Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents

Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents Recipe 

Are you looking for an easy breakfast pastry?  These Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents are super simple to make and will be the best crescent at any breakfast or brunch!  My family begs for these all of the time. 

Please Note: We do use referral and affiliate links here for products and services that Chef Alli loves and recommends.

Howdy! Chef Alli here. Let’s Get You Cookin’….Shall We? 🙂

Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents – Enjoy these warm, right from the oven for a special morning treat.

I discovered this recipe in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook long ago. When you’ve got a hungry team of men (who have gotten up early to do chores ) anxiously waiting for breakfast, every minute saved is important!

Our family makes caring for our livestock a priority, so we make sure they eat and are comfortable before we eat our own breakfast. These Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents are especially delicious right from the oven, slathered in tge warm orange glaze.

Easy Orange Breakfast Crescents Aren’t the Same Without the Orange!

I love a good breakfast crescent, but the orange flavor in these pastries gives it that little extra something special.

You can get this flavor with orange extract or an essential oil (use only the kind that is food-grade), but I prefer to get my orange flavoring straight from the fruit!

To do that, I use my favorite flavor-tool: the Microplane Zester! This handy little tool quickly shaves all that flavorful citrus zest from the skin of your oranges, adding TONS of flavor without any calories or fat. I promise you, that orange zest makes these breakfast crescents pop!

What to Love About this Recipe – 

• Crescent roll dough! Perfect for pastries….both sweet and savory.
• These rolls are versatile! You can serve them at a brunch, or for a comfy-cozy breakfast with the family.  (Or how about with a friend and a cup of coffee?)
• All the ingredients are items you’ll probably already have on hand.

What Ingredients Will You Need for Making These Easy Glazed Crescent Rolls?

• Cream cheese, granulated sugar, almond extra, orange zest

These ingredients are what you need to make your filling.  Make sure the cream cheese has softened a bit at room temperature and it will let you incorporate the other ingredients very easily.

You can use full-fat cream cheese or one-third-less-fat cream cheese in this recipe.  If you don’t have almond extract on hand, use vanilla – no worries.

If there’s one ingredient you want to make sure you don’t leave out, it’s the orange zest.  Like I said earlier in this post, it’s a powerful ingredient and takes these little pastries right over the moon.

• Crescent Roll Dough

You will find crescent roll dough in a refrigerated section of your favorite grocer, near the canned biscuits, pizza dough, and cookie dough, typically.

Yes, you can absolutely make these pastries with the less-fat version of crescent roll dough – it works fine, though sometimes the less-fat dough is a bit harder to work with, especially if you’ve let it come to room temperature.

Keep the crescent roll dough chilled right up to the time you’re ready to work with it.

• Powdered Sugar, Orange Zest, Melted Butter, Almond Extract, Orange Juice

These ingredients are combined to make the glaze that will be drizzled over the warm pastries. (Yes, powdered sugar is the same thing as confectioner’s sugar.)

And, you can use orange juice right from the carton in this glaze, but since you are needing the orange for the zest in this recipe, why not pull out your citrus juicer and juice the orange at the same time?  Super easy and nothing goes to wait.

Easy Recipe Tips for Making Orange Breakfast Rolls or Brunch Crescents 

• Can I make these into mini breakfast rolls (rolled like cinnamon rolls) instead of individual crescents?

Absolutely, and it works perfectly. Rolling up each individual crescent takes more time, and this makes them have beautiful presentation for a special brunch or breakfast.

But, because I’m often scrambling to get more done than is ever possible, I quickly discovered a shortcut that tastes just as good!

Unroll the entire roll of crescent dough, pressing the seams closed so that it becomes a solid sheet of dough.  Then, spread the cream cheese filling on top, rolling up the entire sheet of crescent roll dough cinnamon-roll-style.

Slice the roll into individual 24-36 mini rolls, depending on how big you want them to be.

As soon as they come out of the oven, pour the orange glaze over the top so it can make its way into every nook and cranny of each roll.

• What kind of a baking pan should I use for baking these pastries?

I use a rimmed baking sheet when making these pastries as breakfast crescents.

If I’m making them as little mini rolls where they are placed side-by-side), I use a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Or, you could certainly divide them between two smaller baking pans if you feel like sharing with a friend – they will love you for it.

• Can I cut this recipe in half?

You sure can and you will only need 1 roll of crescent roll dough to do so.  Also, a half a recipe bakes perfectly in an 8″ x 8″ baking pan or even a 9″ pie plate.

• What should I do if I don’t have almond extract on hand for this recipe?

That’s an easy one! Use vanilla extract – it will work just fine.  I do prefer the almond extract along with the orange, but vanilla is still delicious.

• What should I serve with the Orange Breakfast Crescents?

Orange breakfast crescents would pair perfectly with these Maple Glazed Breakfast Meatballs and my Mason Jar Breakfast Parfaits for a delightful brunch spread! We also enjoy them served with a big bowl of fresh fruit.

We have even been known to eat these breakfast rolls as a dessert because our family loves them so much.  I often make them as gifts for people who’ve had a new baby, some surgery, a death in the family, or just for someone who needs a lift.

• Will these Orange Breakfast Crescents freeze well?

Yes!!! And I’m so glad they do.  I often double this recipe and make two pans of orange rolls (rolled up like cinnamon rolls), then freeze one pan to bake fresh later on.

You’ll want to make sure you bake them from frozen – don’t thaw first or they turn into a big pile of mush! Bake them on the center rack, fully frozen, uncovered, at 325 degrees F. until they are puffed and golden brown, then drizzle with the orange glaze while they are still hot.  Super delish. 🙂

• Can I use the low-fat version of crescent rolls to make this recipe?

Yep.  I’ve done it before and the low-fat crescent rolls work just fine for this recipe.  Sometimes I feel like the dough is a bit harder to work with than the regular full-fat type.

Putting a little bit of flour on the counter top before you lay them out helps a ton. Also, make sure you don’t take the crescent roll dough out of the fridge until you’re ready to work with it – keep it chilled is key.

• Can I use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe?

Yes.  I use the one-third-less-fat cream cheese for nearly all recipes at my house. It works great in this recipe – you won’t notice much of a difference, if any.

• I forgot to set my cream cheese out to soften for this recipe.  Is there anything I can do in a hurry to soften it quicker?

Yep.  I unwrap my cream cheese and place it into a glass mixing bowl, then put the bowl into the microwave.  Set your microwave to 30 seconds at 30% power. Working in intervals, test the cream cheese with your finger after each one, checking to see if it’s as softened as you want it.

Full power in the microwave will make your cream cheese too hot and it will also have a tendency to explode in there, too – which is totally no fun to clean up.

Other Breakfast and Brunch Recipes to Enjoy-

• Instant Pot Cheesy Bacon Egg Bites 

• Moist and Tender Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins 

• Easy Baked Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts 

• How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt 

• Honey-Bun Cake 

• Jan’s Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole 

• Cherry Cream Cheese Danish

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

• Ham and Bacon Pastry Ring 

• Glazed Cranberry Walnut Crescent Rolls 

Printable Directions For Making Orange Breakfast Crescents

We love hearing from our readers and followers, so leave us a comment if you’d like.  And, if you don’t hear back from us shortly, know that we may not have seen your comment.  Feel free to reach out to us by email:  [email protected]

Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli