauce: Melt caramel candy, use a thick caramel sauce, or try my caramel recipe!
- Cream Cheese: Instead of caramel sauce you can opt to use cream cheese instead. Make sure to set the cream cheese out for a bit before you plan to spread it onto the crescent rolls. Softening makes it much easier to spread and won’t risk breaking up the dough.
- More Fillings: If you want to jazz these up even more, feel free to add chopped walnuts or pecans to the pastry dough before you roll it up.
Serving Tips
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and or whipped cream and a drizzle of extra caramel sauce.Storage Tips
Store leftover apple crescent rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave or 30 seconds to 1 minute in the air fryer. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator and reheat.Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Perfect for any fall get together