These twisted sweet cream cheese muffin buns are a unique bakery-style treat — a delightful crossover between a cinnamon roll, a sweet bun and a cheese danish. Light, fluffy dough is wrapped around a silky, slightly tangy sweet cream cheese filling, then finished with a thin, sticky glaze.
This is the sort of pastry you might pick up at a small neighborhood bakery rather than a supermarket chain. The recipe was inspired by a beloved bakery in Signal Mountain, Tennessee — recreated here from a description and adjusted to work at home.
A cross between a muffin and a sweet bun. These are shaped and baked in a muffin tin, but the dough is folded, twisted and knotted before baking to create a beautiful, bakery-style bun.
Sweet cream cheese filling. The filling is designed to be sweet but not overpowering — tangy cream cheese balanced with a touch of sugar and cinnamon so the flavor is reminiscent of a cheese danish.
Light glaze. The buns are brushed with a simple sugar glaze right as they come out of the oven so the glaze melts into the cracks and creates a slightly sticky, sweet exterior.
Ingredients Needed
For the dough: warm milk, active dry yeast, Greek yogurt, melted butter, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, all-purpose flour, cane sugar and salt. The Greek yogurt adds a subtle tang and slightly denser texture that gives the dough a faint sourdough-like note.
For the filling: cream cheese, softened butter, cane sugar, brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and a little salt.
For the glaze: powdered sugar and water.
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling
The filling blends cream cheese, softened butter, brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon. Beat these ingredients together until creamy, light and fluffy. If the filling seems too soft to spread, chill it briefly in the refrigerator to firm it up — some may still ooze out as you twist the dough, which adds to the rustic appearance and flavor.
How To Make The Twists
Shaping the buns is simple and fun. Roll the risen dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface, about 15″ x 20″. Spread the sweet cream cheese filling evenly to the edges.
Fold the dough in toward the center twice, like folding a letter, then use a rolling pin to press out any trapped air. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Take each strip, twist it, bring the ends together to form a circle and tuck one end underneath to create a snug knot.
Grease a muffin tin and place each twisted bun into a well. The dough is soft, so it will stretch slightly as you twist — that’s normal and helps create the layered look.
Glaze
The glaze is just powdered sugar and water. Whisk about ½ cup powdered sugar with 3 teaspoons of water until smooth. The key is to brush the glaze on immediately when the buns come out of the oven so it melts into all the nooks and creates that glossy, slightly sticky finish. Be generous — the glaze soaks in and highlights the twists and layers.
FAQ
These buns tend to stick to paper liners, so it’s best to grease the muffin wells lightly with cooking spray or butter instead of using liners.
Greek yogurt is preferred because it is thicker and not sweetened, which helps achieve the intended texture and subtle tang in the dough.
Twisted Sweet Cream Cheese Muffin Buns
12 muffin buns
30 minutes
20 minutes
1 hour
1 hour 50 minutes
Light, fluffy dough wrapped around a creamy sweet filling, finished with a sticky glaze — bakery-quality muffin buns you can make at home.
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup milk, warm but not hot
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water (or adjust to reach desired consistency)
Instructions
- Add the active dry yeast to the warm milk and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- In a stand mixer bowl combine the flour, cane sugar and salt.
- Add the yeast/milk mixture, melted butter, whole egg, egg yolk and Greek yogurt to the dry ingredients.
- Mix with a dough hook on low speed until combined, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, shape into a ball, return to the bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, beat the cream cheese, softened butter, cane sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until light and fluffy for the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Roll the risen dough on a floured surface into a 15″ x 20″ rectangle.
- Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough to the edges.
- Fold the dough like a letter (fold each long end toward the center), then gently roll with a pin to remove air pockets.
- Grease a muffin tin and cut the folded dough crosswise into 12 equal pieces.
- Twist each piece, form into a circle by bringing the ends together and tuck one end underneath to create a knot. Place each bun into a muffin well.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and water to make a smooth glaze.
- Brush the glaze onto the buns immediately after removing them from the oven so it melts into the crevices. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 349Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 256mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 7g
Nutrition figures are estimates from online calculators and may vary.