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Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are the most irresistible fall treat! Pillowy soft & gooey cinnamon rolls are filled with apple pie filling & baked atop an apple cider caramel sauce. Slather the warm rolls with cinnamon cream cheese frosting & top with more apple pie filling & a sprinkle of crumble. These can even be made ahead for holiday brunch!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love these Apple Cinnamon Rolls :
- Pillowy, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls – Using an enriched dough ensures that these rolls are extra pillowy and gooey! An enriched dough is one that uses eggs, sugar, & butter along with your standard dough ingredients like yeast and flour. This is a simpler version of the dough from my beloved Maple Brioche Cinnamon Rolls!
- Apple Pie Filling & Topping – Diced apples are quickly cooked on the stovetop with a little butter, brown sugar, and cozy spices until tender and caramelized. It’s the most delicious homemade apple pie filling you’ll ever taste!
- Brown Sugar Crisp Topping– A brown sugar cinnamon streusel adds a hint of crunch to the tops of these rolls.
- Luscious Cream Cheese Frosting – Swirls of cream cheese frosting melt into the hot-from-the-oven rolls.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Apples – Use any good baking apple for the apple filling and topping. Don’t use soft apples like McIntosh as they will become mushy. Use something like Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji. Some people recommend granny smith but I personally think they need to be used with a sweeter apple for balance (for example, half honeycrisp & half granny smith).
- Yeast – We’re using instant yeast (also called rapid yeast or quick rise yeast) so there’s no need to bloom the yeast, like you would need to with active dry yeast – it just gets mixed right in with the other dough ingredients, saving you a step!
- All-Purpose Flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake. We’re using regular all-purpose flour here – no need to buy a special flour like bread flour!
- Milk – Milk is essential for the dough – I used 2% but you could use any type of milk you like.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Butter – I always use salted buter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
- Cream Cheese – I prefer the block style cream cheese, but since this is just a frosting (vs something like a cheesecake) you could get away with using the kind in a tub.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Gluten-free – I have not tested a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- Dairy-free – I have not tried it myself yet, but if you’re comfortable with dairy-free ingredients, feel free. Let me know how it works!
- Short on Time – Short on time? Skip the crumble. It’s delicious, but the star of the show is the cinnamon roll itself, with the apple filling & topping!
How to Make Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls:
Step 1: Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough & Let Rise. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together all the dough ingredients except the flour. Gently mix in the flour with the paddle attachment.
Then, knead with the dough hook attachment for 7-10 minutes. The dough will still be quite soft but will be smooth and more elastic.
Let Dough Rise. Remove dough from the bowl, lightly spray it with cooking spray, and return the dough. Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. When you make an indent with your fingertip and it holds, it’s ready!
Step 2: Make Crisp Topping. Cut cold butter into a mixture of oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bake and let cool while you prep the rest of the recipe.
Step 3: Make Apple Filling. Cook together diced apples, butter, spices, sugar, and a splash of cider or apple juice until tender and caramelized. (This filling is adapted from my Homemade Apple Fritters!
Step 4: Make Cinnamon Roll Filling. Beat together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla in a small bowl until creamy and combined. Set aside.
Step 5: Make Caramel Apple Cider Sauce. Repeat the same as above, with the addition of heavy cream and apple cider concentrate. This makes the most luscious, appley caramel sauce that will coat the bottoms of our cinnamon rolls as they bake!
This will have turned into a sauce in the oven, trust the process!
Step 6: Assemble Rolls & Final Rise. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a generously floured surface. Spread on the cinnamon roll filling and then the apple filling, as evenly as possible. No need to be perfect!
Step 7: Slice & Roll Cinnamon Rolls. Slice the rolls into strips about 1 and 3/4 inches wide. Then, roll up each strip. I find this easier and faster than rolling the whole dough log and slicing it from there.
Step 8: Let Rolls Rise. Place the rolls in your prepared 9×13 pan and cover with a kitchen towel to rise for 30-40 minutes. Use the indent test again to check for readiness!
Step 9: Bake Rolls. Pour room temperature heavy cream over the rolls. Bake according to the directions in the recipe card below.
They will be lightly golden brown when done, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of one of the middle rolls should read 205-210 F.
