Got Extra Puff Pastry? Make Cinnamon Rolls With Just 3 Simple Ingredients

Homemade cinnamon rolls have an unbeatable charm, but if you don't have all the right ingredients or two hours to spare, you may typically settle for the canned version instead. Fortunately, there's a happy medium between that delivers a homemade flavor without the extra time. If you have leftover puff pastry, combine it with butter and cinnamon sugar for easy semi-homemade cinnamon rolls.

Store-bought puff pastry eliminates the painstaking process of making the dough from scratch, making it a great shortcut when it comes to cinnamon rolls. Puff pastry already has a rich, buttery flavor, so there's no need to do anything else to the dough itself.

Once you've got your puff pastry rolled out on a lightly floured surface, drizzle it with melted butter and sprinkle it evenly with cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough into a tight log, then cut it into even one-inch pieces and arrange them in a greased baking dish. Top with more melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and bake the rolls at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until they're golden brown.

Whether you're hosting a crowd for brunch or simply have some extra time to make a lazy weekend morning a little sweeter, puff pastry cinnamon rolls are the ultimate no-frills treat. Even if you still want to keep it simple with three ingredients, each component can be easily elevated.

Rather than just melting the butter before pouring it atop the puff pastry, brown it on the stove for a nuttier effect. As for the cinnamon sugar, you can add depth with pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar or bring the heat with a dash of Chinese five-spice powder. Standard cream cheese icing is a good fit for the spiced cinnamon rolls, but a nice whiskey glaze or some maple cream cheese frosting would complement their rich flavor as well.

One of the best parts about puff pastry is its airy texture, so it's only right to honor that with something that tastes just as light. If you want to serve up puff pastry cinnamon rolls at brunch, consider swapping the butter for lemon curd or lemon cream cheese. The rolls will still have that sweet, earthy cinnamon taste but with a bright boost that'll pair perfectly with brunch cocktails. Top them off with a simple glaze made with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract before serving up the cinnamon lemon rolls with mimosas or some fresh peach bellinis.