8 festive ways to use crescent dough this holiday season

The versatile dough can be incorporated into both sweet and savory recipes

By Joy Saha

Staff Writer

Published December 18, 2022 4:30PM (EST)

Rolling Dough (Getty Images/Zbynek Pospisil)
Rolling Dough (Getty Images/Zbynek Pospisil)

Crescent dough —the seamless pastry dough sheet used for making flaky crescent rolls (not to be confused with croissants) — has always been a kitchen staple of mine amid the holidays. My go-tos are Pillsbury's Original Crescent Dough Sheet and Crescent Rolls; however, recently, I've become a fan of both Immaculate Baking's packaged rolls (I usually buy them from Whole Foods) and Trader Joe's Crescent Rolls. 

What makes crescent dough so great is its versatility — it can be made into delicious, handheld desserts or meaty and cheesy savory appetizers. In preparation for festive cooking and feasting, Salon Food consulted the trusty food community on Reddit, which suggested a slew of seasonal recipes to make with crescent dough.

From sugary and sticky pull-apart bread to buttery pigs in a blanket, here are eight ways to use crescent dough this holiday season:

01
Cinnamon Rolls
If you're looking to save time when making cinnamon rolls, simply roll out a sheet of crescent dough and then coat it with a layer of unsalted butter, brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Roll the dough into a narrow log, making sure to pack in the dry filling, before cutting 10-12 even rolls and arranging them in a lightly greased cake pan or baking pan. Once the rolls are done baking, drizzle them with a generous amount of cream cheese icing.
02
Sticky Pull-Apart Bread
Similar to cinnamon rolls, these sticky dessert bites are essentially pieces of soft baked dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Roll your crescent dough into small, even-sized balls, cover them in cinnamon sugar and then bake! For a more adventurous take on the classic recipe, user u/dootdootpup101 recommends stuffing the balls with marshmallows and covering them in hot cocoa mix and butter in lieu of cinnamon sugar to make s'mores-flavored pull-apart bread.
03
Stuffed Cheese Bread
User u/AssumptionLast913's recipe calls for only five ingredients: crescent dough, string cheese, butter, garlic powder and parsley. To start, cut the string cheese in half and stuff them into triangles of crescent dough. Brush the stuffed rolls with the aforementioned garlic and parsley butter before baking. The final treat is a stuffed cheese bread that can be enjoyed on its own or dipped in homemade marinara sauce.
04
Pigs in a Blanket
This classic hors d'oeuvre is made from crescent dough, cocktail weiners (or your favorite sausages), butter and a dash of coarse salt. Place one cocktail weiner on the thick side of a cut-up crescent dough and roll to the opposite side. Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with salt before popping them in the oven. The baked pigs in a blanket are best enjoyed with ketchup, aioli, barbecue sauce or ranch dressing.

 

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05
Veggie Pizza
Crescent dough can also be turned into pizza dough in this recipe for veggie pizza. First, unroll two cans of dough, arrange on an ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan and press up the sides to form a thick, sturdy crust. Bake the dough for approximately 13 to 17 minutes (or until golden brown) and cool completely before assembling the pizza. In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth and spread over the cooled crust. Add your raw and chopped or shredded vegetables of choice (the recipe suggests broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots) and then enjoy! The pizza can also be covered or stored in the refrigerator for one to two hours before serving.
06
Breakfast Rolls
These mini morning pick-me-ups, recommended by user u/KithAndAkin, are made by placing a pre-cooked breakfast sausage link, a dollop of apple butter and some cream cheese in crescent dough. You can also substitute the breakfast sausages with Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or country ham. Enjoy these rolls fresh out of the oven, alongside a warm cup of coffee or tea.
07
Baked Brie

To make user u/rocker_spaniel's recipe, start by wrapping crescent dough around a wheel of fresh Brie. Bake the brie dough until it's golden brown in color and then drizzle it with a generous amount of honey. Serve the toasty brie alongside Wheat Thins, toasted baguette or your favorite crackers.   

 

"Could even get fancy and add caramelized onions or fruit/jam to the top of the Brie before wrapping and baking," the user suggests. "Easy and delish. Always a hit."

08
Taco Ring
Similar to the veggie pizza recipe, user u/KindConfection2's recipe for taco pie begins by pressing crescent dough into a pie pan and baking until golden brown. The dough is then topped with leftover hamburger meat and cheese before going back into the oven until the cheese melts and the meat heats up. Once done, the pie can be adorned with additional toppings, including lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives, taco sauce or your favorite salsa.

By Joy Saha

Joy Saha is a staff writer at Salon. She writes about food news and trends and their intersection with culture. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

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