Apple Cinnamon Rolls are a delicious treat for any time of day. Whether you’re indulging in an early morning snack or as an afternoon pick-me-up, these rolls are melt-in-your-mouth delicious with their sweet, juicy apples and sprinkle of cinnamon.
The best part is that making them at home is so easy – all you have to do is mix up some simple ingredients, roll out the dough, layer the mixture of shredded apples and cinnamon inside, roll it into a log and bake.
Soon the amazing aroma of apples and cinnamon will be wafting through your home. Enjoy!
Ingredients required to prepare Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Some special fall spices (and apples) are required for these cinnamon rolls, but the rest can be found in any kitchen. The following is a list of what you should purchase:
All Purpose Flour
This flour is ideal for making a dough that is both supple and slightly bready. I’ve had great results with bread flour, however, they turn up chewier.
Granulated Sugar
Use this to activate the yeast and give the dough a touch of sweetness.
Instant Yeast
Any fast-acting instant yeast will do. However, if you want to use standard active yeast instead, you should allow for two rise times.
Butter
Both the cinnamon roll dough and the cream cheese frosting call for butter. When baking, unsalted butter is the go-to since it allows regulation of the amount of salt added. However, salted butter will do in a pinch if that’s all you have on hand.
Milk
While any milk will work, whole milk will produce the best results in this recipe.
Eggs
These cinnamon rolls are produced with an enriched dough, which means that eggs are an integral part of the recipe. Adding eggs will make the dough tender.
Spices
Well, cinnamon is a must for cinnamon buns. You’ll also need ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to give these apple cinnamon rolls that trademark the spiced apple flavour of fall. Apple pie spice is a suitable alternative.
Brown Sugar
If you want a sweet, caramel flavour in your cinnamon sugar filling, use brown sugar. You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, but regular table sugar is not a good substitute because it won’t melt as easily.
Cream Cheese
For me, a cinnamon roll isn’t a cinnamon roll unless it’s covered in a thick layer of cream cheese icing. The cream cheese must be at room temperature in order to achieve the desired creamy, smooth texture. Powdered sugar is what you need to sweeten and thicken your cream cheese frosting.
What kind of apples should you use to make these apple cinnamon rolls?
Apple cinnamon rolls may be made with just about any type of apple, although everyone has favourites. Granny Smith apples, which retain their shape and a little crunch even when baked, are ideal if you’re going for a tangier taste.
Pink Lady, Gala, and Honey Crisp apples are some of the top picks if you want a more sugary apple variety. Although McIntosh apples are great raw, they tend to disintegrate quickly in cooking and are therefore not recommended.
How do I know when the Cinnamon Rolls are baked?
Baking cinnamon rolls is a surefire way to make your home smell amazing, but it can be tricky to know when they’re actually done.
The best way to tell if your cinnamon rolls are finished baking is to keep an eye out for a golden-brown color on top. After your rolls have risen and you put them in the oven, set a timer just as you would with any other recipe.
Toward the end of that time frame, take a peek at the oven and see how they look! If they seem done on top, you can always insert a toothpick into one of the rolls – if it comes out clean, then you know they’re ready!
Another indicator is that the top should be springy and slightly puffed-up – not too crunchy. Enjoy!
Tips for making homemade cinnamon rolls
Making homemade cinnamon rolls is a fun and easy activity that the whole family can enjoy! If you’ve never worked with yeasted dough before, just trust the recipe and keep trying!
- Let’s start with the dough. Make sure it’s at room temperature, knead it well until it’s elastic, then let it sit for an hour or two before rolling it out.
- After you shape your desired log length and size, spread a generous amount of softened butter on top and sprinkle your mix of cinnamon and sugar over the entire surface.
- To get those fluffy mini scrolls after baking, cut the log into even pieces before arranging them inside a greased pan.
- Finally, make sure to leave enough space between rolls to account for the rising!
- It’s tempting to just dive in but give your creations some time to bake – about 20-25 minutes should do – for supremely soft and delicious homemade cinnamon rolls.
Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Apple Cinnamon Rolls are a delicious treat for any time of day. Whether you’re indulging in an early morning snack or as an afternoon pick-me-up, these rolls are melt-in-your-mouth delicious with their sweet, juicy apples and sprinkle of cinnamon.
Ingredients For The Dough
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/4 tbsp (twice) Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 1 Egg
For The Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground cloves
- 3 Apples (peeled and diced)
For The Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces Cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
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Mix together 2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl to make the dough. Mix to combine.
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Warm the milk and butter together in a bowl in the microwave for thirty seconds, until the milk is hot and the butter is mostly melted. The consistency of the mixture ought to be warm, but not hot. In order to prevent the yeast from being killed, you should wait until it has cooled down before adding it to the yeast if it is too hot. To the bowl containing the flour and butter, add the milk that has been warmed.
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To this, add the egg. After two minutes of beating at low speed, gradually increase to high speed until everything is completely combined.
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After scraping the bottom of the bowl, add another cup of flour and beat the mixture until it is combined. Slowly incorporate the remaining cup of flour into the mixture one tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
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Knead the dough for about ten minutes on a surface that has been dusted with flour until it is smooth. Then stretch a piece of the dough between your fingers without it breaking. Turn the dough out onto the surface. This indicates that the gluten has grown and that the dough you made will have a pillowy texture.
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Prepare the filling while the dough is allowed to rise. Prepare your apples by peeling, coring, and dicing them into small pieces. Put the sugar, spices, and salt into a small bowl and thoroughly combine the ingredients there. Set aside.
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When the dough has finished rising, turn it out onto a surface that has been dusted with flour. Then, roll it into a long rectangle measuring approximately 18 by 12 inches.
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The butter that will be used for the filling should be spread out to the very edge of the dough. The sugar mixture and the apple bits should be sprinkled over the butter, and then the mixture should be pressed down to ensure that it sticks to the butter.
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Beginning at the long end, roll the dough away from you into a tight roll. Pinch the dough together at the bottom edge to seal it and then continue rolling the dough.
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To divide the dough into 12 even rolls, you can either use floss or a very sharp knife. Put the rolls in a baking dish that is 9 inches by 13 inches and is lined with parchment paper. Allow the dough to rise for another hour, lightly covered with a dish towel, until it has more than doubled in size and is puffy.
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Bake the cinnamon rolls in an oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, or until they have achieved a golden brown colour and are no longer doughy. Place the baked good on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
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Make the cream cheese icing while you wait for the rolls to cool. Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla extract should be combined in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Begin beating on low speed and work your way up to high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Spread the frosting over the rolls in a uniform manner. Enjoy your apple cinnamon rolls!
- If you’ve previously had difficulties slicing your rolls, try cutting the dough with waxed, unflavored floss.
- It enables you to achieve those flawless, crisp cuts.
- Alternatively, you might split the log in half and place each half in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. This will make it easier to cut neat slices.
- The rolls will need more time to rise because they will be extremely cold.
- When creating the cinnamon filling, cream cheese frosting, and adding butter to the dough, room temperature is your friend.
- To divide up the steps, you can make the apple pie filling in advance. Additionally, you can prepare the dough up to 24 hours before shaping.
