Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe (2025)

A delicate French pastry made in a hurry! This Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe captures the essence of traditional crusty sugar-crusted rolls, without all thetime and effort.

Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe

Every now and again I like to share a “cheater” recipe… A quick simplified version of awonderful classic recipe that takes a lot of time and effort to make.

I believe there are certain dishesworth spending hours to cook. However, most of us don’t have hours (or in some cases days) to spend on a single dish.

It’s just not practical.

In some casesthere are ways to mimic the best qualities of said time-consuming dishes so we can all enjoy them.

Ergo the cheater recipe.

(These are mini Kouign Amann called Kouignette in Paris.)

French Kouign Amann Recipe

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Paris cooking and eating. While in Paris, I sampled french pastries on a daily basis, including the famed Kouign Amann. A sugar-coated croissant variation that is usually rolled or folded into little circular crowns.

After taking a croissant-making class (which was very fun, by the way) I felt I fully understood why hardly anyone makes croissants at home.

Fresh hot croissants straight out of the oven are amazing.Uh. May. Zing.

Yet the classic preparation would take a total of three days to complete.

• You make thedough on the evening of the first day, and chill overnight.
• Fold in butter sheets and rest on the second day. Cut and roll the croissants on the evening of the second day.
• Then bake on the third day after they’ve had time to rise.

See? Whohas time to do that?!

Making Kouign Amann from scratch would require the same kind of dedication.

I just can’t fathom setting aside the time to do it, especially this time of year.

Yet hot sticky Kouign Amann would make a marvelous treat on Christmas morning!

What to do… What to do.

Make a Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe instead!

How To Make Cheater Kouign Amann

Start by cutting thawed puff pastry sheets in half. Cut one-half into squares and the other half into strips.

Dip the squares in melted butter and then press one side in sugar. Lay the squares sugar-side-up on little pieces of parchment paper.

Dip the strips in butter, then dip in sugar. Roll the strip loosely into spirals, and place them in the center of the puff pastry squares.

Then pick up the parchment paper squares and place them in the wells of a muffin tin.

Press the pastry sheets down to fill in the wells. Don’t worry about messing them up…

Puff pastry has a way of fixing itself in the oven.

Then bake!

As the puff pastry rises, the butter and sugar create sticky layerson the inside and crusty folds on the outside.

Heaven. Pure heaven. Even without the 3 day process.

Get the Full (Printable) Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe Below

Authentic Kouign Amann Recipe?

Let me be clear, my Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe can’t compete with Fresh from-scratch authentic Kouing Amann with its seemingly endless sugar folds.

Yet, they do capture the taste and texture of real Kouign Amann, and are always welcomed at my house.

With just 3 ingredients, it’s worth giving this Cheater Kouign Amann Recipe a try!

They are a marvelous addition to Christmas or New Years Day breakfast.

Happy Holidays!

More Breakfast Treat Recipes

• Tiramisu Baked French Toast
• Dark Chocolate Gravy and Cinnamon Biscuits
• Peach Pina Colada Stuffed French Toast
• Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Maple Syrup
• Arnold Palmer Sweet Rolls