These Apple Pie filled Cinnamon Rolls are super soft, fluffy and easy to make! Combined with all the flavours of apple pie and cinnamon rolls - and of course, topped off with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
I love a desserts—even more when it's a two in one! It's like if apple pie and cinnamon rolls had a baby. These rolls would be the baby. They're so soft and pillowy - thanks to my tried and tested, foolproof cinnamon roll dough recipe!
The brown sugar filling is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger which encapsulates my favourite apple pie filling. It cooks down beautifully with the apples, while still leaving a bit of a bite to them.
If you love cinnamon rolls in any form, try out these Raspberry Lemon Rolls, and these soft and crunchy Dutch Cinnamon Rolls - Zeeuwse Bolus!
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Why this recipe works
These rolls turn out super soft and fluffy using my Cinnamon Roll dough recipe I shared last year. It's been loved by so many people and truly is one of the best I've tried. Totally worth all the time spent perfecting it!
The first time I tested this recipe, I coated the apples with the sugar and spices before adding it to the rolls - as you would with regular apple pie.
This resulted in the filling becoming liquidy as I was slicing the rolls and was just super hard to manage. As the rolls proofed before baking, the filling was literally seeping out. Which is due to a process called osmosis, where the sugar draws water out of the apple and makes it all liquidy.
So to make it easier I added all the spices to the brown sugar—as you would with regular cinnamon rolls—and just tossed the apples with some lemon juice. Spread the apples on top of the sugar mixture and roll it up! Wayyy less leakage and the filling remained on the INSIDE, where we want it.
Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for quantities.
- Egg
- Granulated white sugar
- Butter
- Buttermilk (or use substitute below)
- Yeast
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Spices - cinnamon nutmeg, ginger
- Apples
- Lemon juice
- Heavy cream (or whipping cream)
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
Make the dough
- Combine the warm buttermilk, yeast and ½ teaspoon of sugar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and bubbly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg. Then stir in the melted butter.
- Add in the yeast mixture and mix until combined.
- Gradually mix in the flour and salt, kneading until smooth and elastic where it passes the windowpane test - can be stretched thin enough to see light through it, without tearing. Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl until doubled (1.5-3 hrs).
Filling, assemble & bake
- Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a bowl. Toss the diced apples with lemon juice and set aside.
- Punch the dough down and roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 16x14". Spread an even layer of butter over the dough, then sprinkle and press the cinnamon sugar mixture into the surface. Layer the apples evenly on top.
- Roll into a log - along the length. Cut into 12 pieces using floss, thread or a serrated knife, and place in a greased 9x13" pan. Let rise until doubled (1-1.5 hrs).
- Pour warm cream over rolls and bake at 345°F for 20-25 mins. Cool slightly.
- Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and warm milk until smooth. Optional: Add lemon zest for brightness. Spread over slightly warm rolls. Store airtight for 2 days or refrigerate up to a week.
Hint: Don't be tempted to add more flour to the dough. It's designed to be higher hydration and kind of sticky/tacky - which ultimately results in super soft rolls!
Substitutions
- Buttermilk - If you don't have it on hand, don't worry! Simply take 1.5 cups of milk (354mL) and remove 1.5 tablespoon (22ml) of the milk from it. Replace it with 1.5 tablespoon (22ml) of vinegar, stir and let it sit and thicken for 5-10 minutes.
Variations
- Spices - Feel free to add YOUR favourite apple pie spices or additions you love in your apple pie!
- Frosting - You can omit the frosting if you'd like or even replace it with a caramel sauce if you prefer. Or even a caramel cream cheese frosting!
- Caramel frosting - add a couple tablespoons of caramel to the cream cheese frosting and mix until combined!
Storage
Store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If stored in the refrigerator, they can last up to 5 days to a week.
You can also freeze baked rolls for up to three months, in an airtight container or bag.
Top Tip
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: This helps the dough to mix more evenly and rise properly. Make sure your egg, butter, and buttermilk are all at room temperature before you start.
- Knead the dough enough: The dough should be kneaded until it’s smooth and tacky. It might stick to your hands initially, but it should come off cleanly when you pull your fingers away. Use the windowpane test to check if the dough is ready: stretch a piece of dough thin enough to see light through it without tearing.
