Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Apple cinnamon rolls in pan with one removed.

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Getting out of bed is easy when Apple Cinnamon Rolls are waiting for you! These sweet rolls are filled with cinnamon spiced apples and topped with an apple cider glaze. The perfect fall breakfast treat!

Ingredients

For the dough:

¾ cup milk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, divided
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg, room temperature, beaten

For the filling:

¼ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup packed light brown sugar, packed
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 cups of diced apples (about 3-4 peeled, cored and diced into ¼” pieces)

For the frosting:

4 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons apple cider
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat milk until just starting to bubble. Remove from heat and add in butter. Stir occasionally until butter is completely melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with one teaspoon sugar.
In a large bowl, mix together 2 ¼ cups flour, sugar, and salt.
When milk mixture has cooled enough, add yeast mixture to saucepan with milk mixture and stir to combine. Pour liquid into large bowl with dry ingredients along with the egg and mix well.
Stir in remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough pulls together, and away from sides of bowl. Knead on a well-floured surface for about 5 minutes.
Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 - 45 minutes.
Turn dough onto well-floured surface and sprinkle with more flour on top. Roll into a 12x18” rectangle. It should be about ½-inch thick.
Mix the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough, almost to the edges. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter. Then top it with the apples over the sugar mixture.
From the long edge of rectangle, roll up the dough into a log. Pinch to seal the seam.
Use a sharp serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 equal-sized pieces.
Grease a 9x13” baking dish. Place each roll in the dish spiral side up.
Cover with a towel and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled in size.*
Bake rolls at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: mix cream cheese and butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the apple cider, vanilla, and nutmeg and beat on medium speed for one minute.
Spread frosting on warm rolls. Serve warm!

Notes

DON’T SKIP THE KNEADING FOR 5 MINUTES! This helps the gluten form and give the rolls shape.
Tough Rolls? Adding too much flour will result in a dough that is tough. When kneading, lightly flour the surface and then flour your hands. Work the dough and dust your hands periodically with flour but resist the urge to add too much flour to the dough. The dough may be sticky at first, but continue to work it and it will start to feel smooth and be slightly tacky.
Apples: Apples need to be diced fairly small so that they will get soft during the baking time. If you make them too big, they will remain crunchy and undercooked. Dice them into ¼-inch pieces or less. I used 3 gala apple and 1 granny smith. It was the perfect amount of tartness.
Unlike my original cinnamon roll recipe, I would not make these way ahead of time. The apples will combine with the sugars and start to release liquid and make the dough soggy.
When the rolls are rising for 45 minutes, the apples begin to release the juice into the bottom of the pan. This is completely fine and actually makes a caramel syrupy liquid that coats the bottom of the rolls during baking.
Because of the apple filling, a serrated knife if needed to cut the dough into rolls. The dental floss technique will not work as well with these.
Before baking, if you want a really gooey cinnamon roll, brush the tops with a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. Bake as directed.
Rolls will keep covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Don’t have any apple cider on hand for the frosting? That’s ok - it won’t be exactly the same, but you can substitute 2 Tablespoons of milk for the cider instead.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cinnamon roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g

*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.