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Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy, gooey, and the perfect breakfast, these Apple Cinnamon Rolls will become a quick favorite in your household and you will never have any leftovers.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time22 minutes
Rise Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours 2 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 616kcal

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 cup whole milk warm
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 8 Tablespoons salted butter softened and cut into tablespoon sized pieces
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
  • 2 cups bread flour

Filling:

  • 2 cups apples peeled and chopped small
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter softened

Frosting:

  • 4 Tablespoons salted butter softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoon real maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the milk, sugar, and yeast lightly with a fork.
  • Attach the paddle attachment and mix in the butter, eggs, salt, and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated, the butter will still not be fully combined.
  • Switch to a dough hook attachment and add the remaining all-purpose and bread flour. Knead on low speed for about 4-5 minutes. If your dough is still super sticky, add more all-purpose flour until you get a dough that pulls away from the sides but is still soft and slightly tacky. Do nor over flour or your cinnamon rolls will be dry.
  • Once the dough clears the sides of the bowl knead for an additional 4-5 minutes.
  • Remove the dough briefly to a clean surface and spray the bowl of the stand mixer with cooking spray and return the dough to the bowl.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 90-120 minutes.
  • While the dough rises, make the filling during the last 10 minutes of rising.
  • In a large bowl toss together the apples, brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
  • Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Once the dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured counter and roll the dough into a roughly 12x18-inch rectangle.
  • Spread the softened butter on the rolls evenly and then spread the apple mixture over the top evenly.
  • Cut into 12 equal pieces with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and roll each piece up into a cinnamon roll. Place in the prepared baking dish and cover with plastic wrap.
  • Let rise again until visibly puffy, they don’t need to double in size this time. This will take about 30-45 minutes.
  • Preheat your oven during the last 20 minutes of the second rise to 375 degrees F.
  • Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 22-25 minutes. Check them at the 15-minute mark and if the tops are browning too quickly put a piece of foil loosely over top to prevent them from going too dark.
  • Once they are golden brown and baked through, remove from the oven and let cool (uncover if you placed foil on it in the oven) for 10-15 minutes while you make the frosting.
  • In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix for 2-3 more minutes until nicely combined.
  • Frost the warm cinnamon rolls with the frosting and serve warm.

Notes

  1. If you don’t want a hint of maple flavor you can leave out the maple syrup and replace it with another 2 tablespoons of heavy cream in its place. 
  2. The amount of flour needed in yeast doughs depends a lot on the humidity and climate of your kitchen. Add just enough flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowls but is still tacky. 
  3. If you use active dry yeast instead of instant, you will need to proof the yeast in the milk and sugar first until bubbly before beginning. Your rise times may be slightly longer as well. 
  4. If you unsalted butter add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the cinnamon rolls and filling and a pinch to the frosting.
  5. We DO NOT recommend freezing this recipe.
  6. You can choose to use a mixture of bread flour and all-purpose like we do or just use one.
  7. Other apples can be used, see above for ideas.

Nutrition

Calories: 616kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 776IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg