These Easy Matcha Cruffins are truly easy to make home. They feature flaky puff pastry coated in sugar and matcha powder, filled with a rich and luscious matcha milk jam.
Fat Tuesday (or Pancake Tuesday) is here — otherwise known as the day before Lent begins.
If you’re looking for an impressive (and indulgent) sweet pastry to make, these Easy Matcha Cruffins are IT!
What are cruffins?
Cruffins are a portmanteau of a “croissant” and a “muffin.”
Like my Matcha Brownie Mochi… or “brochi“… and I digress.
They are a flaky pastry in the shape of a muffin, said to have been developed by an Australian pastry chef.
Cruffins usually use croissant dough.
I usually don’t have time to make croissant dough from scratch.
Enter, an easy cheater’s version: puff pastry.
What’s the difference between puff pastry and croissant dough?
The main difference here is that croissants have yeast in the dough and puff pastry does not contain yeast.
Hence, cruffins made with croissant dough are lighter and fluffier.
However, since we’re talking about easy and quick yet impressive, puff pastry will yield great results.
Only 5 ingredients
You’ll need:
- puff pastry: store-bought pastry is perfectly fine; puff pastry can be also time-consuming to make, but it keeps well in the freezer, so I’ve always got some store-bought on hand.
- butter: for greasing the tin
- granulated sugar: coats the puff pastry for extra crunch and sweetness
- matcha: use a good quality matcha; coats the puff pastry along with the sugar
- matcha milk jam: used as a filling
Special equipment
You’ll need:
- muffin tin
- pastry roller (or kitchen scissors)
How to make them
Make the Matcha Milk Jam ahead of time.
Defrost the puff pastry dough overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove the puff pastry from the fridge at least 30 minutes beforehand — this will ensure that the puff pastry doesn’t crack from being too cold while you unravel it from the parchment.
Use a pastry roller to cut the dough but if you don’t have one, a pair of kitchen scissors will do the trick.
How to store & serve
Enjoy the matcha cruffins on the same day they’re made.
They don’t keep for long, especially if they have a filling.
In fact, it’s better to fill the cruffins just prior to serving.
You can keep the baked cruffins (unfilled) in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Reheat the cruffin in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes to crisp up, cool down, and then fill with the Matcha Milk Jam.
Other matcha recipes you may like
Be sure to check out my other matcha recipes:
Hattendo-Inspired Matcha Cream Buns
Flaky, sweet, earthy and creamy — the combination of these textures is sublime! And this recipe can be easily doubled.
If you make these Easy Matcha Cruffins, let me know — I’d love to see your creations! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below.
Easy Matcha Cruffins
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 sheet puff pastry defrosted overnight (I used one from Trader Joe's)
- 1 tsp unsalted butter melted + extra for greasing tin
- 1 Tbsp granulated cane sugar
- 2 tsp matcha sifted
Coating:
- 2 Tbsp granulated cane sugar
- 1 tsp matcha
Filling:
- 1 batch Matcha Milk Jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/191°C.
- Prepare a muffin tin by lightly greasing 4 wells with melted butter.
- Carefully unravel the puff pastry, leaving it on the parchment paper it came with.
- Brush the melted butter over top of the puff pastry with a pastry brush.
- Sprinkle granulated sugar and matcha on top of the puff pastry.
- Starting at one end, roll up the puff pastry (this time without the parchment paper).
- Cut the rolled up log in half so you have 2 equal rolls. Then using the pastry wheel cutter, cut each roll lengthwise so that the rolled up sugar and matcha is exposed.
- Coil each roll (like a snail) and place into a muffin tin well.
- Repeat with the remaining.
- Bake at 375°F/191°C for 45-50 minutes, until cooked through.
- Remove from oven and carefully coat each cruffin with matcha sugar.
- Cool completely before poking a hole at the top and piping in 1 Tbsp of Matcha Milk Jam.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Cruffin recipe adapted from The Farmer’s Daughter.
That sounds delicious! I’ve never tried a cruffin before but I can imagine that texture being so amazing.
I’ve not heard of these but I love matcha and the colour of the cruffins.
Oh wow – I have never made anything like these before, so really excited about this recipe!
Wow! These caught my eye! I am so glad I found this recipe!
I’ve never heard of this treat before, but it looks so yummy and delicious! My daughter and I are going to try this soon! Excited!
Thanks Beth, hope you and your daughter enjoy! 🙂
These are so pretty and Spring looking! I am going to make a batch of these for Mother’s Day this weekend. Love the idea of substituting puff for croissant dough to keep it simple!
What a fantastic idea, Cynthia! 🙂