Make this apple pie cinnamon rolls recipe and watch how quickly they disappear! These ooey gooey cinnamon rolls, are a level up from your classic cinnamon rolls, with a buttery, flaky crust and that easy, velvety browned butter maple cream cheese frosting...? Obsessed! These babies are the ideal treat for a cozy weekend, on Christmas morning, or after dinner party dessert.
I can't think of anything better to bake than a warm cinnamon roll smothered in a scrumptious cream cheese frosting this time of year—except maybe a perfect apple pie. So why not combine them? This apple cinnamon roll recipe brings all the cozy vibes of both, y'all!
I wanted to bring y'all a cinnamon roll recipe that would be easy, didn't require a whole lot of time, and would be insanely delicious.
We have 1 rise cinnamon rolls for the dough, infusing it with vanilla, apple pie spice, and flecks of orange zest. Then filling the rolls with chopped canned apple pie filling. What?! Not homemade?!
I mean you can use homemade apple pie filling, but let's call this semi-homemade, shall we?
Semi-Homemade with Eden. No Kwanzaa Cake, though. Just easy apple pie cinnamon rolls.
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Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling? A Fall Must!
These rolls were a labor of love to develop for me. For one, I used Sally's dough recipe (it's one I've used many times) but I adapted it for the stand mixer, and gave it a little fall-time flavor with a touch of orange zest and apple pie spices.
Then I figured out how to work the apple filling, it needed to be blitzed a bit with an immersion blender. I didn't want it to be applesauce texture, but it needed to be able to spread thin enough that the rolls could roll up tightly and not be a sloppy mess that falls apart (I had that happen twice).
So we end up with a pillowy cinnamon roll that's perfectly spiced, filled with small chunks of apple pie filling, and then smothered in cream cheese frosting whipped up nutty browned butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
This recipe makes a pretty nice sized batch of that luscious cream cheese glaze because I promise you'll be eating it by the spoonful.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough + Filling
- Instant Yeast - you can also use active dry yeast, but it may have a longer rise time.
- All Purpose Flour
- Whole Milk - we need the fat in whole milk, it leads to a tender, fluffy roll.
- Granulated Sugar
- Orange Zest - optional, but that little hint of bright orange in the dough works great as a bright contrast to the warm fall spices.
- Vanilla Extract
- Apple Pie Spice - apple pie spice is a mix that is similar to pumpkin pie spice, but doesn't have cloves
- Apple Pie Filling - using canned apple pie filling, which has already been cooked down, reduces the risk of a soggy or undercooked cinnamon roll situation. I gave mine a blitz with an immersion blender because the smaller chunks worked better than the big slices of apples when rolling up the dough.
Maple Brown Butter Frosting Ingredients
- Cream Cheese - room temperature cream cheese will make your life a lot easier when you're trying to whip it smooth.
- Unsalted Butter
- Pinch of Salt
- Maple Syrup - use real maple syrup, not the pancake syrup!
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar - you could also use ultrafine sugar. Granulated sugar will be too gritty.
- Splash of Heavy Cream - you can also use milk if you don't have heavy cream on hand.
How to Make Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough
Step 1 | Proof your yeast in the warm milk and melted butter. Yes, I know you don't have to with instant yeast but I always do...just in case. You never know..
Step 2 | Whisk together all the dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step 3 | Add in the yeast mixture and stir in the eggs using the paddle attachment. It'll turn out sticky, like this.
Step 4 | Now we're going to use the dough hook attachment to knead on stir or low speed until the dough turns into a soft, non-sticky, rich dough. Add flour a tablespoon at a time as needed if it's too sticky, which can happen if it's a humid day. We want that dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl and easily come off the dough hook and form into a ball when it's ready. Let the dough rest in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
Step 5 | Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 14 by 8 inches in size.
Step 6 | Use a spoon to smooth the chopped apple pie filling onto the dough.
Step 7 | Carefully roll the dough from the 14 inch side to the other side. Don't roll it too tight or the filling will all squeeze out. Now slide some dental floss under and cross it around the log to cut the rolls half with the floss. We're not using a knife because it'll smush the dough and we want a clean, round cut.
Step 8 | Cut each half in half in equal pieces and so on until you have 8 cinnamon rolls. If you want, take a little bit of some of the apple chunks from the filling and put them into any empty spaces.
Step 9 | Transfer the cinnamon rolls in your pan, cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in a warm place (like a warmed up and turned off oven) for 1 to 2 hours, until the rolls have doubled in size. There is no second rise in this recipe.
Step 10 | Preheat the oven (take the rolls out of the oven if that's where you proofed them!) and bake the rolls for 25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown.
How to Make the Brown Butter Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 1 | Brown the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Swirl the butter, let it foam and within about five minutes you'll notice the milk solids brown at the bottom of the butter. Pull from the heat and pour into a heat-safe small bowl to cool. Don't let the butter cool too much, just to room temperature so we can whip it into the cream cheese.
Step 2 | Whip the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You want it really well whipped up and smooth, no lumps!
