Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These soft and sweet apple cinnamon rolls are a wonderful, cozy fall treat that will fill your house with the warmth and beautiful smell of buttery sweet rolls, brown sugar, apples, and cinnamon.

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I love baking always, but I especially love baking in the fall. There is just something so cozy about baking something special in the morning on a chilly fall morning. As you work to knead the dough, and slice the apples amongst the falling leaves out your window, you can be sure that these apple cinnamon rolls are going to warm up your house and arouse your senses as you bake them for your family!

These make a big pan (12 cinnamon rolls!), so enjoy some for your own family and pass some along to a neighbor this season. You never know what joy this treat might bring to someone else!

Table of Contents

• Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Steps to Making the Apple Cinnamon Rolls
  • STEP ONE: PREPARE THE DOUGH
  • STEP TWO: PREPARE THE FILLING
  • STEP THREE: ROLL AND CUT THE APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS
  • STEP FOUR: BAKE THE APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS AND PREPARE THE GLAZE
• Why do the Apple Cinnamon Rolls Need to Rise Twice?
• Helpful Tools for Baking:
• Printable Recipe
• Save this Recipe
• More Cozy Treats to Make

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Rolls

You’ll want to use wholesome, real ingredients for these cinnamon rolls to help them really be amazing.

• Whole Milk: We really like the creamy texture of whole milk, which we are lucky enough to get from our family milk cow. The milk will contribute to the texture and fluffiness of these apple cinnamon rolls.
• Yeast (dry and active): The leavening agent
• Eggs: To help build texture of the rolls
• Butter: For flavor and texture
• White Granulated Sugar: As a sweetener
• Apples: A sweet firm apple, like McIntosh Red, are delicious in this recipe!
• Flour: The flour brings everything together for structure
• Brown Sugar: For flavor
• Cinnamon: For flavor
• Cream Cheese: The cream cheese will serve as the base for the apple cinnamon roll frosting
• Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the frosting
• Vanilla: For flavoring the frosting and rolls (we use our own homemade vanilla. (Find the recipe for homemade vanilla here)

Steps to Making the Apple Cinnamon Rolls

The whole process is pretty easy, though it does take some time as these apple cinnamon rolls require two rising periods.

STEP ONE: PREPARE THE DOUGH

1. Warm your milk to a lukewarm temperature. You’ll want it to be warm, but definitely not hot. The warmth of the milk is what will help activate the yeast.
2. Whisk in the eggs, butter, and sugar. Mix completely.
3. Slowly add in the flour, one cup at a time. The amount of flour that you actually use will vary based on how your dough feels. You’ll be looking for a dough that is tacky, but not sticky. It should not be covering/sticking all over your hands after kneading it, but it should still be a tacky texture. Finding the perfect dough consistency takes some practice and trial and error, but once you figure out what it feels like exactly, you’ll remember forever!
4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, adding more flour in as needed (if it becomes too sticky). Knead your dough into a rounded ball, then return to a greased bowl to allow it to rise. A good way to get your bread to rise quickly is by placing your dough in a sunny spot in the house, or turning the oven onto the lowest temperature, then once it’s preheated, turn it off and place the dough inside to rise. If the temperature is too hot, it will kill the yeast and no rising action will happen at all! You want a warm, dark place to allow the rising to happen.
5. Allow the dough to double in size. This should take between 20-30 minutes. Don’t think that a longer rise is better- it’s not. The longer the rise, the more airy the cinnamon rolls will be. We want a chewy, gooey texture, so just allow the dough to rise long enough to double.

STEP TWO: PREPARE THE FILLING

1. Now that the dough is risen and a fluffy ball of air, you’ll want to punch it down.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a few times to remove any air bubbles that might have formed.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a long rectangle. If you have a cookie sheet, that can work great for this!
4. Roll your dough out to be about 1/2 inch thick. A little more or a little less won’t hurt anything, but around the 1/2 inch mark is your goal.
5. Spread your softened butter on the dough, covering it completely.
6. Next, mix your cinnamon and sugar together.
7. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mix generously over the entire buttered dough.
8. Lastly, spread your diced apples across the dough evenly.

STEP THREE: ROLL AND CUT THE APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS

1. As tightly as you can, roll the cinnamon rolls up. You’ll want to roll the long side up towards the other long side of your rectangle.
2. Using a very sharp knife, cut your cinnamon rolls into 12 equal pieces. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to cut the log in half, then cut each half into thirds, then cut the thirds in half. This helps keep the rolls about the same size.
3. Place the rolls in your gently greased cast iron pan or 13×9 inch glass dish. Be sure to leave a little room for rising within the pan. I always end up using two cast iron pans to complete this, but you can always do your apple cinnamon rolls in batches.
4. Cover your apple cinnamon rolls with a towel, and allow them to rise for about 15-20 minutes or until they are almost doubled in size.
5. After they’ve risen, pour the milk over the top of the rolls, allowing it to fill in the cracks of the rolls.

STEP FOUR: BAKE THE APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS AND PREPARE THE GLAZE

1. Bake the apple cinnamon rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Watch your rolls carefully. They should sound hollow when you tap them when they are done and be slightly tanned.
2. As the cinnamon rolls bake and fill your kitchen with a heavenly aroma, you’ll want to prepare the frosting glaze.
3. Using a hand mixer, mix together your cream cheese, vanilla, butter, powdered sugar, and water. You will want a glaze that is spreadable, so you’ll add more or less water depending on the consistency of the frosting.
4. Spread the glaze over the top of the warm rolls, allowing it to melt into all of the cracks and crevices.
5. Dive in! These apple cinnamon rolls are amazing fresh and warm from the oven.

Why do the Apple Cinnamon Rolls Need to Rise Twice?

This is a great question! Basically the rising that is happening is the by-product of the yeast actively working. When you mix yeast into your dough, the yeast begins feeding on the flour, specifically the sugars in the flour. This yeast feast causes a release of carbon dioxide, which then creates the rising of the dough as it fills up with this air. When you punch the dough down after the first rise, you’re giving the yeast more time to work and break down the flour, which creates the lighter and chewier texture you’re familiar with when you eat leavened breads and baked goods! Interesting, right?!

Helpful Tools for Baking:

• 13×9 Glass Baking Dish or Cast Iron Pans
• Rolling Pin
• Hand Mixer
• Pastry Brush
• Mixing Bowls
• An apron is helpful! Isn’t this one adorable?!

Printable Recipe

Get the printable recipe below.

Save this Recipe

You’ll want to save this recipe so you can make it again and again throughout the fall season!

More Cozy Treats to Make

Check out more of my sweet treat recipes here!