Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls
My OG easy cinnamon rolls
are truly so easy to make that I can’t help myself in creating variation after variation. I mean, when they are truly this easy and only take 30 minutes to make, why not?!
These particular apple cinnamon rolls just so happen to be the perfect variation for a cozy morning treat on a cold fall or winter morning, or even a perfect Thanksgiving morning breakfast. With a few ingredient swaps and additions, they instantly taste, and smell, like fall in the form of a cinnamon roll and it almost feels like each bite is a buttery, flaky, cinnamon-y apple pie filled bite of epic deliciousness.
Yup, there’s definitely a lot of butter and some cream in there to contribute to those delicious bites (but butter and nutrition information don’t count for cozy treats and/or holidays right?!). And of course, there are plenty of apples in the filling. But the other key ingredient that really makes these cinnamon rolls special is the addition of apple butter. It perfectly enhances the apple taste and really just works to boost the all around warm, spiced fall flavor of these breakfast treats.
And, just like my other cinnamon roll recipe, you don’t have wait hours to indulge in these, which trust me, when something smells this good, waiting is the last thing you’ll want to do. But these are ready in 30 minutes, with no kneading or rising time. So basically by the time you whip them up, make the frosting, brew a hot pot of coffee, they’ll be good to go and you’ll be enjoying an apple cinnamon roll faster than you can say “apple cinnamon roll”.
Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Rolls
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
1 batch of this pizza dough
All-purpose, for rolling out dough (no more than 1/2-1 cups flour, depending on how sticky the dough is)
1/4 cup heavy cream
FILLING
6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons apple butter
2 small appleS OR 1 large apple
FROSTING
2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons apple butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider (optional, use to thin out frosting if it’s too thick)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out the dough until the dough is smooth and roughly the shape of a rectangle that is approximately 1/4” thick.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, apple butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined and soft and fluffy (see notes for an alternative method). Dice apple into small pieces.
Spread the butter mixture evenly across the rolled dough, leaving about a 1/4” of space around the edge. Sprinkle the apples evenly across the top.
Then, starting on one of the long sides, gently, but tightly, roll the dough into a log. Use a serrated knife to cut the log in half, then in half again and then in half once more, to equal 8 rolls.
Place the rolls, cut side down, in a baking dish {approximately 10” in diameter}. Drizzle with 1/4 cup heavy cream {This helps the rolls to stay moist and the bottoms to get all golden brown and caramelized}. Bake the rolls for 17-18 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and they sound slightly hollow when you gently tap on them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of stand mixer, beat together the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, apple butter, and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Feel free to add a little apple cider if it’s too thick.
Once the rolls have cooled slightly, slather in frosting…then promptly devour them, preferably with a hot cup of coffee.
For the best apple cinnamon roll experience, serve warm, fresh from the oven. However, they won’t taste totally terrible the next day, either. Then again, can anything with this much butter and cream really ever taste terrible the next day?! ;)
NOTES
The best apples to use are the ones you have on hand. I personally love Gala apples but truly any will do. It’s also a great way to use up apples that might be a little older or starting to get mushy. Since the apples will be getting cooked, you won’t even notice that they were mushy to begin with.
For the filling, if you don’t have brown sugar, you can use coconut sugar {but it will add a bit of a coconut flavor to the profile} or you can use granulated sugar, it just won’t caramelize as much.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, or just want another method to make the filling, here’s what you can do. Melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, set aside to cool. Then, in a small bowl, mix together the filling ingredients, including the brown sugar, cinnamon, apple butter and melted butter. You also mix in the apple pieces, as well, to make the filling even easier so that it’s just one thing you’re spreading out onto the dough, or you can proceed with the recipe as is, spreading on the butter mixture then sprinkling on the diced apple.
The beauty of these rolls is that they are quick, simple and easy. No need for kneading or letting things rise until doubled in size, etc. That being said, if you need to break the steps up for whatever reason, it’s totally fine to make the dough, then set it aside and let it rise for an hour or two, and same once the rolls are assembled. Just cover loosely with a towel and set aside until you’re ready to bake them. I wouldn’t let them set any longer than 2 hours and wait to pour the cream on top until right before putting them in the oven to bake.
Cream cheese frosting is also great on these rolls so if you prefer that, I suggest the one from this recipe. I also suggest mixing in 2 tablespoons of apple butter (like the original frosting included with this recipe) to compliment the apple filling and really round out/emphasize the delicious flavor profiles of these apple cinnamon rolls.
For a pan, you can use a baking dish, a pie pan, a cake pan, a cheesecake pan or a cast iron skillet. Be creative and use what you have on hand, just try to make sure it it’s roughly in the 9”-10” in diameter range. If it’s smaller, your rolls won’t rise as much and will take longer to cook and if it’s bigger, the rolls will spread out too much and cook faster. Additionally, I prefer to cook my rolls in a cast iron skillet because it allows the bottoms to get extra caramelized and ooey, gooey aka basically just extra decadent and delicious.
You can make the frosting 24 hours in advance. Just cover it, store in the refrigerator and allow it to soften to room temperature before using it.