Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
If you’re in the market for a breakfast that will have your whole house smelling like a cinnamon apple Fall candle, this is the recipe for you! When I set about to make these rolls, I knew I wanted them to be absolutely stuffed with cinnamon butter and brown sugar apples. Like, falling apart in front of your eyes, smothered in more icing than should be humanly possible, overflowing in the pan kind of stuffed. You could say that this recipe was an experiment in just how much filling you could put in a cinnamon roll before it becomes something other than a cinnamon roll.
And they did not disappoint, let me tell you. When I was slicing these up before I baked them, I thought “Okay, you really might have overdone it.” But, after they were allowed to rise, bake, and be pulled from the oven, they had gone through the most delicious transformation. They were BIG. They were FULL. And they smelled INSANELY GOOD. While they couldn’t be called the most beautiful, uniform, “Cover of Taste of Home Magazine” cinnamon rolls the world has ever seen, they were definitely still cinnamon rolls, and they were definitely the best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten, let alone baked in my own oven. Mission complete to say the least.
These cinnamon rolls used my classic “Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls” dough, but are filled with double the cinnamon butter and a whole lot of sauteed, brown sugar apples. They’re warm, and spiced, and gooey in all the ways you want a cinnamon roll to be on a cool, Fall morning.
If you find yourself hankering for a cinnamon roll like that, I strongly urge you to give these a try (and don’t get too frustrated if they’re a little messy to throw together.. The best things in life usually are). Roll up your sleeves, crank up your favorite Fall playlist, and happy baking!
With love,
Your Baker, Hannah
Convinced it’s time for some homemade cinnamon rolls? Here’s a grocery list of everything you’re gonna need!
Ingredients for Homemade Apple Cinnamon Rolls:
Milk
Dry active yeast
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Butter
All-purpose flour
Salt
Heavy cream
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Honeycrisp apples
Corn starch
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
(To make it even easier, you can hit the “Get Ingredients” button inside the recipe, and these items will be added straight to your shopping cart at the grocery store of your choice.)
Substitute Ingredients
Milk: Almond milk or any plant-based milk can be used in place of regular milk.
Brown Sugar: Coconut sugar or white sugar mixed with molasses works as a substitute.
Honeycrisp Apples: Any semi-tart apples, like Pink Lady or Gala, can replace Honeycrisp.
Corn Starch: Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch can be used as a thickening agent.
Cream Cheese: Greek yogurt or mascarpone can serve as a substitute for cream cheese in the frosting) (If using Greek yogurt, just leave out the heavy cream so the frosting doesn’t get too runny)
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Step-By-Step Summary for Baking Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls:
To start making your Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls, first prepare the dough. Warm the milk, then combine it with yeast and sugar, letting it sit until foamy. Add eggs, melted butter, flour, and salt, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead until smooth and let rise until doubled in size.
Next, prepare the cinnamon and apple fillings. Mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the filling, and cook diced apples with butter, sugar, and spices until softened. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread the cinnamon filling, and spoon on the apple filling before rolling tightly.
Cut the rolls and place them in a greased baking dish, allowing them to rise again.
Finally, bake the rolls and pour heavy cream around them before placing them in the oven. Once baked and golden, cool slightly before spreading cream cheese frosting on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
How to Bake the Fluffiest Cinnamon Rolls:
To ensure fluffy cinnamon rolls, avoid over-kneading the dough. Let it rise properly until it doubles in size. Adding heavy cream before baking helps keep them moist.
How to Prevent Your Cinnamon Rolls from Losing Their Shape:
When rolling the dough, make sure to roll tightly without squishing it. Cutting the rolls with a sharp knife or dental floss will help maintain their shape.
How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls to Bake Later:
To freeze cinnamon rolls, prepare them up to the point before baking. Place the unbaked rolls in a greased dish, cover them with plastic wrap, and freeze. When ready to bake, let them thaw in the fridge overnight and allow them to rise for 30-45 minutes before baking.
Recipe for Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls:
Apple Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat your milk in the microwave or on the stove until it is warm to the touch (around 100-110 degrees F), but not hot. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer and add sugar and yeast. Stir and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until yeast has gotten foamy.
- Add egg, butter, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture, and turn your mixer on low until the dough has come together into a shaggy ball.
- Turn your mixer up to medium speed and continue to knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is in a smooth ball and is only slightly sticky (you do not want it heavily sticking to your hands or the mixing bowl).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Let the dough rise for 1-1 ½ hours at room temperature until doubled in size.
- While your dough is rising, proceed to making your fillings.
- In a small mixing bowl, place your room-temperature butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Using a mixing spoon, vigorously stir the filling mixture until it is smooth, and no lumps of butter remain.
- Once smooth, set the mixture aside until it is time to assemble and begin preparing your apple filling.
- Begin by placing your butter and diced apples into a large pot, and cooking them on the stove over medium heat until the butter has melted and the apples have begun to soften slightly.
- Once softened, add in your brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and corn starch, and continue to cook over medium heat until the apples have released their juice and filling has thickened slightly.
- Once thickened, remove your filling from the heat and set it aside to cool until it is time to assemble.
- Using an electric hand mixer, begin mixing the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Once smooth, add in your powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and mix until the frosting has come together and is fluffy.
- Once your fillings are made and your dough has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap from your dough, and lightly punch it down to remove the excess air. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10-inch x 24-inch rectangle, and evenly spread the cinnamon filling over the surface with a butterknife or an offset spatula, leaving about a 1-inch border around the edge of the dough.
- Once the cinnamon butter has been evenly spread, spoon on spoonfuls of your apple filling to cover the cinnamon filling, and spread it.
- Next, starting on the 24-inch side of your rectangle, roll up the dough tightly. Place the roll seam-side-down, and cut it into 10 (roughly) 2 1/2 inch sections with a sharp kitchen knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss (don't fret if it gets a little messy. Just try to keep as much filling into the rolls as you can). Place the cut rolls in a greased 9x13 baking dish, and cover them with any cinnamon apple filling that escaped as you were cutting the rolls. Allow the rolls to rise for 30-45 minutes.
- After they have risen, preheat your oven to 350°F and pour 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream around the rolls (into the bottom of the baking dish. This is what makes these rolls so moist and delicious.) Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown and bubbly.
- Once fully baked, remove the rolls from the oven, and allow them to cool for about 15-20 minutes while you make your cream cheese frosting. While still warm, even spread your cream cheese frosting over the rolls, allowing it to ooze down the sides and cover the entire rolls. Serve warm, and enjoy!
- NOTE: If you notice a layer of melted butter has separated out of your rolls when you remove them from the oven, don't stress. You can either use a paper towel to absorb the butter where you see it pooling, or you can allow the rolls to cool, and they will re-absorb the butter. These rolls are meant to be extra buttery and soft!
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