Mini Orange Rolls Crescent Dough (Printer-friendly)

Soft mini rolls with zesty orange filling and a bright citrus glaze, ready in just 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough

→ Filling

02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 large orange
05 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Glaze

06 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
07 - 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
08 - 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a mini muffin tin.
02 - Unroll the crescent dough on a clean surface and pinch all perforations to seal, forming one large rectangle.
03 - In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended.
04 - Evenly spread the orange filling mixture over the entire dough rectangle.
05 - Starting from the longer side, tightly roll up the dough into a log. Using a sharp knife, slice into 12 equal pieces.
06 - Place the rolls cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet or in the mini muffin tin.
07 - Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.
08 - While the rolls bake, whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice, adding juice gradually to achieve a pourable consistency. Stir in orange zest if desired.
09 - Allow rolls to cool for 5 minutes after baking. Drizzle with orange glaze and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You'll have warm, bakery-quality rolls ready before most people finish their coffee.
  • The combination of tender dough and zesty filling tastes way more impressive than the five ingredients that make it happen.
02 -
  • Pinching the crescent dough perforations together is the difference between rolls that hold their shape and ones that separate into triangular pieces as they bake.
  • Don't skip cooling those 5 minutes—rushing to glaze them while they're steaming hot will cause the glaze to melt off instead of setting in a glossy coat.
03 -
  • Use a microplane zester instead of a box grater—the fine texture distributes through the filling evenly and feels less gritty than larger shreds.
  • If your butter isn't soft enough, the filling will tear the dough as you spread it, so spend 30 seconds softening it rather than fighting with cold butter.
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