Homemade Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Say goodbye to Pillsbury and hello to homemade! These apple pie cinnamon rolls take breakfast or dessert to the next level thanks the sweet but simple apple pie filling inside these easy to make cinnamon rolls.
After getting over my fear of yeast last year when I made the most delicious Raspberry Sweet Rolls, I knew that I wanted to try another version of the same recipe this fall. Since I have an entire crisper drawer full of freshly picked apples from our local orchard I thought that marrying two of my favorite treats – cinnamon rolls and apple pie – might be a fabulous idea.
And boy was I right! If you love apple pie filling and soft buttery cinnamon rolls, then I’m pretty sure you will find these irresistible. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that these contain yeast. I get it, I was the first time I made them too, but they are SO simple to make as long as you use WARM water (not hot!) and allow the dough to rise.
I’ll be honest – this is not a quick recipe. The active time is minimal but anything that contains yeast will have a substantial amount of time to allow the dough to rise – in this case, 60 minutes twice so I recommend making these on a day you’re home – or at least plan so that you can run your errands during the rising time (which is what I did!).
If you like a sweet treat for breakfast on Thanksgiving, these would be great. I can’t eat sweet things for breakfast (to me, these are dessert!) but I really like them in the afternoon with coffee or after dinner.
A word of warning though – they won’t last long so eat one before everyone else gets their hands on them and they disappear!
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For The Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 ¼ ounce packet activedry yeast
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- oil for the pan
For The Apple Pie Filling
- 3 cups finely diced apples I like a mix of Macintosh and Granny Smith
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
For The Glaze
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 5 -8 tablespoons heavy cream or milk depending your preferred texture
Instructions
For The Apple Pie Filling
- Begin by heating the diced apples, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over low-med heat.
- Allow the flavors to meld together by cooking for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
For The Rolls
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and ½ cup of water on a low-medium heat until the liquid is warm but not hot to touch.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the yeast, granulated sugar and 1 cup of flour. Stir in the warm milk. Cover and set aside for approximately 15 minutes until thick and foamy.
- Stir in the melted butter and salt. Then gradually mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Lightly coat an 11″ x 8″ casserole dish with oil. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 3 inch overhang on the long sides. Then oil the parchment paper, too.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a 12″ by 9″ rectangle.
- Spread the apple pie filling over the dough.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the seam to seal it.Slide a long piece of unflavored dental floss under the log of dough around 1 inch from the end. Holding the floss taught, lift ends and cross them over each other to cut one piece of dough. Continue this every inch or so until you have 12-13 rolls.
- Transfer rolls, cut sides up to the pan. Space them equally, cover and allow to rise for another 60 minutes, until the rolls have doubled in size and sides are touching.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake the rolls for 25 to 27 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before generously drizzling the glaze all over them.
For The Glaze
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the cream once tablespoon at a time until you’ve achieved your desired consistency.
