Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 11 votes

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

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 - perfect for holiday brunch!

Prep Time1

Cook Time40

Dough Rising1 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cinnamon Rolls, Apple Pie, Apple

Servings: rolls

Author: Stephanie Simmons

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

US Customary - Metric

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 9x13 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 14x22 (or up to 15x24). 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

For more tips, FAQs, and step-by-step photos be sure to read the blog post above! Use the table of contents below the first image to jump to various sections.

Boiled Apple Cider: Boiled cider or apple cider concentrate is exactly what it sounds like - it's apple cider that has been reduced down to concentrate the flavor and boil off the water. You can do this yourself (you'll want to start with 1 cup and cook it in a pot on the stovetop over medium high heat until you only have 2-3 tbsp left). This does take about 15-30 minutes. If you want a shortcut option, you can purchase boiled cider online! I always have a bottle of this on hand for fall baking - it's the easiest way to amp up the apple flavor in so many desserts, and I use it in my baked apple cider donuts!

Nutrition