These delightful Strawberry Twists are soft, delicious and feature a sweet strawberry filling and tart lemon glaze. These gorgeous twists are a scrumptious spin on classic cinnamon rolls and you are going to love the sweet and flavorful combination – sure to be a new favorite!
Can’t resist strawberry and lemon together? Me either! You should try this Lemon Strawberry Trifle and Strawberry Lemonade too!
Strawberry Twists Recipe
I bet these strawberry twists are unlike anything you’ve ever had before! They include a strawberry tilling that I created using my favorite strawberry ice cream topping as a base. You’re gonna want to eat this stuff with a spoon! In fact, go ahead and double the batch, I can guarantee you’ll want to put it on and in everything you make for the next week.
The dough is one of my favorite parts. The recipe is based on a recipe that a co-worker gave my mom over 20 years ago. The dough calls for mashed potato flakes, which, if you’re anything like me, throws you off for a second. But it’s a key ingredient that makes these twists so incredibly soft and tender, and it perfectly complements the sweet strawberry filling.
The tender dough and strawberry filling are twisted into a cute little “twist” and then topped with the most amazing lemon glaze, based on my favorite cream cheese frosting. I just love how the brightness of the lemon in the glaze really freshens up the whole twist. Seriously delish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delightful Flavor: This recipe combines sweet, juicy strawberries with a tangy lemon cream cheese glaze. It’s a sweet and tangy treat that’s hard to resist!
- Perfect for any Occasion: Strawberry twists are perfect to serve for brunch, baby/bridal showers, or even just to enjoy as a sweet snack.
- Easy to Make: Strawberry twists are often made with a dough similar to cinnamon rolls, so if you’ve made those before, you’ll be a pro at this recipe! Plus, the strawberry filling and lemon glaze are a cinch to whip up!
How to Make Strawberry Twists
These gorgeous twists have an amazing strawberry lemon flavor combination that is perfect together and so delicious no matter what time of day you are enjoying them. Let’s take a quick look at how to make these twists and, as always, you can find the full, printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Strawberry Filling
- Cook strawberries and sugar together over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.
- Stir in lemon juice and cornstarch and cook for another five minutes.
- Remove from heat and refrigerate until needed.
Twists Dough
- Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and the yeast in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat milk, potato flakes, butter, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan until it reaches about 120°F.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in eggs and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Stir in as much flour as you can by hand or by using the “stir” setting on your mixer.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead or about 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half.
- Lightly grease two medium bowls and place half of the dough in each bowl.
- Cover and let rise until doubled in size – about an hour.
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the lemon juice, milk and lemon zest.
- Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Use a microplane to make quick work of the lemon zest!
Assembly and Baking
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out half of the dough at a time into a 12-inch x 8-inch rectangle.
- Spread half of the strawberry filling down one half of the rectangle.
- Pull the other half of the dough over the filling and press ends to seal.
- Cut into twelve even strips. Grab each end of the strip and gently twist and place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all strips.
- Repeat process with remaining half of dough and filling.
- Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes or so, or until nearly doubled in size again.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Drizzle lemon cream cheese glaze on top and serve warm.
Let the strawberry filling cool in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Using hot filling will melt the butter in the dough, making it difficult to create the twists.
Storage Information
As with any sweet pastries, strawberry twists are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store them for a short period of time to enjoy later. Here are two ways I recommend storing your leftover strawberry twists.
- Room Temperature: Let the twists cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Place the twists in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. Eat within a day of storing at room temperature.
- Refrigerator: Once the twists have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Reheating: When ready to enjoy, warm the twists in a preheated oven (around 350°F) for a few minutes or briefly warm in a microwave.
Variations to Try
- Swap half the strawberries for other berries like raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
- Use cherries instead of strawberries. If they aren’t in season, you can opt for cherry pie filling.
- Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate or Nutella over the dough before adding the strawberry filling.
- Add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough for a subtle lemon flavor. It complements the strawberry filling and brings out the lemon flavor in the lemon cream cheese glaze.
- Spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese over the dough before adding the strawberry filling.
- Instead of topping with the lemon glaze, drizzle the twists with melted chocolate or caramel sauce.
Trish’s Tips
- Make sure the strawberry filling is nice and thick before removing it from the burner. A thick filling is less likely to leak out of the twists when they are baking.
- A glaze that’s too thin will just run off the sides of the twists. You can adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar or a touch of milk.
- Wait for the twists to cool a bit before glazing, otherwise the glaze will melt and become runny.
- Use a high quality microplane or lemon zester to extract the zest from the lemons easily.
More Strawberry Treats to Try
- Strawberry Shortcake Roulade
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Mini Strawberry Pies
- Strawberry Sorbet
- Strawberry Tiramisu
Strawberry Twists
These Strawberry Twists with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze feature a delightful homemade strawberry filling and a zesty lemon cream cheese glaze. It's a sweet and flavorful combination that's sure to become your new favorite addition to Sunday brunch!