Step 10: Make Frosting & Top Rolls. Beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Spread over the rolls, and top with more apple filling & the crisp topping!
Serving + Storing:
Enjoy the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven and have been topped! These are best fresh from the oven, but leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat before enjoying – cold cinnamon rolls are just wrong!
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
I do not recommend doubling the dough as it would be such a large quantity that it could throw off the rise times and whatnot. You could double the other elements (fillings, crumble, and frosting) and save half of each for a second batch. And, yes you can halve the entire recipe if desired and bake in a smaller pan that will fit 6 rolls snugly.
I haven’t tested the dough as a make-ahead to get the exact timing, but the apple filling, crisp topping, frosting, and cinnamon filling can all be made ahead. Make each and store in their own airtight containers in the fridge for 1-2 days ahead of using. I *suspect* that you could assemble the cinnamon rolls (with the caramel sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan) and cover them with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours the next morning before adding the heavy cream and baking. (Look for them to be risen as much in the pan as in the photos above.)
Special Tools:
- Stand Mixer – You can make these cinnamon rolls by hand, but it is a bit easier to do with a stand mixer and the dough hook attachment it comes with!
- Ruler – This probably sounds a little odd but I have a ruler or mini tape measure in my baking drawer at all times! It comes in so handy for measuring dough when rolling it out, and for slicing things evenly! (I won’t link this because you likely have a ruler or tape measure already.)
- Rolling Pin – You’ll need a rolling pin to roll out the dough.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes to Love:
More Delicious Apple Recipes:
- Caramel Apple Cake
- Apple Pie Cheesecake
- Apple Fritters with Apple Cider Glaze
- Salted Caramel Apple Galette
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
- Caramelized Cinnamon Apple Waffles
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
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Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling & Topping
- 7 large apples, peeled & diced, 11 cups diced, or 1130 grams diced (this measure is for the diced apples – not the total weight of the full apples)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, 56 grams
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, 110 grams
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon , 6 grams
- 1 tsp nutmeg, 3 grams
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspices
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 2 tsp water
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 115℉, 113 grams
- 1 cup warm milk, 115℉, See Note below!, 240 mL
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature, room temp
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar , 70 grams
- 2 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 9 grams
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 528 grams
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 33 grams
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, 52 grams
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 55 grams
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup salted butter, cold, 56 grams
For the Caramel Apple Cider Sauce:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, very softened, 113 grams – feel free to microwave this to quickly soften it – if it's a *tad* melty, that's fine.
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, Light is fine too. 165 grams
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp boiled apple cider, See note below!
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened, 113 grams
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 165 grams
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, for pouring over the rolls – don't mix into the filling, Gently warm this in the microwave. 80 grams
For the Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened, 170 grams
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 115 grams
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon, I usually add more, about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp in total. Start small and/adjust to taste!
- 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Apple Filling & Topping: Add all apple filling ingredients to a medium pan over medium high heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring lazily the whole time, until desired tenderness is reached. If the liquid all dries up at any point, add a splash more cider or water to keep things saucy. Once apples reach desired tenderness, if the filling isn't thickened like in my photos, thicken by stirring together 2 tsp cornstarch and 2 tsp water until dissolved. add to the apple filling over medium heat, and cook, stirring, for 30-60 seconds. This will thicken the juices.Make-Ahead Tip: This can be done up to 3 days ahead. Store in a jar in the fridge.7 large apples, peeled & diced, 1/4 cup salted butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon , 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp allspices, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tsp corn starch, 2 tsp water
