It’s officially pumpkin season and I love all things Fall. You name it and I love it – pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes, the list just goes on. That’s why I had to make a seasonal dessert with these air fryer pumpkin pie twists.
They’re made with Pillsbury crescent rolls, making them so
easy to make and are addicting to eat.
This air fryer dessert recipe makes a total of 8 twists and
doesn’t use a whole can of pumpkin puree, so feel free to double it if you’re
looking to share.
It’s possible I ate 6 of them within a day of making them.
Oh well!
We went to the pumpkin patch for a play date this week and got to pick out some baby pumpkins. It was Connor’s first time at a pumpkin patch, and he loved it.
Seeing all those pumpkins inspired me to take out some
pumpkin puree from the cupboards and make these Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie Twists.
While I used the pumpkin puree at the store, you can use
fresh pumpkin as well. I just would never hear the end from my 3-year-old
asking why I hurt her pumpkin. Oh, the lovely “why” phase.
How to Make Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie Twists
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Take one can of crescent roll dough out of the refrigerator and spread onto a clean counter or cutting board. You can use either the normal crescent rolls or the actual sheets without the perforation lines.
If using the perforated ones, gently press into the lines to
make it all one big sheet. I always use crescent roll dough with the lines when
testing recipes to make sure the recipe will work with either kind.
STEP TWO: Cut the dough into quarters, cutting halfway in the middle vertically and then horizontally. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cut them a little smaller to fit inside flat.
To do this, cut each quarter in half again to make 8 pieces.
They will be mini pumpkin twists, but still as delicious!
STEP THREE: Put your pumpkin puree into a small bowl, add half of the pumpkin pie spice along with the salt, and mix to combine. If using salted butter, omit the salt in this recipe. I only ever bake with unsalted butter so I know exactly how much salt is included.
STEP FOUR: Using the backside of a spoon or small spatula, take the pumpkin puree and evenly spread it on half of the crescent roll sheets. Leave the other half plain.
Place the other crescent roll sheets directly on top making
sure the corners and side match up as well as possible.
STEP FIVE: Using a dough or pizza cutter, cut each of the pumpkin twist sheets into 4 lines, making a total of 8.
If you cut the dough into eighths, you will get 16 mini pumpkin pie twists. This will work better for smaller air fryers or circular ones.
STEP SIX: Gently pick up one end of the pumpkin pie strip and twist it one or two times. Then pick up the other end and twist it the same way one or two times until you get the twist you would like.
Continue with all pumpkin pie twists until they are all
twisted.
Next, take your melted butter and baste it evenly on top of
all the pumpkin pie twists. Then sprinkle the remaining pumpkin pie spice on
top.
Cooking the Air Fryer Pumpkin Twists
- Preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees for about 3 minutes.
- Place the Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie Twists flat inside your air fryer, not touching. The crescent roll dough will expand slightly while it cooks.
- Cook the pumpkin pie twists for about 6 minutes. There is no need to shake the basket or flip them halfway through.
Making the Icing
What brings this air fryer dessert over the top is a
delicious icing drizzled on top. This simple icing recipe contains only 3
ingredients and takes less than 3 minutes to make.
Add the confectionery sugar, melted butter, and milk into a small bowl and mix with a whisk. And there you have it, your own icing!
Take the icing and place it into a small sandwich bag and
close the top. You can also use piping bags, which are great for icing cookies
and cakes.
For something this small, even I like to just use a quick
sandwich bag because we always have them around the house.
Cut a tiny piece off one of the bottom corners of the bag
for the icing to come out and drizzle it on top of each of the Air Fryer
Pumpkin Pie Twists.
Since crescent rolls are not used worldwide, you can
substitute puff pastry dough for them.
You may need to increase the temperature as high as 350
degrees while cooking depending on your air fryer.
Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?
The recipe as-is is completely vegetarian. To make it vegan,
switch out the butter and use an olive oil or vegan butter instead. Original
Pillsbury crescent rolls are already vegan.
When making the icing, use a non-dairy milk instead. I used
whole milk, so if your milk consistency is thinner, you may need to use less
than 1 ½ tablespoons, but if it’s thicker, you may need to use more.
To make a vegan icing, I recommend using this Vegan Royal Icing recipe.
More Air Fryer Recipes Desserts
- Air Fried Oreos
- Air Fryer Churros
- Air Fryer Apple Slices with Graham Crackers
- Air Fryer Apple Crisp
- Air Fried Jelly Donuts
- Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
- Air Fryer Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Fries
- Air Fryer Apple Fritters
- 25 Air Fryer Desserts
Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie Twists
Ingredients
- 1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree , see notes on using pumpkin pie filling*
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Icing
- 1/2 cup confectionery sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons milk
Instructions
-
Roll out crescent roll dough and press down on any perforated lines.
-
Cut dough into quarters by making one cut length-wise and then again width-wise. Cut into eighths if needed for smaller air fryers.
-
Add pumpkin puree, half of the pumpkin pie spice, and salt, then mix to combine.
-
Spread the pumpkin puree on top of crescent roll dough.
-
Place the 2 of the crescent dough sheets on top of the other two, pumpkin side down. Make sure the corners and sides match up as well as possible.
-
Using a dough or pizza cutter, cut each pumpkin twist sheet into 4 long strips, making a total of 8.
-
Preheat air fryer to 320 degrees for 2-3 minutes.
-
Twist each strip 1-2 times on the bottom and 1-2 times on the top.
-
Baste melted butter on top of the pumpkin pie twists and sprinkle with remaining pumpkin pie spice.
-
Place the pumpkin twists into the air fryer evenly in one layer and not touching. Cook for 6 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, make the icing by whisking the confectionery sugar, melted butter, and milk in a bowl.
-
Remove Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie Twists from the air fryer and drizzle with icing.
-
Enjoy immediately or store in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
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