Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

These Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are soft and fluffy, with apple pie filling, and topped with cream cheese glaze.

This recipe is a delectable twist on the classic cinnamon rolls. These indulgent pastries are perfect for breakfast, or for dessert, or afternoon tea time.

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

With their irresistible aroma, soft texture, warm and spiced apples, and the luscious glaze on top, these rolls are a delightful way to enjoy the comforting feelings of the season.

I will show you step-by-step how to make these delicious apple filled cinnamon rolls. The ingredients measurements and instructions can be found on the bottom of the page. Up here I am explaining the process with photos and detailed explanations.

Dough

Let’s start by making the dough. We are using my regular cinnamon roll dough, which is rich and easy to make.

To make the dough start by warming the milk to about 110ºF, you don’t want the milk to be too hot, or it will kill the yeast. And if the milk is too cold, it won’t activate it.

Place the warm milk in a bowl of a mixer, or in a large bowl.

Add 2 tbsp of sugar, along with the active dry yeast to the milk. Stir to combine. If using active yeast, as I am, let this mixture proof for 5 to 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.

And if you are using instant yeast, skip the proofing process.

Once the yeast becomes foamy, add the rest of the sugar, the room temperature butter, whisked eggs in. It’s important that the eggs are pre-whisked before being added, so they can easily incorporate with the dough once we add the flour.

Mix the ingredients for about 30 seconds with the paddle attachment, or with a spoon. The mixture won’t look smooth or incorporated, that’s ok.

Add 5 cups of flour, and salt. Mix again with the paddle or with a spoon, until the flour is entirely incorporated with the mixture.

Then switch to the dough hook, or turn the dough into a lightly floured surface, to knead it.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes by mixer, and 12 minutes by hand. Add the remaining flour if the dough is sticky.

At the end, the dough should feel tacky, but not sticky. It should feel smooth.

Time for the first rise. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rise in an oiled bowl, covered, for about 2 hours.

While the dough goes through the first rise, make the apple filling.

Apple Pie Filling

To make the apple filling, peel and chop the apples into small bits.

Place the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and water in a large saucepan. Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg, you can use apple pie spice or pumpkin spice.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Cook the apples for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they have softened. If they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add more water one tablespoon at a time, and lower the heat.

Once the apples are softened, pour in the cornstarch dissolved in water. Immediately start stirring, and cook for one to two minutes, until thickened.

Remove from the heat into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap on the surface of the apples. Let it cool down and place it in the fridge, or you can use at room temperature. You can make this apple filling ahead of time and leave it ready for when you assemble the rolls.

Cinnamon Butter Filling

Before you are ready to assemble the rolls, make the Apple Cinnamon Filling.

Mix the butter with the light brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assemble the rolls

The dough is ready to be shaped when it has doubled in size. If you poke it with your finger, it springs back slowly, leaving a bit of an indentation.

When you do the poke test, if you touch the dough and it springs back too quickly, it needs longer proofing. And if the dough doesn’t spring back at all, it’s been over proofed.

Punch the dough down to deflate it.

Turn it into a floured surfaced.

Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 20×12” rectangle.

Spread the Cinnamon Butter on top of the dough.

Pour the Apple Cinnamon Filling on top, use a spatula or a spoon to spread it on an even layer.

Roll the dough from the widest side into a log.

Cut the ends out of the log using floss. Using floss is much better than a knife, because the knife will smash the rolls.

Use the floss to slice the log into 12 equal pieces.

Place the rolls in a greased 9×13″ baking pan. You can grease the pan with melted butter, or with oil.

Cover them with plastic wrap, let the rolls rise for about 1 hour on the counter, at room temperature.

Instead of letting the rolls rise, you can place them in the fridge overnight and bake them the next morning.

Let them sit on the counter for 2 hours before baking.

Once the rolls look puffy, bake them in the pre-heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, until they look browned around the edges.

Cream Cheese Icing

While the rolls bake, make the cream cheese icing and keep it covered.

