This post may contain affiliate links.
Cinnamon apple twists are my favorite easy fall treat, flaky pie crust layered with apple pie filling and cinnamon sugar, then twisted and baked until golden and drizzled with sweet glaze. I made a batch on a *cozy October afternoon* and Maddie and Lizzie devoured them warm before they even cooled. They take about 20 minutes start to finish. If you love easy apple pastries, our apple cinnamon cream cheese roll ups are another must try.
These glazed cinnamon apple twists taste like handheld apple pie with a crispy, cinnamon sugar crust.
Cinnamon Apple Twists Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 203kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Flaky pie crust with sweet apple, cinnamon sugar, and a vanilla glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our crescent roll cinnamon rolls
Quick Answer
Blend apple pie filling until mostly smooth, then mix coarse sugar with cinnamon. Lay out a thawed pie crust, sprinkle it with some of the cinnamon sugar, and spread the apple filling on top. Add a second pie crust, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, and trim into a square. Cut the layered crust into half inch strips, twist each one, and place on a lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, and bake at 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes until golden. Cool, then drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
Jump to:
- Cinnamon Apple Twists Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cinnamon Apple Twists
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cinnamon Apple Twists FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Apple Recipes
- Glazed Cinnamon Apple Twists
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Uses store bought pie crust. Pre made pie crust makes these cinnamon apple twists fast and foolproof, no dough from scratch needed.
- Handheld apple pie. All the flavor of apple pie in a crispy, twisted, glazed treat you can eat with your hands.
- Ready in 20 minutes. From start to finish these twists take just 20 minutes, so they are perfect for last minute cravings.
- Cinnamon sugar crunch. Coarse cinnamon sugar sprinkled inside and out gives the twists a sweet, crackly crust.
- Sweet vanilla glaze. A simple powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top makes them look and taste bakery worthy.
- Fun to make. Twisting the strips is easy enough that the kids can help, which makes them a great fall baking project.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They start with store bought pie crust, so they come together in about 20 minutes.
- They taste like handheld apple pie with a crispy cinnamon sugar crust.
- They are an easy, fun fall treat the whole family can help make, just like our apple cinnamon roll ups.
- A simple vanilla glaze makes them look and taste like a bakery treat.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our fluffy cinnamon apple pancakes.
- It delivers that same everyone asks for seconds energy as our apple pie bars.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our cream horns.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you need to make these cinnamon apple twists.
- Apple pie filling: Blended until mostly smooth so it spreads in a thin, even layer between the crusts. Canned filling keeps this quick and easy.
- Pie crusts: Two pre made pie crusts are the flaky base. Thaw them per the box directions so they roll out without cracking.
- Coarse sugar and cinnamon: Mixed together and sprinkled inside and on top for a sweet, crunchy cinnamon sugar coating.
- Egg wash: An egg beaten with water, brushed over the twists so they bake up golden and shiny.
- Powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla: Whisked into a simple glaze that gets drizzled over the cooled twists.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These cinnamon apple twists are easy to make your own. Here are a few ideas.
- Swap the apple pie filling for cherry, blueberry, or peach filling for a different fruit twist.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg or apple pie spice to the cinnamon sugar for more warm flavor.
- Skip the glaze and dust the warm twists with cinnamon sugar instead.
- Use crescent roll dough or puff pastry instead of pie crust like our puff pastry braid.
- Add a handful of chopped pecans to the filling for a little crunch.
- If you want to switch things up, our apple pie cupcakes plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- If you want to switch things up, our apple hand pies plays on similar flavors in a whole new way.
- In the mood for something different? Our copycat taco bell cinnamon twists scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Twists
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Blend the apple pie filling until mostly smooth. Lay out one thawed pie crust, sprinkle with a third of the cinnamon sugar, and spread the apple filling evenly on top.
- Place the second pie crust on top and sprinkle with another third of the cinnamon sugar. Using a pizza cutter, trim the edges into a square shape.
- Cut the layered crust into half inch thin strips, about 12 total.
