Cooking: Crescent Roll Uses

I love raw prepackaged crescent rolls as a quick add on to a meal. I tend to buy them when they are on a really good sale. I have heard that they freeze well while still in the package, but I have not tried that yet. 

I have not made crescent roll dough myself, but it is on the list to start experimenting with.

Since I buy three at a time most of the time, I tend to have these cans rolling around my refrigerator most of the time. So I have begun experimenting with these for other uses other than the usual basket of crescent rolls. 

One of my first experiments was cinnamon rolls. Just melt some butter and brush on the flat rolls. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on them and then roll up as you would a normal crescent roll. I have found that I don't see too much of a taste difference if I leave out the butter, so I usually skip it.

Another experiment has been to make turnovers. All you need is a can of pie filling of your choice (I love cherry, but raspberry or apple would work fine. Whatever the family likes). I find that rolling the rolls out a bit is a good idea. When I roll them out, I find spraying a bit of cooking oil on the surface and the rolling pin helps keeping it from sticking. Put some pie filling in the middle and fold over and lightly pinch the sides so the insides stay inside. I have not tried to make my own filling on these because I had pie filling in the cupboard gathering dust and decided this would put it to good use. But some real fruit mixed with a bit of sugar or sweetener would probably work. Just avoid too much liquid. For a topping, I have tried the simple powdered sugar and milk (even some vanilla) to make a frosting. To me, it tastes like some chemical was mixed in. Tried two different packages of powdered sugar, same taste. I love glazed doughnuts, so not sure what is wrong. If you use icing/frosting/glaze, put it on top of the turnovers after they are golden brown out of the oven. What I have found is if I sprinkle some granulated sugar on the top before putting them in the oven, they come out amazing! Just the right sweetness.

As a main course or party snack, wrapping hot dogs with crescent rolls are awesome. I first learned this with a childhood friend. Her dad used to make these and they were amazing. Blew my child mind! They actually cut a wedge out of the hot dog and then stuck half of a stick of string cheese in the wedge. Then rolled them in crescent rolls and baked them. Boom! On a recent trip to Indiana, my grandma had been introduced to this by my little cousin. They call them "Bones". Whatever you call them, they are amazing, fast snacks or meals for the family.

Having foods in the refrigerator or cupboard that has multiple functions is a great economic idea. Saves time and money.