Step 3 | Mix in everything but the heavy cream.
Step 4 | Whip in the heavy cream until the frosting has reached your desired consistency for spreading on cinnamon rolls!
Step 5 | Frost the warm rolls with as much cream cheese icing as you can stand.
Variations and Pro Tips
- Use a Kitchen Scale - I have metric measures included with my baking recipes for a reason, honey. Anything from clumpy flour to overpacking the measuring cup to the humidity that day can change the amount of dry ingredients in your 1 cup measure. If you want your recipe to come out right every time, those grams of flour are important to know!
- Swap the Apple Pie Filling - if you don't want to use pie filling, you can make a classic brown sugar, cinnamon, softened butter spread and sprinkle small diced apples over top before rolling the dough up.
- Try a caramel sauce instead of the cream cheese frosting.
- Sprinkle some chopped walnuts or pecans over the apple pie filling before rolling for some crunch!
Storage and Reheating
Keep the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 2 days. They tend to dry out in the fridge.
To reheat you can put them into a 325 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until warmed through or put one in the microwave for a little less than a minute, until it's warm.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer - you want one that can definitely handle making bread and has the correct attachments for this recipe.
- Kitchen Scale - for precise measurements.
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Unflavored Dental Floss - dental floss cuts through the dough without smushing the rolls like a knife can.
- 9-inch Round Baking Pan - I used a pie dish, you can use a cake pan as well. I've done this in metal and ceramic dishes and both work without burning the cinnamon rolls.
FAQs
The best way to tell if your cinnamon rolls are done is to use an instant read thermometer! Stick it into a roll around the end of the cooking time, it's it's around 195 to 200ºF, it's done!
Cinnamon rolls will turn out dense and tough if you over knead the dough. Perfectly kneaded dough will feel smooth and elastic, will pass the 'windowpane test' and will shape into a ball without any fight.
More Cozy Apple Dessert Recipes to Try
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Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 110-115℉ (41-46℃)
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast, or active dry yeast
- 3 cups all purpose flour, ¼ cup separated
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice mix
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces canned apple pie filling, or homemade apple pie filling
Brown Butter Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon real maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, or more, depending on desired consistency
Instructions
Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Bloom the yeast in the warm milk for ten minutes. If the yeast foams up and smells 'yeasty' then it's alive and you can continue the recipe. If nothing happens your yeast is dead and you need fresh yeast.¾ cup whole milk, 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- In the bowl of your standing mixer, whisk together 3 cups of all purpose flour, granulated sugar, apple pie spice, orange zest, and kosher salt.3 cups all purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon apple pie spice mix, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour the yeast and milk, the melted butter, vanilla, and egg into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir together with the dough hook attachment on low speed until a soft, sticky dough forms.3 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the last ¼ cup of flour a spoonful at a time, letting the stand mixer knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes, using a rubber baking spatula to help scrape the sides and incorporate any unmixed flour as needed. The fully kneaded dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, not be sticky, should feel soft and elastic, and easily pull off the dough hook to form into a smooth ball of dough.3 cups all purpose flour
- Grease up a large mixing bowl with a little neutral flavored oil or cooking spray and put your dough in there, covered with plastic wrap, to rest for about 15 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender, to pulse the canned apple pie filling into smaller pieces. It's okay if it gets a little too small, we only want small chunks of apple and a more blended filling.6 ounces canned apple pie filling
Fill and Roll
- After 15 minutes, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14 inch-by-8 inch (36 cm x 20 cm) rectangle. Smooth the apple pie filling onto the dough with a spoon or an offset spatula, leaving about an inch gap at the edges.
- Roll up the dough to make a 14 inch long log. Wiggle unflavored dental floss under the center of the log and wrap it around the dough tightly to slice the dough in half. Repeat with the other halves of the dough log to create 8 equal-sized cinnamon rolls (discard the small unfilled edge pieces if you have them) and place into a greased metal 9 inch round baking pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the cinnamon rolls rise in a warm place (like a turned off oven) for 90 minutes or until they double in size. (Make the browned butter during this step so it can cool before using)
Bake the Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- After the rolls have doubled, preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.
Make the Frosting
- Do this step while the rolls rise: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Occasionally swirl the pan and watch the pan so the milk solids brown and don't burn. The browning will take about 6-8 minutes, you're looking for brown specks and a toasty smell. Once browned, pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl and set aside until it's cooled to room temperature.8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Beat the cream cheese on medium high in the clean stand mixer using the paddle attachment until the cream cheese is very loose with no lumps.8 ounces full fat cream cheese
- Beat in the room temperature browned butter, vanilla, maple syrup, and kosher salt on medium high until completely incorporated.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon real maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Slowly mix in ⅓ of the powdered sugar at a time, waiting until each amount is incorporated before adding the next ⅓.¾ cup powdered sugar
- Mix in the heavy cream to loosen up the frosting. Add more if you want a very loose frosting!1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Cover the warm cinnamon rolls in as much frosting as you want and serve!
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