Servings 24 twists
Calories 220kcal
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 2 cups strawberries diced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Twists
- 4 cups all purpose flour up to 4 ½ cups if needed
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- ½ cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons milk 2 to 3 tbsp
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups powdered sugar 2 to 3 cups
Instructions
Strawberry Filling
- Stir the strawberries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Combine lemon juice and corn starch in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add to strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Turn heat to medium and heat for another five minutes, stirring frequently, until the filling has noticeably thickened.2 cups strawberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons corn starch
- Remove from heat and transfer to a heat safe container, like a glass canning jar, and refrigerated until needed.
Twists
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups flour and the yeast. Set aside.4 cups all purpose flour, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, potato flakes, butter, sugar and salt until it reaches 120°F.1 ¾ cups milk, ½ cup instant mashed potato flakes, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the heated mixture to the flour and yeast mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add eggs and beat just until combined.2 large eggs
- Switch to the dough hook and add remaining flour, half a cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Continue mixing with the dough hook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. (If you don't have a mixer, simply knead dough by hand for about 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.)4 cups all purpose flour
- Divide the dough in half and place in two lightly greased bowls. Turn the dough over once to coat. Cover bowls and let rise until doubled in size – about an hour.
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- While the dough is rising, prepare the glaze.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, milk, salt and lemon zest.4 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons milk, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Beat the powdered sugar in one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Set aside.2 cups powdered sugar
Assembly and Baking
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll out half the dough at a time into a 12-inch x 8-inch rectangle.
- Spread half of the chilled strawberry filling down one half of the rectangle.
- Pull the other half of the dough over the filling and press ends to seal.
- Cut into twelve even strips. Grab each end of a strip and gently twist and place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all strips. Repeat process with remaining half of dough and filling using both baking sheets so twists have adequate space between them.
- Cover twists and let rise for another 30 minutes or so, or until nearly doubled in size again.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Drizzle lemon cream cheese glaze on top and serve warm.
Notes
Storage Information
As with any sweet pastries, strawberry twists are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store them for a short period of time to enjoy later. Here are two ways I recommend storing your leftover strawberry twists.
Room Temperature: Let the twists cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Place the twists in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. Eat within a day of storing at room temperature.
Refrigerator: Once the twists have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheating: When ready to enjoy, warm the twists in a preheated oven (around 350°F) for a few minutes or briefly warm in a microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 231IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Originally published April 23, 2016.
Kelley says
I didn’t see any reviews from people that had made this so I wanted to leave a few comments.
**I made my dough in the bread machine and perhaps that is why but I ended up needing to add about a cup more flour to the dough.
**The corn starch needs to be mixed with cold water before adding it to the strawberries. Adding it directly to the hot liquid causes the corn starch to clump.
**Make sure your strawberry sauce is REALLY thick before taking it off the heat. I didn’t quite thicken mine enough and when I made my twists it wanted to ooze out the sides.
Even with my mistakes these twists were AMAZING. My entire family loved them and they were not hard, especially utilizing the bread machine. Will definitely make again!
Debra A Attinella says
Wow – I love these twists and they have my two favs strawberries and lemon!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Debra!
Sabrina says
This looks like a great, versatile pastry! Perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Yes please!! These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them out myself. Considered these pinned.
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen says
How gorgeous are the strawberries this year? I haven’t seen them this good in years. We’ve been in strawberry heaven! These twists are to die-for, such a luscious way to put those berries to good use.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Strawberries are my life right now Valerie 🙂 Every year I want to plant more and more! Thanks for stopping by!
Liz says
These are gorgeous!! Between that spectacular filling and the cream cheese glaze, they wouldn’t last a minute at my house 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awww, thanks Liz! They didn’t last long around here either 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
I am in love with this, and my family would be too! Going to have to save this for when we get good fresh strawberries here this summer!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
Drooling for these! Strawberry and lemon sounds perfect combo!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Soo good Andi! I know you’d love them!
Bintu | Recipes from a Pantry says
These are beautiful! We have a ton of homemade jams in our cellar and I think I just found a new way to use them 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oh my YES! I can’t think of a single flavor that wouldn’t go beautifully in these twists 🙂
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
Oh goodness gracious, these are seriously calling my name!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You MUST try these Justine! Just delicious!
Trisha says
Thanks for the recipe. I love making dough with potato flakes. I just want to verify that you twist the strips right after cutting them and before letting them rise, correct. thank you.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That’s absolutely right Trisha. Thanks!
Janet Welte says
Thanks, but I think you should make the correction in your recipe, I too, was confused!