These cranberry twists with orange glaze are a sweet treat featuring golden, flaky crescent dough and homemade cranberry filling twisted together and then coated with a simple orange glaze.
If you’re looking for a sweet breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert recipe, then you’re in the right place. Like my raspberry cream cheese pastry and apple crescent rolls, these cranberry twists are perfect for any time of the day.
These twists feature a super-simple homemade cranberry filling and a tangy, sweet orange glaze that pair perfectly with the buttery crescent dough I use for the twists.
Serve these as a dessert, an afternoon snack, or a breakfast. They’re perfect with savory options like a sausage pancake on a stick, honey butter chicken biscuits, or tater tot breakfast casserole.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Ingredients: All you need to make this recipe are crescent rolls, cranberries, and a few basic kitchen staples.
- Easy Recipe: This recipe only takes a few simple steps and about 45 minutes to finish. That includes cooling time for the filling!
- Hard to Stop Eating: The combination of buttery crescent dough, sweet, tangy cranberry filling, and bright, citrusy orange glaze creates an irresistible flavor.
- A Year-Round Treat: Fresh or frozen cranberries work, so you can make these twists any time of year.
- Versatile: These are perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon snacking, or dessert.
- Customizable: It’s easy to create new versions with simple tweaks.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cranberries: Cranberries are cooked down with sugar and orange juice to create a simple filling.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch ensures the filling thickens properly.
- Orange Juice: Orange juice adds a citrus note to the filling and gives the glaze its bright, sweet, slightly tart flavor.
- Crescent Rolls: The buttery flavor and flaky texture of crescent dough is the perfect choice for these twists.
Variations
- Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries work equally well.
- Fruit Filling: Use your favorite berries or finely diced fruit to create all kinds of variations.
- Orange Juice: Use lemon juice in place of orange juice for a more tart version.
- Crescent Dough: Use puff pastry sheets for a flakier, more buttery variation.
How to Make Cranberry Twists with Orange Glaze
Step 1: Bring the cranberry filling ingredients to a boil and cook until the sauce is thickened. Pulse in a blender to smooth out any chunks, then let cool.
Step 2: Lay out the crescent dough sheets and pinch the lines together. Then, roll so the edges are even. Add cranberry mixture down the center of a strip. Then, top it with another strip. Gently twist and place on a prepared baking sheet.
Step 3: Repeat with all the strips. Then, bake until golden. Cool.
Step 4: Mix the glaze ingredients until smooth. Spoon over the cooled twists, let the glaze set, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Stir constantly while cooking your cranberry filling to prevent scorching.
- It’s important to roll the crescent dough just until the perforated edges are smooth. This fully seals them.
- I highly recommend fresh-squeezed orange juice. If you can’t find good ones, use natural orange juice with no added ingredients.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Cranberry Twists with Orange Glaze FAQs
Cranberry twists are a sweet snack or dessert made with sheets of crescent dough and cranberry filling twisted together, baked until golden, and topped with an orange glaze.
Egg wash is entirely optional for crescent dough, as it will turn golden as it bakes. However, using egg wash will give it a glossy, laminated finish.
Refrigerate these twists in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
More Delicious Cranberry Desserts
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Cranberry Twists with Orange Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
Cranberry Filling
- 12 ounce cranberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Zest from one orange
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest from one orange
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cranberry Filling
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add cranberries, sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cornstarch. Stir and bring to a boil until the cranberries burst and sauce thickens.
- Add cranberry mixture to a food processor, or use an immersion blender, and pulse any leftover cranberry chunks until smooth. Let cool.
- On a lightly floured surface, lay out crescent dough, one can at a time, and pinch the perforated lines together.
- Roll dough so edges are even.
- Carefully slice into 1-inch strips lengthwise and then cut each strip in half. (Should have 14 pieces of dough after cutting from each can of crescent rolls)
- Add some cranberry mixture down the center of one strip.
- Place another strip on top of the cranberry mixture.
- Gently twist the two strips together and lay on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Orange Glaze
- Mix all the glaze ingredients together and spoon glaze over the cooled twists. Enjoy!
Notes
- Stir constantly while cooking your cranberry filling to prevent scorching.
- It’s important to roll the crescent dough just until the perforated edges are smooth. This fully seals them.
- I highly recommend fresh-squeezed orange juice. If you can’t find good ones, use natural orange juice with no added ingredients.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Nutrition
The sweetness paired with the tangy cranberries is perfect! These twists are such a delightful treat with coffee in the morning.
Would love to make these for a little get-together and the color is just beautiful. Looks like a refreshing treat!
Easy and delicious is always a great combo, and these were both. I love these because they’re an easy breakfast or dessert option, AND they’re a fun holiday flavor, too.
These were so yummy. They’re the holidays any time. We loved them.