Apple Cinnamon Rolls

by Sofi | Broma Bakery

Did someone say fall?! These soft and fluffy apple cinnamon rolls have all your favorite flavors of fall wrapped up in a buttery homemade cinnamon roll.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

The only thing better than an ooey, gooey, hot, homemade cinnamon roll is an ooey, gooey, hot, homemade APPLE cinnamon roll. These perfectly spiced cinnamon rolls are loaded up with fresh, juicy apples and topped with a luscious cream cheese icing. We’ll be making these fall cinnamon rolls all apple season long!

What ingredients do you need to these fall cinnamon rolls?

These fall cinnamon rolls call for some extra spices (and of course apples), but most of the other ingredients are pantry staples! Here’s your shopping list:

• All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is perfect for creating a pillowy soft, tender, slightly bready dough. I’ve also had success making these with bread flour, but I find bread flour makes them a bit chewier!
• Granulated Sugar: You’ll need a little granulated sugar to active the yeast and also to sweeten your dough slightly!
• Instant Yeast: We usually use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise for these homemade cinnamon rolls, but any rapid instant yeast will work here! You can also use regular active yeast and double the rise times!
• Butter: You’ll need butter for both the cinnamon roll dough and the cream cheese frosting. We prefer using unsalted butter so you can control how much salty is going into your baked goods! That being said, if all you have on hand is salted butter that will work totally fine too!
• Milk: Any kind of milk will work in this recipe, but for a super soft, buttery dough we recommend using whole milk!
• Eggs: These homemade cinnamon rolls are an enriched dough, meaning the recipe calls for eggs. The eggs will give your dough a soft structure!
• Spices: Of course all cinnamon rolls need…well, cinnamon. To give these apple cinnamon rolls the signature spiced apple flavors of fall you’ll need ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves too! You can also swap it out for apple pie spice if you prefer!
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is the perfect, caramel-y, soft sugar to use for your cinnamon sugar filling. You can feel free to use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, but you we do not recommend subbing it out for granulated sugar–it won’t melt in the same way!
• Cream Cheese: In my opinion it’s not a cinnamon roll if its not absolutely smothered in cream cheese frosting. It’s imperative that you use room temperature cream cheese to get that nice creamy, smooth consistency.
• Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar to sweeten and thicken your cream cheese frosting.

How to turn your favorite cinnamon rolls into apple cinnamon rolls?

Add a little extra fall spice and in-season apples to your classic cinnamon roll filling and you’ll have yourself the perfect apple cinnamon roll. Simply load the cinnamon sugar filling up with classic apple pie spices like ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves. and juicy fresh apples. The result is a perfectly spiced way to start the day 🙂

What kind of apples should you use to make these apple cinnamon rolls?

You can make these apple cinnamon rolls with pretty much any kind of apple, but of course we have our favorites. For a tarter flavor, Granny Smith apples are great because they hold their shape and maintain a little crunch even when baked. If you prefer a sweeter apple, Pink Lady, Gala, and Honey Crisp are some of our favorites! We don’t recommend McIntosh apples (even though they are delicious for eating), because they tend to break down quickly when cooked!

Tips for making homemade cinnamon rolls

If you’re new to yeasted dough, follow the recipe closely, trust the process, and keep at it!

• Use high quality ingredients: You saw the shopping list–cinnamon rolls use just a few, basic ingredients, so their quality will really shine through in the finished product. Use good butter, real cream cheese and high quality cinnamon!
• Don’t over bake them: I think we can all agree that the best part of a cinnamon roll is the gooey, slightly under baked center. It’s a fine line between over baked and too doughy, so keep an eye on them in the last 10 minutes of baking and remember that they will continue to bake as they cool!
• Eat them warm: Cinnamon rolls are best hot from the oven (duh.), but don’t worry if you have leftovers that you want to enjoy later. Simply pop your cinnamon roll in the microwave for 20 seconds to get it gooey and warm again!

Happy cinnamon roll baking!

XXX

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 1 hour
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 4 hours
• Yield 12 rolls
• Category breakfast
• Method yeasted
• Cuisine american

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Did someone say fall?! These soft and fluffy apple cinnamon rolls have all your favorite flavors of fall wrapped up in a buttery homemade cinnamon roll.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 11 reviews

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 1 hour
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 4 hours
• Yield 12 rolls
• Category breakfast
• Method yeasted
• Cuisine american

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 1 hour
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 4 hours
• Yield 12 rolls
• Category breakfast
• Method yeasted
• Cuisine american

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Ingredients

Units USM

for the dough

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

for the apple filling

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 small apples, peeled and diced

For the cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 - 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. First, make the dough. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix 2 cups of the flour with the granulated sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt on low speed until combined.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the milk and butter until the mixture is warm to the touch and the butter is mostly melted, about 45 seconds (you don’t want the mixture to be steaming or too hot, as this can kill the yeast).
3. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add in the egg. Beat everything together on low speed until combined. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. The dough will look more like batter, but this is correct! This step kicks off the gluten development.
4. After 2 minutes, change to the dough hook attachment. Add in an additional 1 ½ cups of flour and knead on low speed until combined. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour (totaling 4 ½ cups) and knead on low speed, stopping the mixer occasionally to re-disperse the dough, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hook.
5. Increase to medium-low speed and knead until the dough becomes smooth and supple, about 10 minutes. If the dough gets wrapped around the hook too much, turn off the mixer, pull the dough off, flip it over, and turn on the mixer again. The dough is ready when you can stretch a quarter-sized piece of dough between your fingers and see light through it (without it breaking). This means the gluten has developed enough. If your dough breaks, knead for a few minutes more and try again.
6. Transfer the dough to a large lightly-oiled bowl and cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
7. Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a long rectangle about 18 x 12-inches on a well floured surface.
8. Next, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Stir to combine.
9. Using your hands or a silicone spatula, spread the softened butter for the filling all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture all over the butter and use your fingers to spread it into the butter. Top with the diced apples.
10. From the 18-inch wide side closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Press the dough along the outside seam to seal everything together. Use a very sharp knife or floss to cut the dough into 12 even rolls. Place the rolls in a 9 x 13-inch inch pan lined with parchment paper on all sides. Cover the pan with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the towel or plastic wrap and bake the rolls until they are golden brown all over, about 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire cooling rack to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
12. While the rolls cool, make the cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of the milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed until combined, then gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. If the frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk and beat to combine. Spread the icing evenly over the slightly warm rolls. Enjoy warm!

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Equipment

wire rack

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sharp knife

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mixing bowl

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9 x 13 inch pan

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parchment paper sheets

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stand mixer

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• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 1 hour
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 4 hours
• Yield 12 rolls
• Category breakfast
• Method yeasted
• Cuisine american