Cinnamon Crescents with Orange + Almond Glaze

Did you know that April 10 is National Cinnamon Crescent Day? Celebrate with a batch of these Cinnamon Crescents with Orange + Almond Glaze!

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I’ve had this day circled on my calendar for weeks.  Yup, that’s right.  Wednesday, April 10th.  Big red circle.  Nope, its not my birthday.  So why is it circled you might ask?  Because April 10th is National Cinnamon Crescent Day.  

And as you may have noticed from previous posts, I am slightly obsessed with cinnamon.  I love it.  When it comes to breakfast foods, I always opt for something anything with cinnamon.  Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie.  You get my drift.  So go out and celebrate National Cinnamon Crescent Day with these delicious Cinnamon Crescents with Orange-Almond Glaze.  You know I will be!

Like any yeast dough, this recipe is made in several stages.  The dough is mixed and then put in a warm spot to rest for a bit.  Then you shape the cinnamon crescents and put them away to rest again.  

In the cooler months, I often use my oven as a resting place for the dough.  I turn on the oven to the lowest setting, and as soon as it hits about 85-90 degrees, I immediately turn it off.  Now you’ve got a perfect closed space for your dough to hang out and rise!  Of course, its always important to cover the dough with plastic wrap or a linen cloth to prevent a dry crust from developing.

This recipe can easily be adapted to make cinnamon rolls or even cinnamon swirl bread if you’d prefer.  The only difference is the way you shape the dough.  For either cinnamon rolls or cinnamon bread, simply roll the dough into a large log rather than cutting it into triangles for crescents.  

If you prefer cinnamon rolls, then just cut the log into 8-10 pieces and lay each piece on its side.  For cinnamon swirl bread, just put the log into a bread pan.  Then return the dough to a warm location for the second rise.  (Note: you will likely need to adjust the baking time for rolls/bread.)

Cinnamon Crescents with Orange + Almond Glaze

Did you know that April 10 is National Cinnamon Crescent Day? Celebrate with a batch of these Cinnamon Crescents with Orange + Almond Glaze!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 32 servings

Calories: 106kcal

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Ingredients

For the Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp orange zest ~half of a medium orange
• 1 cup milk warmed
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Filling

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

For the Glaze

• 2 cups confectioner’s powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 1 tsp orange zest ~half of a medium orange
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 4 Tbsp orange juice
• 2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

For the Dough

• In the bowl of a countertop mixer with the dough hook attached, combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, salt, nutmeg, zest).
• Warm the milk on the stovetop or in a microwave for a few seconds. It should be slightly warm to the touch but not hot. Add milk and remaining dough ingredients (butter, egg yolk, vanilla) to the bowl.
• Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
• Cover dough and place in a warm (~80 degrees) location for about 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
• Turn dough out onto a floured countertop and roll into a square approximately 16″x16″.

For the Filling

• Using your hands, gently spread the butter across the top of the entire square of dough. (Note: If the butter is not soft enough to spread, just microwave for about 6-7 seconds. The butter should be soft and spreadable but not melted.)
• Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle this mixture evenly across entire square.
• Carefully cut into 4″x2″ squares. Then cut each square diagonally to create 2 triangles of dough from each square.
• Beginning with the 2″ base of each triangle, roll each piece of dough into a crescent shape.
• Place crescent rolls onto parchment-lined pans, cover, and return to a warm location for ~45 minutes.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 25-27 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

For the Glaze

• Combine all ingredients for glaze and stir until smooth. Drizzle over cinnamon crescents and serve warm. (Note: Allow crescents to cool slightly before applying glaze.)