Nothing says autumn like cinnamon rolls, right?
And how about APPLE cinnamon rolls?
Imagine this. Soft and fluffy bread with sweet tart soft apple chunks together with heavenly smell cinnamon sugar and covered with creamy cream cheese glaze.
Sounds good to you? Well it sounds wonderful to me.
Let's get started!
What Apples To Use
For these apple cinnamon rolls, I like to use Granny Smith apples.
Granny Smith apples have that sweet and tart taste to them and they are just perfect to balance out the sweetness from both the rolls and the glaze.
They also hold their shape well while baking. Besides, they are easy to find everywhere.
But if for some reason you can't find Granny Smith apples, first try to find apples that have similar characteristics to Granny Smith. Or if you prefer your cinnamon rolls filling to be sweeter, you can always use Pink Ladies or Galas.
To Cook Or Not To Cook The Apples
This is a matter of preference, I guess.
I know I'm just a bit particular when it comes to cooking and baking. I can't help it.
Some just dice their apples and use them raw in their cinnamon rolls filling.
Personally for me I prefer to cook the apples first, even just for a few minutes. This is so that the apples get soft (not mushy, just soft) and I eliminate the liquid from the apples when cooking them. This will help the rolls not to be so soggy later, in my opinion.
Like I mentioned, it's all about preferences. You do whatever is convenient to you.
Soft Fluffy Rolls
How I wish you could taste the rolls yourself.
They are super soft and fluffy and I am not cinnamon sugar coating you.
The dough is super easy to do. I like to use my Kitchenaid because it makes kneading faster and I can do other things meanwhile.
You can definitely knead it by hand. I kneaded all my bread doughs by hands for years before with no problem. And then I got lazy and that's where the KA comes in.
Cream Cheese Glazing
Yep. Not just glazing my friend, it's cream cheese glazing.
Just by a small quantity, it takes the rolls to another level of yumminess. And since these are apple cinnamon rolls after all, abundance of glazing is highly recommended.
One thing though, glaze the rolls when they are still hot. That way the glaze will get inside the rolls and that my friend, is what we want.
Like always, I hope you will give this apple cinnamon rolls a try. They are just perfect for small gatherings or events.
Before You Go
If you're not into apple cinnamon rolls, you can check out my classic cinnamon rolls with walnuts.
Or if you want you can also check out my other delicious bread recipes:
- Cinnamon chocolate chip roll bread
- Raspberry twisted buns
- Clementine and pecan sticky buns
- Apple stuffed buns
- Swedish cardamom pistachio buns
Video
Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
The Rolls
- ½ cup warm water (125 ml)
- 2 tablespoon honey (40 gr)
- 1 ¾ teaspoon dry yeast (5 gr)
- 2 cup bread flour (260 gr)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk , room temperature
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (45 gr), melted
- zest of 1 orange
The Apple Filling
- 2 Granny Smith apples , peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15 gr)
The Cinnamon Sugar
- 3 tablespoon sugar (35 gr)
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar (40 gr)
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (30 gr), softened for spreading
The Cream Cheese Glazing
- 3 oz cream cheese (80 gr)
- 1 cup icing sugar (120 gr), sifted
- 2 tablespoon milk , or as your desired consistency
Other
- some melted butter , for brushing
Instructions
The Rolls
- Mix honey with warm water, sprinkle dry yeast and leave for 3-5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- In a standing mixer bowl, add in the rest of the bread ingredients including yeast mixture. Mix to incorporate and then knead for 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl and cover it tightly with a cling film. Leave until the dough rises double its size.
The Apple Filling
- Place all the apple filling ingredients in a pan and cook on medium heat until the apple is soft (not mushy) and the liquid evaporates. Set aside to completely cool before using.
The Cinnamon Sugar
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Assembling
- Once doubled in size, place the dough on a lightly floured working surface. Lightly press into a square and then roll it into an 11 inch (28 cm) square.
- Spread 2 tablespoon softened butter evenly followed by cinnamon sugar. Then put the apple filling on top. Now roll the dough tightly into a log. Then cut it into 9 equal pieces and place them in a 8 inch (20 cm) buttered square pan. Cover loosely with a cling film and leave to puff up a bit, around 20 minutes. Then brush with some melted butter.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC) for 30 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from the oven.
- Prepare the cream cheese glazing by mixing cream cheese and icing sugar. Add milk to loosen it up to your desired consistency. While the rolls are still hot, pour the glaze on top. Enjoy!
Marina Chen says
I made these and they turned out really well. Yummy and soft! Great recipe!
Bea says
Awesome, thank you so much for your feedback Marina!
Alicia Gatica says
Great Job. Love your recipe. easy and delicious, but no apples, instead made a roll with crush walnuts, and another with nutella spread and walnuts, turn out delicious and soft, great job. thanks so much.
Bea says
Oh that sounds delicious, Alicia. I'm happy that you gave this recipe a try, thank you so much for your feedback. Do check around here and see if there's something else you'd like.
Hau Cheeng Choong says
This is nice too. Love it. 😊😊
Bea says
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment! 🙂
Sara says
can you make this using instant dry yeast/acrive dry yeast? These look amazing!!!
Bea says
Yes, of course. No problem!
Emilio Gomez says
Is it instant active yeast or regular yeast
Bea says
It's the regular yeast 🙂
June says
Made these cinnamon rolls on thriday for friends at a club l go to just loved theme ask to make more.for nixtweek
Rosey says
Thanks so much for sharing the recipes! Can't wait to try it myself. Just hope it will turn out same taste as yours. haha!
Bea says
Do try! And I hope you'll like it as much as we do! Thanks Rosey!
Tharani says
Hi,
thank you so much for all you recipes! Am amazed at your level of commitment and passion towards cooking and you are not stingy with your information at all 🙂
Bea says
Thank you for your kind words Tharani! XOXO
Kristen Gray says
Hello!
Can I make the cinnamon rolls the night before, cover in plastic and refrigerate until the next morning to bake fresh?
Thank you!
Bea says
Hi Kristen! I've never kept them overnight before but I looked for info and it seems that it's possible. Just wrap them tightly with cling film before putting in the fridge. The next day bring them out to room temperature and let the rolls double in size before baking. Let me know how it turns out if you tried it. Thanks!