- If kneading by hands: The dough may be a bit too sticky to work with. Try not to add too much flour to it because this will impact the softness because there will be a lower hydration. Try not to add more than ¼ cup or 69g.
FAQ
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by taking the same amount of milk, take out 1.5 tablespoon of milk and warm it up to 100℉ (not any hotter). Add in 1.5 tablespoon of vinegar and let it sit for a little bit and then mix in the yeast. It'll be lumpy but don't worry, that's what you need.
If your dough isn’t rising, it could be due to a few reasons:
- The yeast may be expired or not properly activated.
- The buttermilk might have been too hot or too cold. If too hot, the yeast is dead.
- The rising environment may be too cold. Try placing the dough in a warm, draft-free area.
Yes, you can prepare the rolls ahead of time. Roll and cut the rolls as instructed and place in the baking pan. Cover and leave out at room temp for 30 minutes. Then place in the fridge overnight, covered TIGHTLY. You don't want them to dry out. 2-3 hours before baking, take them out and let them come to room temp and rise a bit more. Once they've risen (like touching each other in the pan), bake as instructed!
Absolutely! After baking the rolls, don't frost them. Place them in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, heat them in the microwave until warm and soft. Or reheat in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes or until fully defrosted, and warm.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 large egg room temp
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- ⅓ cup butter, melted (74g)
- 1½ cup buttermilk*1 - 354mL warmed- 100℉
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (552g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 3-4 tablespoon butter, softened (42-56g)
- 1 cup brown sugar (200g)
- 2½ tablespoon ground cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped apples (250g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- About ¾ cup - heavy cream, warmed - for pouring on top before baking (185mL)
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoon butter (28g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted (104g)
- 1-2 tablespoon milk warmed
- a bit of lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Warm up the buttermilk to 95-100℉. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of sugar and the yeast and mix well. Let rest for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is foamy and bubbly.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugar and egg. Mix in the melted butter.
- Once yeast mixture is foamy, pour it into the mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined
- Add the flour and salt and knead until a smooth, tacky dough forms. It will stick to your hands when you touch it but when you pull your fingers away, it'll come off clean, wont stay. This will take 10-20 minutes by hand and 4-6 minutes with a stand mixture. But don't use time as a reference. Take a piece of the dough and stretch it out until its thin enough to see light through it without breaking. If it breaks, knead it for a few more minutes until it passes this window pane test.
- Once kneaded, place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let it rest in a warm place until it rises, about double in size. Depending on your climate and temperature, it can take anywhere from 1.5-3 hours.
Filling
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
- Cut and toss the apples with the lemon juice and set aside.
- Once the dough as risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 16x14" wide.
- Smear the butter all over the dough using a spatula. It should be a pretty even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the buttered surface and spread evenly with your hands. I like to use a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough by rolling it in.
- Spread the chopped apples in an even layer over the sugar.
- Roll up the dough on the long side, into a long log and pinch the bottom edge to seal it. Using a serrated knife/unflavoured dental floss/sewing thread, cut the log into 12 even pieces.
- Butter or line a 9x13 inch pan and place the rolls in it, evenly spaced. Cover the pan and leave it to rest until the rolls are doubled and touching each other- about 1-½ hours. (Preheat the oven to 345℉ when the rolls are almost done rising)
- Once the rolls have risen, warm up the heavy cream and pour all over evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take out and let them cool slightly.
Make the Frosting
- While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Pour in a tablespoon of warm milk and mix together. It should be a slightly thick frosting. If you need some more milk, add some more
- Optional step- I like to add a little bit of lemon zest to brighten up the frosting. Mix thoroughly.
- Smear the frosting evenly all over the warm rolls and serve.
- Place the rolls in an airtight container for a couple days or up to a week in the fridge.
Gina Vincent Vincent says
Can these be made ahead of time and frozen?
Kelsey says
This recipe yields very delicious cinnamon rolls, however when you’re dealing with fresh fruit, you’re going to have leakage no matter what you do. And that’s what ended up happening to mine when following this recipe—especially since I needed to put them in the fridge overnight. The bottom of the pan was coated in sticky cinnamon apple syrup, and the bottoms of the rolls were wet.
Next time, I will try either coating the chopped apples in flour, or pre-cooking them before adding them to the filling. I use both of these methods when baking apple pie, so they should also work for cinnamon rolls.