These soft and gooey Cinnamon Apple Rolls are filled with a delicious cinnamon-apple filling and topped with a brown sugar glaze. They're the perfect breakfast treat, or a decadent dessert.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The fresh smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven is intoxicating. And when those rolls are filled with sweet, juicy apples, it's even better. Apple cinnamon rolls are the perfect fall treat, and they're easy to make at home.
- Delicious. Incredibly delicious and flavorful, and sure to impress your family.
- Relatively easy to make. Even if you're not a seasoned baker, you can still make these delicious rolls. Our step by step tutorial makes it easy to follow along and make them right the very first time.
- Versatile. Wonderful any time, can be served for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Filling Ingredients
- How to Make Cinnamon Apple Rolls
- Serving Suggestions
- Related Recipes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Equipment
- Storage and Reheating
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Filling Ingredients
This recipe is for the best apple cinnamon rolls you'll ever eat. I'll also include tips for making them perfectly, as well as some variations and substitutions you can try.
Dough
- Dry yeast - You can use dry active yeast or dry instant yeast, which ever you have on hand. Use the same amount for either.
- Brown sugar
- Vegetable oil - Vegetable oil in the dough helps create a more tender sweet bread dough.
- Milk - Warmed to 100 to 115 degrees F.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Salt
Apple Filling
- Butter
- Cinnamon - When baking, Ceylon cinnamon is sweeter than Saigon cinnamon.
- Nutmeg
- Brown sugar
- Walnuts or Pecans - Coarsely chopped.
- Apples - Peeled, cored, and diced small.
Brown Sugar Glaze
- Butter
- Cream
- Brown Sugar - Dark or light.
- Vanilla extract - Maple extract is another delicious option!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Rolls
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make apple cinnamon rolls and the brown sugar glaze:
Prepare The Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
- Stir in the egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour, mixing until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Prepare The Apple Filling
- While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped walnuts together in a bowl. Wash, peel, core, and dice the apples.
Make The Cinnamon Rolls
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a 14 x 20 inch rectangle and brush with the melted butter.
- Spread the cinnamon sugar and walnut mixture evenly over the dough.
- Spread the diced apple filling evenly over the dough.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough up tightly, and the roll into 12 equal pieces.
Bake Until Golden Brown
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or casserole dish with shortening, butter, or non stick baking spray.
- Place the rolls in the prepared 9 x 13 inch baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let double in size.
- Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the rolls cool slightly before glazing.
Optional Brown Sugar Glaze
To make the optional brown sugar glaze, simply melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small pan, or the microwave. When the brown sugar is melted, drizzle over the apple cinnamon rolls.
Serving Suggestions
Cinnamon apple rolls are best served warm and fresh out of the oven. You can top them with your favorite frosting, such as our Easy Cream Cheese Frosting or a maple glaze.
And, of course they go great with hot coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few substitutions and variations making this cinnamon apple rolls recipe:
- Instead of using active dry yeast, you can use instant yeast. Use the same amount.
- If you don't have brown sugar, you can substitute granulated sugar.
- If you don't have any cinnamon, you can use another spice, such as apple pie or pumpkin pie spice, or even ground cardamom.
- To make a different flavor of frosting, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla almond extract.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this cinnamon apple rolls recipe.
Storage and Reheating
- These cinnamon apple rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- You can also freeze the rolls for up to 2 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat the rolls, bake them at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Tips for Success
- Make sure to use warm water when proofing the yeast. This will help the yeast activate and the dough rise properly.
- For extra fluffy cinnamon rolls, use bread flour instead of all purpose flour.
- Let the rolls rise in a warm place, but not too hot. A warm oven turned off works well.
- Don't over bake the rolls. They should be golden brown, but not too dark.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make my cinnamon apple rolls more gooey?
When they are slightly warm, slather on some cream cheese frosting. Then, when cool, add a second frosting coating.
How do I prevent my cinnamon rolls from getting dry?
To prevent your cinnamon rolls from getting dry, make sure you don't over bake them. They should be golden brown, but not too dark. Also, bread flour makes fluffier, softer cinnamon rolls than all purpose flour.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Apple Rolls
Cinnamon Apple Rolls paragraph for you to give a quick overview of this recipe, and entice the reader to continue reading because your recipe is fan-freaking-fantastic.
Servings: 12
Calories: 371kcal
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup Milk warmed
- 2¼ teaspoon Dry yeast 1 envelope
- 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 1 Egg
- 6 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2¾ cup Flour plus extra for kneading
Filling
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 cup Walnuts chopped
- 3 medium Apples peeled, cored, and diced
- 3 tablespoon Butter melted
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Cream
- ⅓ Brown sugar light or dark
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.1 cup Milk, 2¼ teaspoon Dry yeast, 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
- Stir in the egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and salt. Gradually add the flour, mixing until a dough forms.1 Egg, 6 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon Salt, 2¾ cup Flour
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Prepare Apple Filling
- While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped nuts. Wash, peel, core, and dice the apples.½ cup Brown sugar, 2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, 1 cup Walnuts, 3 medium Apples
Assemble Cinnamon Rolls
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a 14 x 20 inch rectangle and brush with the melted butter.3 tablespoon Butter
- Spread the cinnamon sugar and walnut mixture evenly over the dough. Spread the diced apple filling evenly over the dough.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough up tightly, and the roll into 12 equal pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or casserole dish with shortening, butter, or non stick baking spray.
- Place the rolls in the prepared 9 x 13 inch baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let double in size.
- Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the rolls cool slightly before frosting.
Brown Sugar Glaze
- To make the brown sugar glaze, simply melt the butter, cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small pan, or the microwave. When the brown sugar is melted, drizzle over the apple cinnamon rolls.3 tablespoon Butter, 2 tablespoon Cream, ⅓ Brown sugar, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Notes
- Make sure to use warm water when proofing the yeast. This will help the yeast activate and the dough rise properly.
- Let the rolls rise in a warm place, but not too hot. A warm oven turned off works well.
- Don't over bake the rolls. They should be golden brown, but not too dark.
Nutrition
Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 4779mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 292IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Minakshi Dabhi says
beautiful recipe thank you so much for sharing your recipe ❤️