these soft and gooey cinnamon rolls hide tender apples in their folds for a delicious fall version of a classic!
2020. Whew. It has been a YEAR.
There are so many things that frankly, just completely suck about this year. One of the smaller disappointments this year has brought is that it has completely stripped us of all our favorite fall activities.
We didn’t get to go apple picking. We didn’t get to head to the northeast for the best foliage. We didn’t get to go to Salem and get our warm apple cinnamon buns with vanilla ice cream.
I did my best to recreate what I could at home with Owen. And while there was no way I could capture the magic of actual Salem, MA at home – I did manage to capture some of the magic the warm apple cinnamon buns with vanilla ice cream!
Cinnamon rolls are one of those baked goods that seem super intimidating but are actually pretty darn easy to make!
It’s really just finding the time to throw the dough together and letting it proof/rise well.
Then all you’re doing is rolling it out and filling it!
The fact that I managed to pull these together with a very bored toddler and a very needy toddler during a pandemic should definitely give you confidence that you too can make them!
They’re everything you want in a cinnamon roll. Ooey, gooey, soft center with just the right amount of browning on the edges and then you get the surprise of the soft baked cinnamon sugar apples coming through. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. You won’t regret it!
apple cinnamon rolls
- Prep Time: 1 hour +
- Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
- Total Time: 1.5 hours +
- Yield: 12–14 rolls 1x
- Category: breakfast
Description
these soft and gooey cinnamon rolls hide tender apples in their folds for a delicious fall version of a classic!
Ingredients
For the Dough (recipe from Cafe Delites):
- 1 cup milk warmed to the touch – not hot or bubbling or you will kill the yeast (110°F or 45°C)
- 2–1/2 teaspoons (or 1 packet) rapid-rise yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray
For the Filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (if you don’t have apple pie spice you can simply double them amount of ground cinnamon)
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored & diced (I used a combination of macintosh & gala) – I recommend dicing with 10 minutes left in dough’s 2nd rise cycle
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk (more or less as needed for desired consistency)
Instructions
For the Rolls:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, combine the milk, yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar together in a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside for 10 minutes (the mixture should bubble & froth a bit – this indicates the yeast is good)
- In your stand mixer bowl (fitted with the dough hook), add yeast mixture, add egg, flour and remaining sugar. Beat on high for 2 minutes or until dough is smooth & elastic. Alternatively, mix and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface, adding small amounts of flour from the surface as needed if it is too sticky to work with).
- Turn oven off. Lightly coat a large bowl with oil or cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover with a damp towel.
- Place in the now off oven to rise for 30 minutes. (dough has risen fully when you press your fingers gently into it and the indentation recedes.
- After 30 minutes, punch dough down, then re-cover and let rise for an additional 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a large rectangle.
- Brush the melted butter over the dough.
- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spice. Sprinkle half evenly over the butter, gently pressing into the butter. Layer diced apples evenly over the cinnamon sugar mixture. Follow with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Beginning at one long side, roll up dough tightly like a jelly-roll; then gently pinch the seam down to seal. Trim the ends for even slices, and cut dough into 2-inch slices. Place each slice into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
For the Icing:
- Combine powdered sugar and milk stirring well. Add additional milk or sugar to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls.
Keywords: cinnamon rolls, cinnamon, apple, flour, sugar, yeast
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