- Gently twist each strip and place on a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, and bake for 15 minutes until golden. Cool, then drizzle with the glaze.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Blend the apple filling until mostly smooth so it spreads thin and the twists hold together without big chunks.
- Thaw the pie crust fully so it rolls out and twists without cracking.
- Twist gently so the layers stay together and the filling does not squeeze out.
- Space them an inch apart on the pan so they bake evenly and crisp up all over.
- Let them cool before glazing so the icing sets instead of melting off.
- Use coarse sugar for the best crunchy, sparkly cinnamon sugar crust.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our apple cranberry pie recipe when company is coming.
- Plan the whole menu. This pairs effortlessly with our apple cinnamon coffee cake when company is coming.
- Make it a full spread. Our apple cinnamon monkey bread rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve cinnamon apple twists warm, drizzled with glaze, alongside a hot cup of coffee or apple cider. They are the perfect cozy fall snack, an easy breakfast pastry, or a fun after school treat for the kids.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our baked cake donuts and our lemon blueberry coffee cake.
Cinnamon Apple Twists FAQs
Store cinnamon apple twists in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They are crispiest the day they are made. Warm them briefly in the oven or toaster oven before serving to bring back some of the crunch.
These twists are best fresh and crisp, but you can assemble and twist them ahead, then refrigerate on the baking sheet for a few hours before baking. Bake them fresh and glaze after they cool. Adding the glaze right before serving keeps them looking their best.
Yes, freeze the baked, unglazed twists in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat them in a 350 degree oven from frozen until warm and crisp, then drizzle with fresh glaze. Freezing them unglazed keeps the icing from getting sticky.
Refrigerated or frozen pre made pie crusts both work great and keep this recipe quick. Just thaw them per the box directions so they are pliable. You can also use homemade pie dough rolled to the same thickness if you prefer.
Canned apple pie filling keeps these twists fast and gives them the right soft, spreadable texture. If you want to use fresh apples, cook them down first with sugar and cinnamon until soft, then blend so they spread thin like the filling.
Twists can come apart if the layers were not pressed together well or the strips were twisted too tightly. Press the two crusts together gently before cutting, twist with a light hand, and keep the filling layer thin so the strips hold their shape.
Love easy apple treats? Make our apple cinnamon cream cheese roll ups next.
Glazed Cinnamon Apple Twists
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple pie filling
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 pre-made pie crusts
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water lightly beaten together
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place apple pie filling into a food processor and process until smooth but slightly chunky. Set aside.1 cup apple pie filling
- Mix together coarse sugar and cinnamon, set aside.2 tablespoons coarse sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Thaw the pie crust per directions on the back of the box before starting the process. Lay out one pie crust and evenly coat with 1/3 of the sugar mixture.2 pre-made pie crusts
- Layer the apple pie filling on top, evenly smoothing it out.
- Place the second pie crust on top and sprinkle with another 1/3 of the coarse sugar mixture.
- Taking a pizza cutter, cut off sides until it is a square shape.
- Cut 1/2 inch thin strips. Makes about 12 strips.
- Taking one piece at a time, gently twist and place on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
- Lightly brush each piece with egg wash.1 egg + 1 teaspoon water
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on each piece. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Place sheet tray on a wire rack to cool.
- While twists are cooling, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to form the glaze.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drizzle the glaze over each piece with a fork or spoon. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure your pie crust is defrosted per the directions on the packaging.
- This recipe can be frozen, see my notes above on how to do that.
- Double this recipe easily, bake some and freeze some for later use.
- Make sure your twists slightly cooled before glazing so it doesn’t melt all the way off.
- These are best served warm, but you can serve them cooled as well.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
These twists are perfection! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Wow, so simple and yet they look awesome.
Bev
Idk how you do it, but hats off to another amazingly mouth-watering creation! And you know I simply must to pin this 🙂 have a great day xo
Sounds yummy and easy! Bonus that it is a dessert. I’ll definitely have to make these! Visiting from SITS Sharefest!