Soft, Spiced, and Just the Right Amount of Sweet
Fall officially started yesterday, and I’m so excited to be sharing my latest apple recipe: apple cinnamon rolls! Unlike other cinnamon roll recipes, my apple cinnamon rolls are sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Each bite balances the subtle tartness of the apples with the warm cinnamon filling, and it all comes together with a decadent caramel glaze. These are so cozy and absolutely perfect for fall! I know yeast breads can be intimidating, so let me reassure you: this recipe isn’t overly complicated. It can be made with or without a mixer, and the bulk of the time involved is just letting the dough rise, which only requires patience on your part. 😊 My apple cinnamon roll recipe starts out with the same enriched, fluffy dough I use in my sticky buns and sweet bread. You’ll activate your yeast, form your dough, knead it for a few minutes, and then let it rise. From there things are pretty straightforward: roll out your dough, add your filling, roll into a log and slice. You’ll let the rolls rise one more time before baking and topping with the glaze. Let’s get into it!
What You Need
The key to soft, tender cinnamon rolls is an enriched dough (dough that has a high percentage of fat). We’ll fill that dough with apples, sugar, and spices before baking and drizzling with a super simple caramel glaze.
Milk. Whole milk is best for this recipe (more fat means a more tender dough), but you can use whatever milk you have on hand. Yeast. I prefer active dry yeast, but you can use instant yeast if it’s all you have. I included instructions on for using instant yeast in the notes below. Sugar. You’ll need granulated sugar to feed your yeast and enrich the dough..Butter. I use unsalted butter everywhere in this recipe, that way I can control the amount of salt. You’ll notice most of my recipes call for this; I have a post covering when to use salted vs. unsalted butter if you’re curious about the why behind this. Egg. Use one egg plus an additional egg yolk. That extra yolk provides a more tender cinnamon roll. Room temperature eggs are best as they’ll combine into the dough the most cohesively.Salt. To enhance the flavor and round out the sweetness of these apple cinnamon rolls, I add a few teaspoons of salt. Flour. All-purpose or bread flour will work well for this recipe, with all-purpose yielding slightly fluffier rolls and bread flour yielding slightly chewier ones. The amount you’ll need will vary depending on many factors, so use as little or as much as you need to get the right consistency. Spices. Nutmeg in the dough adds a very subtle depth of flavor, while cinnamon, allspice, and even more nutmeg in the filling beautifully complement the tartness of the apples. It’s going to smell like apple pie in your kitchen! Brown Sugar. I like dark brown sugar in the glaze because it gives a darker color and stronger caramel flavor, but light brown sugar can be substituted. If you don’t have brown sugar on hand, don’t worry; I have instructions on how to make brown sugar at home.Apples. Pretty much any kind of apple will work here. I avoid the super tart ones for these apple cinnamon rolls, but you can use those if that’s what you like! Make sure to peel, core, and chop your apples into uniform pieces before putting them in your filling. Also, if you prep your apples in advance, make sure you cover them tightly and place them in the fridge to prevent oxidation (turning brown, not that you’ll notice once the rolls are baked!).
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post! SAM’S TIP: I highly recommend making my simple and sweet caramel glaze for a caramel apple flavor, but if you prefer a traditional frosting, you can always substitute the caramel glaze with the frosting I use for my 1-hour cinnamon rolls, or just use my cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
SAM’S TIP: Keep the apples and sugar separate until just before you’re ready to spread them over the dough. If you don’t, the mixture will become too liquidy and messy when you try to spread it over the dough. SAM’S TIP: Over-baking the rolls will make them dry and hard, so avoid this! If you have an instant read thermometer, look for a temperature of 190F (88C) in the thickest part of a roll. If you don’t have a thermometer, use a toothpick or sharp knife and pierce the thickest part of a center bun and peek inside; it shouldn’t be doughy/too gooey and should look cooked through. Dark metal pans will bake the buns faster, light-colored metal will be a bit slower, and glass or ceramic will take the longest of all. Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
Apple DumplingsEasy Cinnamon Rolls (no yeast required!)Orange Sweet Rolls
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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