Beat the butter and cream cheese together.

Add the powdered sugar, and mix until combined.

Then add the salt and vanilla and mix.

Spread the frosting on top of the rolls while they are still warm.

Let them cool down for a bit and serve.

The luscious cream cheese glaze adds a layer of decadence to the sweet delicious rolls.

What kind of apples to use to make the Apple Pie Filled Rolls? You can use golden delicious, honeycrips, or granny smith.

Can I make the rolls ahead? Yes, you can make the rolls and assemble them, place the assembled rolls in the fridge overnight. Let them sit on the counter for about 2 hours, and bake.

How to speed up the rising process? You can try speeding up rise time by placing the dough by a warm oven, or inside the turned off oven, since it’s always warmer in there. The rising time can be cut by half when doing this. Make sure to check constantly because the dough can easily over rise when doing this.

Variations

• Instead of the cream cheese glaze, top the rolls with caramel sauce.
• Use pears instead of apples.
• Peaches could also be substituted for apples.
• Drizzle caramel sauce on top of the apples before rolling the dough.

Whether enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of coffee or tea or as an addition to a holiday brunch, these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are a celebration of warmth, indulgence, and the simple joys of homemade baking.

The delightful combination of apple and cinnamon in these rolls offers a burst of comforting flavors. They are perfect for Fall baking, or even for a special Christmas morning treat.

If you like these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, here are some more recipes you might like:

• Apple Crumb Cake
• Apple Upside Down Cake
• Pumpkin Bread
• Apple Blondies
• Apple Crisp Cupcakes
• Lemon Raspberry Rolls

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Camila Hurst

These Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are soft and fluffy, with apple pie filling, and topped with cream cheese glaze.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

Calories 260 kcal

Ingredients

  

Dough Recipe

• 1 1/4 cup whole milk 300 ml
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar divided (66 grams)
• 1 1/2 tbsp active yeast 14 grams
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature (84 grams)
• 2 large eggs whisked
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 701 grams
• 1/2 tsp salt

Apple Pie Filling

• 4 cups chopped apples 600 grams, about 4 apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 110 grams
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Cinnamon Butter Filling

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 grams
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 55 grams
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup cream cheese room temperature (256 grams)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature (84 grams)
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar 218 grams
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

 

Dough Recipe

• Start by warming the milk to 110ºF. Pour it into a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and yeast to the milk. Mix to combine.
• Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.
• Add the rest of the sugar to the bowl, along with the butter and whisked eggs. Mix for about 30 seconds with the paddle attachment of the mixer, or use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the ingredients.
• The mixture won’t look incorporated, that’s fine. Add 5 cups of flour, and the salt, and continue to mix with the paddle attachment, until the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are combined into a shaggy dough.
• Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, turn the dough into a floured surface, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to the dough if necessary, if the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, or too sticky to knead by hand.
• You should knead the dough until it is barely sticking to the sides of the bowl. It can be sticking on the bottom of the bowl, but should come off the sides.
• The dough should be soft and smooth, tacky but not sticky.
• Shape it into a smooth ball.
• Place the dough in a large bowl greased with oil. Turn the dough over in the bowl to grease all around.
• Cover with plastic wrap, or aluminum foil, or a clean kitchen towel.
• First rise: Let the dough rise at room temperature (around 72ºF) for about 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, make the Apple Pie Filling, and the Cinnamon Butter Filling.

Apple Pie Filling

• Place the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, and salt in a large saucepan.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
• Cook until the apples have softened, and the mixture has reduced to a thick syrup coating the apples. It should take 12 to 15 minutes. If the mixture gets too dry, and starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a bit more water by the tablespoons, and reduce the heat.
• In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water until dissolved.
• Pour the cornstarch mixture over the apples.
• Mix with a spatula or spoon, cooking until the mixture becomes very thick, for one to two minutes.
• Remove the apples to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the apples come to room temperature, then place in the fridge. You can use them to fill the rolls when they are at room temperature, or you can make them ahead, and leave them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the rolls to bake.