- Make the Dough & First Rise: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the melted butter, warm milk, beaten eggs, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk together (either with the whisk attachment or with a hand whisk, no need to dirty the whisk attachment if you don't want to). Then, add the paddle attachment and add the flour. Mix on low speed (setting 2-3) just until the flour disappears into the dough. It will be shaggy and wet. Let this rest for 5 minutes before proceeding. Scrape the dough off the paddle attachment and add the dough hook. Knead the dough on setting 1-2 (no higher!) for 5-7 minutes. The dough will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl towards the 5 minute mark and will look smoother and elastic, however it will still seem a bit slack. Gently pour the dough onto a clean countertop and spray the stand mixer bowl with nonstick spray (no need to wipe it out!), then place the dough back in to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. It should have doubled in size, and an indent should hold when you poke your fingertip into it. Make the crisp, apple cider sauce, and cinnamon filling while the dough rises – see next three steps. Tip: This time will be longer when it's cold out, and about 1 hour in the summer – when I did this, it was 72-73℉ in my home. Go by the look of the dough doubling & the indent holding shape rather than the time.1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 115℉, 1 cup warm milk, 115℉, 2 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature, 1/3 cup granulated sugar , 2 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 3/4 tsp salt, 4 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out
- Make the Crisp Topping: Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into chunks, then add to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two forks until you have a crumbly mixture. Spread into an even layer on your prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 16 minutes, stirring halfway through, pushing the bits at the edges of the pan to the center so they don't burn.1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1/2 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon , 1/4 cup salted butter, cold
- Make the Apple Cider Caramel Sauce: Beat together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Spray a ceramic or metal 9×13 pan with nonstick spray, then evenly spread this thick mixture in the bottom.1/2 cup salted butter, very softened, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 2 tsp cinnamon , pinch of salt, 2 tbsp boiled apple cider, 1 tsp vanilla extract , 2 tbsp heavy cream
- Make the Cinnamon Filling: Beat together all filling ingredients in a medium bowl on medium high speed until well combined. (You can use the same bowl as you used in the step above – no need to clean it!) You'll have a thick creamy mixture.1/2 cup salted butter, softened, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Assemble the Rolls: After the dough has risen for about 1 hour, generously flour your counter. Make sure you have room to roll the dough to 14 inches by 22 or 24 inches. Gently dump the risen dough onto your floured counter and roll to 14×22 (or up to 15×24). Dot the cinnamon filling all over, and use an offset spatula to gently spread it as evenly as you can, getting close to the edges. Evenly dot 1 & 1/2 cups of the apple filling evenly over the cinnamon filling.
- Assemble Cinnamon Rolls. Slice strips from the long side of the dough that are about 1 and 3/4 inches thick.* Roll each one up into a roll, then place in the prepared pan, on top of the apple cider caramel sauce. Use the slightly smaller pieces from each far end of the rectangle to roll into one cinnamon roll (roll one up like normal, then roll the other strip around it). Try to place any smaller rolls in the center as the center ones always take a tad longer to bake, and this will help even things out.Place the pieces in the prepared dish and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes (the warmer the room, the faster they'll rise). To check if they've risen enough, poke the side of a roll with your finger. If the indent stays and doesn't spring back, they're ready. Preheat your oven to 350℉ while the rolls rise. I place my rolls next to the oven on the counter. *Note: I find this method easier than rolling the dough into a log and slicing them that way! However, you can do that as well.
- Bake: Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, pour the room temperature heavy cream over and between them. Bake for 40 to 46 minutes. The rolls will be golden brown and appear set in the centers, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of one of the middle rolls should read 205 to 210 ℉. Check the point of the thermometer for raw dough clinging to it as well – add a few more minutes if needed. Prepare frosting while the rolls bake.1/3 cup heavy cream, for pouring over the rolls – don't mix into the filling
- Make the Frosting: Beat together all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Mix on medium high until everything is combined and creamy. Thin the icing out a bit with milk or heavy cream as desired. Don't beat it for as long if you want it to remain thicker. (Cream cheese will become runnier the longer you mix it.)6 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract , pinch of salt, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- Serve + Store: Immediately frost the warm rolls, then top each with a generous spoonful of apple topping and a sprinkle of crumble. Enjoy immediately! Store leftovers, in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, reheating gently as desired. These are best fresh from the oven, naturally, but do re-heat nicely over the next day or two!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely in love with these rolls! I will be making this again. It truly tastes like apple pie inside of a cinnamon roll. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Jessica!
Hii! I want to make this for brunch and wanted to ask if I can prep the night before then bake them the next morning.
Hi Zaninab! Yes you can. Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared pan but don’t do the second rise. Cover and place in the fridge. Let them sit out on the counter in a warm area for 1-2 hours the next morning so they can come back to room temperature before baking. Let me know how you like the recipe!