Cinnamon Butter Filling

• Right before you are ready to assemble the rolls, make the cinnamon butter. Mix the butter, sugar, cinnamon in a bowl. Use a spatula to incorporate the ingredients into a thick paste.

Assemble the rolls

• Grease a 9×13” pan with oil spray, or by brushing oil on the bottom and sides of the pan. Set it aside.
• To know if the dough is done rising, do the poke test.
• Gently poke the dough, it should form a small indentation, that slowly springs back, but not fully. If the dough springs back too quickly, it needs more proofing time. And if the dough doesn’t spring back at all, and a deep indentation forms when you poke it, it’s been over proofed.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle a very small amount of flour over the dough.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle.
• It should be about 1/2” thick, and the rectangle should measure about 20×12”.
• While rolling the dough, lift it off the counter gently a few times, to give it a chance to spring back and settle, which will ensure the dough is being properly rolled out.
• If the dough keeps shrinking, let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
• Spread the Cinnamon Butter Filling all over the surface of the dough, on an even layer.
• Pour the apples on top, and use a spatula or a spoon to spread them out also on an even layer.
• Make a tight roll with the dough, by gently rolling it from the widest size onto itself, making an 20” dough log.
• Cut the ends of the dough. I always cut them off so I can have all the rolls be straight with the same height. I bake those two small rolls separately and eat them as a treat.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. I like to cut the rolls by placing a piece of floss underneath the dough and crossing it at the top, which makes a neat cut. If you use a knife to slice the rolls, it squishes them, and makes them pointy at the edges.
• Place each roll in the greased baking sheet, in three rows of four rolls each.
• Cover the tray with plastic wrap.
• Second rise: Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until puffed up.
• While the dough rises, pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. (350ºF is using convection or fan-forced)
• Bake the rolls in the oven for about 25 minutes. It can take even up to 30 minutes, depending on the oven.
• The rolls should be browned around the edges and slightly browned in the center. Make sure the dough in the center is fully baked. If not, cover the rolls with foil and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes. Then check again, and repeat until they are baked through.
• It took me 25 minutes in my regular conventional oven to bake these rolls.
• Let the rolls cool down for 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer for 1 minute until creamy.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl.
• Add the powdered sugar, mix on low to combine.
• Raise the speed to medium and beat until incorporated.
• Beat at medium-high speed for another minute, until creamy.
• Add the vanilla and salt. Mix to combine.
• Spread the frosting over the rolls once they’ve been out of the oven for about 20 minutes. They should still be warm, but not hot.
• Wait another 10 minutes and serve.

Storage

• These rolls are best served the day they are made. If not, store them in the fridge for up to 4 days, heating up gently before serving.
• You can also freeze the baked rolls. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, and heat them up before serving.

Notes

Rising time: You can try speeding up the 1st rise, by placing the dough by a warm oven, or inside the turned off oven, since it’s always warmer in there. The rising time can be cut by half when doing this. Make sure to check constantly because the dough can easily over rise when doing this. And also be careful with the temperature of the environment. If the temperature is too high where you are rising the dough, it can make the rolls dense and not fluffy. I always prefer to take my time with rising the dough, and letting it rise a bit slower in a 72ºF to 77ºF environment. It makes a much fluffier baked good!

Yeast: You can use instant yeast instead of active. Instead of proofing the yeast for 5 to 10 minutes, simply add it along with all the ingredients to the milk, butter, eggs, and sugar mixture.

Apples: I like granny smith or honeycrisp for this recipe. Make sure to dice them small, so you don’t have huge chunks of apple in the filling.

Make ahead: You can make the apple filling ahead. Or you can make the rolls a day before, assemble them, and place in the fridge. On the next day, remove them from the fridge, let them sit on the counter for about 1 to 2 hours. And then bake them normally as indicated above in the recipe.

Keyword apple, cinnamon rolls